Green Tea – Terms

So I noticed for the new tea savvy person, particularly in green tea, he/she may not be familiar with all the terms.

Here are some different Japanese teas and their descriptions (from what I’ve learned based off internet research):

• Sencha – This is the popular Japanese green tea. This is green tea grown under full sun. Most of the green tea produced in Japan is classified as a form of sencha.
• Fukamushi Sencha – Fukamushi means that it is steamed a little bit longer than normal. This yields to a thicker consistency and stronger astringency.
• Gyokuro – One of the finest Japanese green teas. This tea goes through a shading process around 3 weeks before harvest. It is covered in approximately 90% shade during this process. As a result, this tea is usually more greener, sweeter, and lesser in astringency. Less than 1% of the green tea produced in Japan is of this kind due to its laborious nature.
• Bancha – This is a lower grade of sencha. Bancha is usually used from the later harvests and consists of the coarse leaves and stalks. The tea leaves are usually larger than sencha. Approximately 10% of the tea produced in Japan is of this type.
• Genmaicha – This tea is a mixture of bancha with popped rice kernels. The appearance is generally light brown and comes with a rice-type flavor.
• Matcha – This tea is used in the Japanese tea ceremony. This tea is also shade-grown similarly to Gyokuro. Check the video below to see the differences between the process of creating Gyokuro and Matcha (from O-Cha)
• Houjicha – This is a low-grade tea made from roasted bancha. This is naturally low in caffeine and takes on a reddish-colored tint.

Here is a video of actual Japanese green tea processing plants created by O-Cha

Uji Green Tea Processing

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Here is a video of the Gyokuro and Matcha growing and harvesting processes. Here you will notice why quality gyokuro and matcha is a laborious process, as well as why the tea itself is expensive.

Matcha and Gyokuro Tea Processing

Here are some terms you may want to know for the Japanese tea ceremony, or preparation of Matcha.

• Chakin – A linen cloth used for wiping a chawan.
• Chawan – Bowl used for frothing matcha. You can also drink directly out of this bowl after preparation.
• Chashaku – Bamboo spoon used to scoop matcha.
• Chasen – Bamboo whisk used to froth matcha in a chawan.

Hopefully all this was helpful in getting you started in your Japanese Green Tea experience!