The Different Kinds of Japanese Tea
Tea is believed to have grown in the entire Japan. The country is even considered to one of the top ten countries that produce tea all over the world. The main growing places of Japan are Uji, Sayama, Kagoshima and Shizuoka.
The first crop of each year, normally in the first weeks of May, generates the top qualities of Japanese tea. They call it the new tea or Chin-Cha. After the dormancy period which is usually during winter, the primary leaves of the season are affluent with nutrients such as catechins and amino acids. These improve the taste and fragrance of this initially cropped tea. The new tea normally has a luminescent, bright green shade, strong fragrance and distinct sweetness.
The production of Japanese tea begins with steaming impedes the oxidizing procedure of the enzymes present in the tea leaves. However, this procedure is exclusive only with Japanese tea style. This aims to protect the green color and cent of. The moment the steaming is done, the tea is desiccated to lessen the humidity content. At this time, the tea is being kneaded to crash the leaf’s cell structure. The succeeding procedure will dry the tea and roll them again to a needle shape.
The different types of Japanese tea are all made using the same process. The differences among these type rely on the means each is filtered and blended. Discrepancies of these conditions tell the unique flavors, colors and scents.
The following are the most know Japanese teas:
Sencha – This is considered the most popular Japanese tea. Sencha is grown with sun exposure and is processed in various stages- cutting, filtering, steaming and blending. This tea is known to have a delicate sweetness, gentle astringency and floral green aroma. Sencha’s quality normally varies depending on its origin, time of crop and process used.
Fukamushi Sencha - This is the deeper roasted Sencha. This is steamed longer compare to the usual Sencha. Its further steaming breaks down the fiber and thus make the leaf rough than the regular.
Gyokuro – Compare to Sencha, Gyokuro is basically grown in shade areas. This is known to be the finest and luxurious teas and you cannot normally see it in Japanese tea cupboard. It is generated by shading the bushes of the tea for at least three weeks before it will be harvested. For this, the leaf was able to get the soil’s nutrition. The shading procedure also avoids the bushes from sun’s rays making it enhance its chlorophyll content. Gyokuro is noted to have a sweet flavor and a rich green color.
Bancha – This is made from the tea’s lower part. This is usually thick and big. Unlike Sencha, Bancha is a bit less fragrant and a bit more astringent. However, Bancha is cherished in Japan because of its vigorous flavor.
Kukicha – This is a special looking Japanese tea as it contains stalks and stems from the Sencha’s production. It possesses a light, translucent green color with a gently sweet, intense flavor. It is one excellent example of the Japanese green tea diversity.
Matcha – This is the usual tea used in most Japanese tea ceremonies. What makes this tea different from the others is that it is made from Tencha and not from Sencha.
These are all the different types of Japanese tea. Each kind of tea has a distinct flavor.