sencha

Part VII of X in a series on classic teas you need to taste

Origin: Japan, including Uji City, and Shizuoka and Kagoshima Prefectures.

Harvest: First Sencha harvested in early May

Dry leaves:

• Myrtle green needle-like rolled leaves with some lime-colored stem pieces
• Aromas of creamed spinach and faint lemon peel. Seaweed notes in some.

Wet leaves:

• Leaves lighten to a Kelly green
• Smells consistent with the dry leaf
• Leaves unroll to reveal whole to partial leaves

Liquor:

• Chartruese to spring bud color
• Brothy to creamy texture
• Aromas of cream spinach and some seaweed
• Light bitterness in some with light astringency

Sencha means “new tea,” but can include up to 3 harvests each year. The newness of the leaves refers most closely to the concept of a flush of new leaves. To distinguish the very earliest, first leaves of the year, senchas are often labeled “ichiban.” Ichiban designates the early leaves plucked during the first couple of days of the first sencha harvest.

As with the harvest of many Japanese teas, machines play a larger role than in other major tea countries like China or India. Many senchas are cut by a type of hedge-clipper.

Another term associated with senchas is fukamushi. Fukamushi refers to the deep-steaming process that results in smaller, finer pieces of leaf. A longer steaming than the traditional 30 seconds, fukamushi produces tea that can be steeped more quickly.

Walker Tea Review- a tea blog with tea reviews and tea tastings. Operated by Jason Walker.

Tagged as: green, Japan, sencha, tea classics

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