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| Difference with other teas |
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Depending on the chemical transformations that occur to the tea leaves before finishing, teas are traditionally divided into three types: black tea, oolong, and green tea.
Black tea is made of leaves that have been given time to fully ferment before drying, hence the name black tea. Oolong is made of leaves that are fermented for a shorter time. The term oolong derives from China: "wu long," which means "black dragon." Green tea is made of leaves dried without any fermentation.
To prevent fermentation, after the harvest the tea leaves are steamed immediately from about 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on the intended final product (asamushi: light-steamed tea or fukamushi: deep-steamed tea). They keep their green color, and the liquor is pale green too. |
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After the steaming, the leaves are dried to become what is called coarse tea (aracha). The coarse tea is then sent to the distributors, like ourselves, where it is treated to generate different brands of tea.
Green tea is the most popular tea as well as the most popular beverage in Japan. However, some black teas and oolongs are also used here. The former is known as "kou-cha," and is imported from countries like India, Sri Lanca, Kenya, and Indonesia. Essentially imported from China, the latter is referred to as "uuron-cha." |
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Green teas, like black teas and oolongs, have several broad categories, with their respective characteristics. The 6 most common categories are matcha, sencha, gyokuro, hojicha, genmaicha, and bancha.
Matcha
After the harvest, the tea leaves are simply separated, dried, and powdered. Rather than infusion, the liquor is prepared by dissolving the powder in a small quantity of water, using a special whip. This results in a somehow foamy liquor (as can be seen on the opposite picture). Because the leaves are powdered and entirely dissolved, all the nutrients they contain are retained in the drink, which is a great merit of matcha, compared with teas brewed by infusion.
Matcha tea gardens receive special care. The plants are covered for some time before harvest to control exposure to sunlight. This results in special sweetness and aroma, caused by the formation of amino acids.
Matcha is the tea used in sado, the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Normally, a concentrated liquor, to be used by several persons in turns, is made. That type of drink is known as koicha. New buds from old trees are the best for koicha. Progressively, however, a less concentrated liquor is made for individual use. That one is referred to as usucha. |
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| Matcha |
Gyokuro |
Sencha |
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| Genmaicha |
Hojicha |
Bancha |
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Gyokuro
Gyokuro tea plants also are covered for some time before the harvest, so they produce amino acids that sweeten the taste of the liquor, like matcha. In fact, the main difference from matcha is that the leaves are rolled after steaming. Gyokuro has a deep and strong taste. To get the best Gyokuro drink, the water should be boiled and cooled at around 50 degrees. For easier preparation, our company has developed a new gyokuro (Netto Gyokuro) that can be brewed with hot water.
Sencha
This is the typical as well as the most common green tea in Japan. Unlike matcha and gyokuro, the plants are not covered. From sencha, several other
categories are made, either by treatment of the leaves or addition of other ingredients. |
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Sencha has two subdivisions: asamushi and fukamushi. The difference between the two is in the steaming method. As the name indicates, asamushi sencha is "light- steamed" (30 seconds to 1 minute), while fukamushi, or "deep-steamed," is steamed for a longer time (1 - 2 minutes). As a result of the deep steaming, the leaves of fukamushi sencha break apart easily (as appears on this picture), and the liquor has less aroma. Nonetheless, it has a fuller taste and can be brewed in hot water, thus quicker. |
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Asamushi sencha is by and far the most commonly used. Actually. fukamushi sencha was introduced only around 40 years ago. It got a momentum during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Genmaicha
It is made by adding roasted unpolished rice (genmaicha) to sencha.
Hojicha
It is made by roasting sencha of the 1st and 2nd flushes usually. It is possible to use the large leaves or add kukicha (twig teas). The main feature of hojicha is its strong aroma.
Bancha
Bancha is ordinarily made of 3rd flush and 4th flush leaves, which are steamed dry and finally roasted. This tea is boiled directly in the kettle and then served. Containing less caffeine, it is an excellent drink for children, sick people, and the elderly. |
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Green tea has remarkable effects on health,
Yet nowadays it is only an ordinary beverage.
Scientific research has demonstrated that, among other things, green tea prevents cancer, controls blood pressure, and retards aging. In fact, green tea was originally used as a medicine. (For more details, please consult our page on "Green Tea and Health"). Owing to these effects, the product has gained enormous popularity around the world, not only in Japan.
Sometimes, however, these effects are overemphasized. It has been reported to us that certain members of the European public, for example, see green tea more as a medical drug than an ordinary drink.
The health benefits of green tea are undeniable. Furthermore, tea blenders occasionally include medicinal herbs in the tea (e.g. Dokudami Kenkocha). But nowadays, green tea is to be considered just as an ordinary drink for use by anyone and at any time. Its health benefits are gravies, and medicinal ingredients are incorporated just in a few brands of teas, not all.
Green tea has a particular flavor.
On their first encounter with Japanese green tea, many foreigners-- especially those familiar with tea sweetened with several lumps of sugar in one cup--find green tea somehow bitter. However, green tea is not necessarily bitter.
Normal green tea has a delicate taste that combines bitterness, sweetness, and astringency. It is true that some teas, matcha in particular, are bittersweet. But those are usually consumed along with sweets, which smoothens the overall taste. |
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Furthermore, new brands of sweetened matcha--like our Green Tea Sticks--are now on sale and are much appreciated by both Japanese and foreigners. Another important factor in producing the best flavor of green tea is the brewing method (for more information on the making a good tea, please visit our page "How to Make a Delicious Tea.")
Beyond the taste, green tea is associated with a particular aroma. Taste and aroma together give the product an indescribable, irresistible flavor. More importantly, they make green tea a symbol of Japan: After leaving the country, even if formerly disinclined for green tea, one may later on crave for it, out of the nostalgia for the beloved Archipelago. |
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