What is Sencha Tea?

Sencha tea is a traditional Japanese green tea originating from the Shizuoka region. The name "sencha" translates into "roasted tea" and the leaves are specifically not ground, resembling green beans in shape after they are lightly steam-pressed, rolled into thin, needle-like leaves and then dried by applying heat. Green tea has long been used for its health benefits, due to the combination of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, polyphenols and theanine. Due to sencha's subtle fragrance and pleasant taste, it is ideal for combining with other flavors to create tea blends.

History

Sencha was brought to Japan from China after powdered green tea, known as "macha," with "cha" being the Japanese word for tea. The process for making sencha was perfected in 1740 by a tea merchant named Soen Nagatani; however, green tea was brought to Japan in 805 A.D. by Buddhist monks. Sencha is currently the most popular tea beverage in Japan and makes up 75 percent of all tea made in the country. Various regions compete with each other to see who can provide the earliest availability and best quality.

Benefits

The benefits of sencha tea come from the properties of green tea, beginning with antioxidants. Catechins are the most well-known antioxidants in green tea and are present in significant quantities. Epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, is the most abundant catechin in green tea and has the most potent antioxidant activity, up to 100 times more powerful than either vitamin C or vitamin E. Scientists have found catechins to have everything from anti-aging effects to anti-cancer applications. Theanine is also found in green tea, an amino acid that can have a relaxing effect on your mood. It reduces stress while simultaneously improving cognition, producing a calm, tranquil state of mind.

Taste

Tea drinkers regard sencha tea as having a strong, slightly sweet taste with a light floral or vegetal aroma. The slightly astringent or bitter flavor present in some sencha tea is due to the brewing temperature. A higher brewing temperature, where the water is boiling, leads to a greater astringency that overcomes the natural sweetness. Sencha tea leaves should be picked in early spring in order for the leaves to develop a nice balance of astringency and sweetness.

Preparation

Brewing the perfect cup of sencha tea begins with the type of teapot you use. Clay teapots are not recommended to brew the tea, only to serve it. Bring the water to a boil in a stainless steel tea kettle or pot, and then allow the water to cool for about three minutes. Allowing the water to cool slightly will bring the temperature down for optimal brewing. Add the tea leaves to the water in the teapot (about 1 tsp. per 8 to 12 oz.) and steep for approximately two minutes. It is important that you only brew the amount of tea you wish to drink and then empty the tea leaves from the tea pot. This will stop the leaves from steeping, allowing you to use them again.

Sencha Tea Blends

Sencha tea blends come in a wide array of flavors. More traditional blends include jasmine and sencha, or sencha and ginger. Other flavors paired with sencha include exotics such as Italian red oranges, candied pear, pineapple, mandarin orange, chocolate, cherry and mint. The names of such blends are creative, conjuring flavors and scents with distinctive ease, such as "Sencha Kyoto Cherry Rose Festival," "Bohemian Raspberry," or "Blood Orange and Flowered Sencha." Some tea drinkers prefer that their flavors come from 100 percent natural oils, as they are said to impart a superior taste to the tea blend.

References

• Green Tea Benefits
• Green Tea Health News
• Sencha