How Many Kinds Of Traditional Japanese Green Teas? Let’s Learn About!

Drinking tea is an integral part of the spiritual and cultural life of Japanese people and when it comes to Japanese Green Tea, everyone immediately thinks of matcha (green tea powder). Not only is the tea used in the Japanese Tea Ceremony famous around the world, but matcha is also used as an ingredient in the processing of many sweets such as cakes, ice cream, etc. 

However, not only matcha but in Japan also There are many other types of green tea such as Houjicha, Gyokuro, Kukicha, ... with great uses such as anti-cancer, anti-aging, lowering cholesterol, etc. If you have the opportunity to come to Japan, why don't you try it? With these unique teas, you will surely find your favorite tea flavor as well as typical Japanese gifts to give to those friends and relatives. Read carefully the article below of Japan with love to learn about traditional Japanese green tea!

Features Of Japanese Green Tea

Most tea produced in Japan is "green tea". The most important difference between Japanese and Chinese green tea is that in Japan, the tea leaves are steamed to prevent oxidation and then dried (except in some regions in Kyushu where this technique is used as a tea roasting technique), while Chinese tea is mainly produced by the roasting method. 

In Japan, the tea harvest time is in the spring, starting at the earliest in the southern region and then gradually going north. Although they are both green tea, depending on the growing process and processing method, they create different types of tea. In this article, let's learn about the 15 most popular types of green tea in Japan!

Sencha

Sencha is Japan's most popular green tea, accounting for about 80% of tea produced in Japan. Sencha is made from green tea leaves, grown in direct sunlight, and harvested from the top layers of young leaves. The tea buds after being harvested must be steamed immediately to prevent fermentation and prevent oxidation. The tea leaves are then rubbed and dried with hot air until the weight is reduced to about 30%. 

Then, the tea buds are crushed into conical buds and dried until the finished product is about 20% of the original weight. Steaming the tea makes the chlorophyll in the tea leaves not decompose, making the tea buds soft and easy to straighten and the tea has a characteristic green color.

Depending on the time of steaming tea, people divide sencha into 5 different types: Asamushi Sencha (steamed sencha tea), Chumushi Sencha (medium steamed sencha tea), Fukamushi Sencha (steamed sencha tea), Tokumushi sencha (steamed sencha tea) long) and Gokumushi sencha (twice steamed sencha tea).

How to make sencha tea: steep 4 grams of tea with 100ml of water at 80 degrees for 30 seconds ~ 1 minute.

Gyokuro

Unlike Sencha tea, Gyokuro is a green tea that is grown in the shade of a net garden about 2-3 weeks before harvest. The tea leaves are covered in the shade which helps to limit the production of catechins from amino acids thereby making the flavor more intense. 

In addition, this method also helps to keep the green color of the tea leaves, making the tea green when brewed. After harvesting, the tea leaves are steamed and dried about 2-3 times (each time for a very short period) then rolled into tiny tea buds. The process of rolling Gyokuro tea is done by hand. Gyokuro tea has a stronger aroma and flavor than other common green teas, so the price is quite high and is considered the most precious tea in Japan.

How to make Gyokuro tea: steep 6g of tea with 100ml of water at a temperature of about 60 degrees for about 2 minutes.

Kabusecha

Kabusecha tea is a type of Japanese green tea. The name of this tea comes from the tea growing process when the tea plants are covered in shade for about a week to 10 days before harvesting with straw umbrellas to limit sunlight. The shading process gives Kabusecha tea a milder taste, aroma, and more subtle color than sencha teas grown in direct sunlight. 

However, compared to Gyokuro tea, Kabusecha tea is not comparable as it has a shorter shade growing period and is usually harvested by a machine while Gyokuro is usually harvested by hand.

How to make Kabusecha tea: steep 4 grams of tea with 150-200ml of water at 80 degrees for about 30 seconds.

Matcha

Matcha is a famous tea, typical of Japan, and is the "soul" of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. In addition, matcha powder is also a great ingredient for making dishes such as matcha ice cream, matcha cakes, etc. Matcha is a premium Tencha green tea that is finely ground with a specially designed granite mortar. The finished product must be ground to a size of 50 micrometers and be emerald green. Based on the quality of matcha, people classify matcha into different grades. 

Number one is the premium tea used in the tea ceremony. Made from the youngest tea leaves (with the whole stem and branches removed), the tea powder is very smooth, has a bright green color, with a delicate taste, natural sweetness, and is sold at a reasonable price. The next type is high-grade matcha made from young tea leaves at the top of the tree, so the tea powder is smooth and has the same taste as the high-end grade, only the tea powder has a slightly darker green color. 

Finally, the industrial matcha used for food processing has the cheapest price with a dark green matcha powder and a slightly more acrid taste because it is produced from the tea leaves that grow at the bottom of the tea tree.

How to make Matcha tea: put about 5g of matcha powder in a bowl, then add 80ml of 70-degree water and use a special bamboo broom to beat the tea.

Kukicha

"Kuki" in Japanese means "stem", "branches" because Kukicha tea is tea made from the young twigs of the tea tree, the part that is separated during the processing of Gyokuro and Sencha tea. Kukicha has a special faint fragrance and sweet taste. 

The quality of Kukicha depends on the quality of tea branches, green branches give the finished tea a sweet taste, and hard brown branches have a bitter taste. The stems of the tea plants used to make Gyokuro tea are considered the most delicious.

How to make Kukicha tea: steep 8g of tea with 120ml of water at a temperature of about 70-80 degrees for about 1 minute.

Konacha

Konacha is a type of tea that is processed into a fine powder from all the ingredients leftover from the processing of Gyokuro and Sencha tea, including tea crumbs, tea buds, small tea leaves,... Konacha tea has a color. Green and strong flavor, cheap price, so it is often served for free in restaurants.

How to make Konacha tea: steep 4 grams of tea with 120ml of water at a temperature of about 70-80 degrees for about 30 seconds.

Genmaicha

"Genmai" in Japanese means brown rice, and "cha" means tea. Genmaicha is green tea mixed with brown rice. Brown rice is processed by roasting, then soaking in water to expand the rice grains, and then mixed with dried Sencha tea. 

Genmaicha has a unique appearance and pleasant aroma of tea mixed with the taste of roasted rice. This is a low-caffeine tea that is recommended for children and the elderly. Today, Genmaicha is exported to many countries around the world.

How to make Genmaicha: 4g Genmaicha with 200ml of 90-degree water for about 30 seconds.

Bancha

After harvesting sencha tea from the end of February to the end of May, the young tea leaves and tea buds begin to develop, this is the time to harvest to make Bancha tea. Bancha tea comes in four varieties depending on the time of year it is harvested.

The tea is of the best quality, hand-picked in May, mainly from the finest young tea buds, called Issabancha. Tea harvested in June is called Nibancha, harvested in August is called Sanbancha, and harvested in October is called Yonbancha. Compared to Sencha tea, Bancha tea is acrider and not as fragrant, so it is often used as a light drink after a meal. 

In addition, there is a school of thought that Bancha tea means "late tea", evening tea because "ban" in Japanese means "evening", or Bancha tea is also a cheap tea.

How to make Bancha tea: steep 4 grams of tea with 200ml of 90-degree water for about 30 seconds.

Tencha

Tencha is the name of the tea leaves that are used to make matcha powder before it is ground. After harvesting, the tea leaves are steamed and then cooled, then dried by free fall into a chamber of hot air from above. This hot air drying helps to straighten the tea leaves and not shrink, fold, or break, making it easy to remove the stem and veins.
Tencha is not put into kneading, kneading, rolling machines like Sencha or Gyokuro, so it doesn't smell when mixed with hot water, but it retains a lot of natural Aroma and maximum essence to grind into matcha powder. Whether or not the processing of Tencha tea is of good quality directly affects the taste of matcha.

How to make Tencha tea: brew 3g of tea with 120ml of water at a temperature of about 70-80 degrees for about 2 minutes.

Tamaryokucha

Tamaryokucha is a type of tea that has a rough production process similar to Sencha tea, but instead of straightening the tea buds at the last stage, the tea leaves are put directly into a rotary drying oven with thermal wind, making the tea have a curled shape, not a straight one like Sencha tea. Tamaryokucha has a fragrant, not too bitter taste, so it is easy to enjoy. 

Tamaryokucha tea is grown a lot in the North and Central region of Kyushu and this is also considered a specialty of Ureshino city, Saga province. If you have the opportunity to visit here, don't forget to buy some Tamaryokucha tea to enjoy as well as a gift!

How to make Tamaryokucha tea: steep 8 grams of tea with 120ml of water at a temperature of about 70-80 degrees for about 1 minute.

Kamanobicha

Kamanobicha is a type of tea that is processed by raw roasting in a hot pan at high temperatures instead of steaming and heat treatment like other teas. Then, the tea leaves are put into the kneading machine to roll the tea buds into a spiral to form a needle like Sencha tea. 

However, in Japan, this type of roasted tea is not very popular and accounts for only about 5% of total consumption in the country. Due to being dried, Kamanobicha has a taste similar to Chinese tea, sweeter and acrider than Sencha.

How to make Kamanobicha tea: steep 8g of tea with 120ml of water at a temperature of about 70-80 degrees for about 1 minute.

Kamairi Tamaryokucha

Like Kamanobicha, Kamairi Tamaryokucha is also a green tea that is made by dry roasting on a pan from the very beginning. This is an ancient tea processing method in Japan originating from China (since the 15th century, Japan has gradually switched to the steaming method). 

Kamairi Tamaryokucha is now produced mainly in the western region of Japan and is processed by roasting for a short time, so it is slightly more bitter than other teas and the leaves are not twisted but have a curled shape.

How to make Kamairi Tamaryokucha tea: steep 4 grams of tea with 100ml of water about 80 degrees for 30 seconds ~ 1 minute.

Conclusion

Drinking tea is a custom associated with many Eastern countries such as China, Korea, Japan, but the world knows more about Japan with its unique tea ceremony. In Japan, tea is not only a drink but also appears in many other dishes and desserts. You can choose Japanese Green Tea in Japan with love. This is an interesting souvenir to give to a loved one or yourself so that every time you drink tea you will remember the memorable days in Japan.