HomeHello, everybody welcome to the blog and our mission is to bring it closer to organic Japanese green tea. And today what we’re going dive into is the five reasons why actually censure could be an option as a tea for you. When we talk about Censia, what do we actually talk about? So when we dive into the world of Japanese green tea, the most prominent word that is popping up in Japan is centi. It’s not match as maybe some Americans and some Europeans might think, because we also tend to use or hear the word match in reference to the Japanese tea world more and more often here in the West. But actually when you go to Japan, the one prominent word about Japanese green tea is actuallyensia. So when we talk aboutensia, we talk about the most consumed category of tea of green tea in Japan. And how does it actually look very simple? I’ll show it to you and it look looks like this. So it’s this typical kind of dark green, or sometimes also a little bit lighter green. Typical needlehaped. Form of leaves so we can see they’re very, very finely rolled as well. So this is how Sania looks when we look at the history of Japanese green tea. Sanchez is actually quite a new tea because before the Japanese people used to consume the typical Japanese green tea called senna, they used to drink tea in powdered form. This was actually the original, so the match form or the powdered green tea form is actually kind of the original form because the invention of rolling the tea- leaves and then making the tea more stronger in terms of flavor has been actually invented in the 18 th century. So this is quite a new way of producing tea. But it was so successful and was so well accepted by the Japanese tea consumer that it took the Japanese tea industry by storm and became very fast, the most consumed leafy in Japan. And nowadays as I said before, we talk about 70 percent of the whole production. So here we are very in a very, very dominant space and actually Japanese people tend to drink this tea the most. But how could it be interesting for us? So when we talk about green tea and what you often hear about green tea is the caffeine content. When we talk about Senica, the caffeine content is in comparison, for example, to a jokuro or match which are highly caffeinated green teas. So with the century we talk about half of the caffeine which is in comparison to a match or to a gkuro. When we talk about match Gokuro we tends to be on a similar level, then a cup of coffee. With the century we talk about half of the level of a cup of coffee. But what is also good when in relation to coffee is always when you drink green tea is the altheanine which is an amino acid in the tea which actually helps the brain or to cross through the blood brain barrier and then has a calming effect on your brain. So on the one hand you have the positive pickle-up of the caffeine and on the other hand you have the calming atheanine or the amino acid which is calming your mind. And this is also in reference to using a Japanese green tea or green tea in general is actually there’s a very nice link to this calm focused state and then often also when you have long periods of study, meditation or any sorts where you really have to focus. Green tea can play a beautiful role in this process because you don’t only have a very fast kick and which is a little bit lowered, but you also have a prolonged effect after the caffeine. This is thanks to the fact that atheanine buffers the effect after caffeine. It’s not directly absorb by the. Stomach but more by the intestines and then just prolongs this effect after caffeine. And that’s why. Green tea is a great thing if you have periods of long focus, so this could be quite interesting for you when we talk about Japanese green tea or specifically Senica, then another thing is and this is when we dive a little bit in the variation withinensia. So there are vast differences between regions terroir, the cultivverss themselves. So the type of green tea which then reflect themselves in a difference in taste. But in the production process itself there is also a slighter adaptation which can be done by the farmer and this also especially is the last days before the harvest because some of the farmers they are actually also shading the tea which means that in the last ten to maybe 12 days they put a so-called cause which is not more than nylonnet over the tea plant and this then triggers the plant to produce more caffeine and it also buffers the effect of changing the altheanine to a catechine. So making the tea on a taste perspective less bit and less ast stringnchent and on the other hand increasing the level of ltheanine which is then this nice buffering effect which I was talking before about. So this is something which is super interesting when it comes to censure that actually also the caffeine content can a little bit be influenced, it doesn’t push the level too high, but maybe we talk about 40 to 45 milligrams for caboscentia. Maybe 50 milligrams if it’s longer shaded, and we talk about maybe 3530. 35 to maximum 40 if it’s not shaded. So there’s a small difference, and this is how also the caffeine content can be regulated. But what’s super interesting in terms of the taste is that when the tea is shaded then the taste becomes sweeter a little bit more complex, and this is also something which is super interesting in terms of loose leaf tea in general. But then when we go into the world of Japanese green tea and especially Censia, so when we talk about taste. What’s very different about the loose tea in general is that there’s much more complexity and I can show you with a very, very simple example. So let me take here the loose leaf te which I shown you before with the beautiful leaves and then let’s just take a normal regular green tea which is coming in a TBA. So when we open this TBA up have I don’t know if you have ever done opening up a track and we see directly that there’s a big big difference in terms of the quality of the leaf. So here from the TBA what we can see and what’s very very nicely what you can nicely see in comparison of these two we really have here beautiful. Dark green shaded green tea leaves and needle shape long needles. We see this later when we brooded tea that the leaves actually they unfold and then you have real leaves in your teach cup and here we only have chopped leaves and that will straight away do a comparison between these two ts and really talk a little bit about the taste difference but already from the leaf aspect from this side of the spectrum. We already can see that there’s a big difference that the tea leaves which are used for tea bags that really finely chop to maximize also the surface often to these tea leaf bags or to these T bags additives so natural enhancer or natural taste enhancer or natural flavors are added and that’s why they often get a little bit nearly for me. It’s a little bit minty taste profile where you have a very beautiful first brewing. But as soon as you go to a second brewing the taste doesn’t come back anymore and this is often due to the fact that additional. In addition to the chopped up leaves, additional flavors are used which you then can taste in the first brewing. But in the second brewing they’re just not present anymore and it becomes a really flat and boring tea. But let’s just do the test. Let’s compare directly. The green T track T and so I have here a second track. We just take this one here, put it into the glass so very simple as you can see. We have here, the TBA and here we’re going to use Q so this time so we’re going to just use these five grams. And then we’re going to bre this both of the TS. On the description of the tea, it was said that it needs two minutes, so we give it this time for Japanese green tea or sania. You only need one minute if it is regular leaf tea. If it is a deep steamed leafy, then the taste is or the brewing time is even shorter with around 45 seconds, so we’re going to make the difference here directly. It taste difference just to take out these. Small stripes so I can take it out later oka. So we already can see beautiful brownish color in which this T is developing in. So maybe I move it closer to here, so you really can see that the tea bag actually gives a little bit of more of a brownish color. But let’s have a look how the tea evolves when we pour the leaf tea, so I think we are now close to a minute. Let’s just pour this. And here we can already see that there’s a major major difference between these two t’s, so one is a beautiful golden green golden color. Also here with the leaves you see they open up slowly. Still we have quite a lot of needle shapes or these needle shapes are still quite present. And then we have this color here which is from the regular green tea. And here we have the brownish color from the TBA. Let’s take this T back and let’s compare right away. So first track. So I always get this typical mint flavor and this is. I think from Givoon, this typical green tea flavor. They always add as an additive to the tubas. Because the tea leaves itself in the tubas, they don’t have a lot of flavor anymore. You have to imagine that by chopping these leaves in fine particles. Actually you have some parts of the tea leaves that evaporate and the kind of in its essence, these are the essential oils which give a lot of complexity, a little bit of density, a beautiful kind of more of a stronger kind of smoothness to the tea water. When you drink a baby, you have already had some Japanese green tea or some green tea in general, where you think that the water is nearly a little bit of thicker, a little bit smoother gla, a little bit kind of. In kind of bigger drops over the tongue. This is mainly due to the essential arms which are in the leaves, so they can really develop a very beautiful aspect as well to the tea in terms of texture, but also add a lot of complexity to the tea and these fine tea leaves. They don’t have this anymore, so it’s really reduced to a smaller taste profile and this small taste profile also with a little bit brown leaves, a little bit older leaves, which are in general not so tasteful, not so strong in taste as here are the small young sprouts often used the first harvest especially. So here we talk about the first harvest. We really know that here the younger and more kind of nugent denser leaves are used. Meanwhile, here we really also mix in stems. We mix in a little bit of dust in general of the tea leaf production. Not that there’s dust coming in, but it is really fine, fine powdery tea leaves which are used. And then these teas tea leaves in general, it’s obvious that they cannot have the same taste profile, cannot have the same nugent density, because here we talk about maximizing the surface of the tea leaves. Meanwhile, here we talk about maximizing the taste and the taste intensity of the tea leaves. So when we compare this now to the Japanese green tea, so this is a Yta kamidoi. It’s especially cultivar or green tea type which is used in the south. It’s very famous. There are around 30 percent of the whole production in the very south. So around the region of Kagoshima is actually made from Uta kaiddori especially used for deep steamed tea. But this here is a normal century. So we have much more sweetness, so I get a little bit of kind of a beautiful sweet taste profile which brings me a little bit in the puree nearly apple. So there’s a little bit of a refreshing tone with it. Ytaamidori bites us and is a little bit more stringent as a cultivar, so you get a little bit more of these refreshing tones. But here we have quite a nice fruit spectrum in it, which I would describe with a little bit more of peer and then. There these typical greener notes I often get a lot of itamamma I get a lot of kind of fresh spinach here. I get a citrus note with it as well, but without being ast stringent now in the first spring so you can see already now I get a huge huge difference here. I really have this fresh tone, a little bit minty tone. It’s very nice, but it stays just like that. And when I look for a little bit more tones in the tea I get a little bit of more darker, wooden, little bit more sandy notes a little bit so not very pleasant note. So I concentrate when I concentrate on the taste really on these first refreshing tones and then I just have another sip to get this feeling back. So actually from a standpoint of how they develop this flavor it’s quite impressive because you really have this beautiful freshness, but there’s no additional layer to that. Meanwhile here. Already really about this dens tea, then I have a little bit of more a slight sweet corn no. Then it drifts off over these more ATD mama notes. Then I have a little bit more fresh spinach notes, and then in the end I get a little bit PE notes and maybe a little bit of peach, but not too much. This tea is a little bit fresher, it is not that much in the fruit notes. There’s a little bit on these fruit notes around Pier, but this fruit itself doesn’t have too much sweetness. In my opinion that there are fruits which are much sweeter, like the pineapple peach mango, which you get a lot with other teas which are longer shaded and which are a little bit sweeter. Also through the cultivwa which is used, and here with the Uta kamidori, we don’t get that much of this sweet fruitiness with it good. So you can see now the comparison of the track T is done. But about color when we talk about the sweetness I wants to bring in another guest, and this is actually the Fukaushi T. So what we can see. So this T looks nearly a little bit in the direction of the TBA T, but it is not at all. This is actually just a long esteemed tea. When we talk about Fukaushi green tea then this is actually an innovation which came after the Second World War. As you might know Japan and the US were in war as well as with Europe as he or the Japanese government was going in an alliance with the Germans and the Italians. So what they actually finally did after they lost the second world is they cut themselves off from these markets as export to these markets was not possible anymore. So they had to react to that in terms of the tea industry because there was still a big amount of tea production there and the big export country was the US. So they had to try to sell this within the country within Japan and then actually what they found out that this or little bit more harsh, more stringent flavor profile which was apparently appreciated by the Western consumer was not that much appreciated by the Japanese tea consumer, so they had to find a way how to smoother the tea. And this is how the Fukaushi or the deep steaming method. Was actually invented there. The only difference is that the double of the time of the steaming time. So instead of 30 to 45 seconds, we talk about one to one and a half minutes minutes which are actually applied. So in the steam bath that the tea needs to be in the steam bath, not to become a black tea or a withered tea. So they have to put it in the steam bath. But there they just put it longer and then the T sounds to get a little bit more weaker. They break them down a little bit more, and that’s why. Also the final particles come out of the deep steaming method, and then we get this T. What is specific about the T. So thanks to this long steaming method. What is happening is that the T becomes sweeter so you smoother out the tea, it suppresses a little bit the catechkins which are the bitter particles in the tea and then they can really bring you a very, very smooth tea. On the other hand, what is also nice is that actually the tea is easier to brew, so here we talk only about 45 seconds we have to leave the tea and then you already have a very, very fast Bronte tea and it is also very nice in terms of taste. But let me show you this so we already here so move the glasses here and now you’re going to see how different these two t’s are. In terms of column so you see that there’s much more density in the liquor, there’s a darker green color, so the effect of this longer steaming and this breaking down of the cellmon brains and this a little bit more brizztle tea makes actually out of the Fukamushi a very beautiful, less clear but super intense green tea. And this is one major of difference between the normal centra. I would say, and fukaushi or deep steamed senna, and in terms of taste just to compare this to so what we are talking about is, both are utaamidori, but one is deep steamed and the other one is not deep steamed. You see already in the clarity or in the clear color of the first brewing here has described before quite a light, but then we have a little bit dis greener tones, we have a little bit disappear tones so, and the refreshing tea when we go to the Yta Kari which is now with the Fukaushi method. What you will directly see is you have a much more drive into this fruit segment, so they’re much sweeter as I talked before. It suppresses a little bit this caterchkin, so a little refreshing particles and it moves the TE and more of a denser and more of a full bodydit and also in a more fruitier taste experience here I. I get even a little bit of nutiness, but I get a lot of peaches. I would even say apricots, I’m getting here. It’s kind of also the tas, so the Mommy flavor is stronger. So mommy is this typical, a little bit sweet, savory taste profile. Here I get it much more, because the whole Li liquid the whole liquor after the tea seems denser and more complex, driving it into more sweetness, but driving it as well into a more or the stronger Unami. Note, this can also come from a longer shading. Here I’m not exactly sure how long this T was shaded, maybe four to six days, and here we’re talking around ten days. This definitely influences as well that this teas a little bit Unami strong and a little bit sweeter. But definitely you have much more fruit. Not. So if you’re looking for a green tea where you have a lot of sweetness in, try to go for a deep steamed tea, definitely a good choice. So again you see already. Now we have two complete differenttiess, but were still in the world of Senica, a super interesting world. Yeah when we. Kind of move further. What is interesting about C. Senica as well is definitely its colors, so I talked about it already a little bit. But here you can clearly see the difference between the colors. So you can have here a more golden, a more transparent, more kind of a beautiful, very elegant tea. But the color of Japanese green tea should always be either a little bit golden greene or green. So this is mainly due to the facts that we are talking about the harvesting and treating. Then the tea leaves with a steam bath. In comparison. To for example a Chinese method where often a pan frying is applied, then the tea gets a little bit browner. This also exists in Japan under the name of Kamairrica. So this is like a half roasted teaden. But when we really talk about Senica then you should get either a golden green color or really dis intense green color. This especially you get with the Fukaushi green tea and this is the typical color you should see in a tea. If it gets browner sometimes I also had a tea that actually turned and then it also the taste gets much less fresh, it gets much less kind of complex. It’s a little bit more harsher and not very enjoyable tea. And even when we talk about more maturities which is than the BU. So when we’re moving out of the center into the bu where only they’re ripe and all the leaves are used, even then you should get more of a green color than a brown color, so this is very typical and very important. When you’re buying a Japanese green tea andes the higher quality, the more intense the green on the centi side. Or when you go for Fukaushi then Derry you should have a very beautiful green color. In general. What is also very important point about Japanese green tea and about Sania is especially when you’re moving in the land of loose leaf tea is in comparison to this T back T which I have here. So you should or you definitely have much higher nutrients. But how are these nutrients influenced? So when we talk about nuents then definitely the tea harvest with most nutrients is the first harvest even better when the T is shaded at the end of the growing period. So I talked before in the centra when we talk about Cabuensha. So the tea which is actually covered with this cab with this Neyland net then actually. Here we talk about more of a nugenrich tease is that actually the tea plant is a little bit stressed when they covered the tea with this Neyland net. And as a result of that what’s going to happen is when the tea plant starts to absorb a maximum of nutrients from the soil. And that’s why often you see as well when you try yourself through a little bit that the kabuis or the kabucenthas comparison to Sania have a much more intense umabi and sweet flavor, while even some sanchez can maybe be a little bit flat or not as strong in terms of its taste. So if you want to have a really nutrient density then definitely try to look for ounces for shaded teas. Ask your supply which are the shaded teas and then you can really make the comparison for yourself and you will have quite some surprises in terms of taste difference already but definitely in nutrients, especially in alhenine level. Soden is calming more focusing amino acid together with the caffeine than is more present in the shaded tea. So in terms of nutrients definitely already going from a track, toensia is great. But withinensia trying. Out for yourself what is actually the way you like your teas and then see if you want to go for a cups or a shaded teas or if you want to stay within the realm of, Unshaded tea. Then, that’s finally really down to personal preference and especially taste preference. And what is also a great thing to do actually with Sancha is Cold Brewing. So now in summertime that it’s getting hotter and you wants to have a drink which is refreshing. Cold brewing is one of the easiest things you can do. So this tea, for example. I made it 20 minutes ago and you see at the bottom. I just used normal leaves, and then I filled it up with water and it makes a beautiful, beautiful brewing. What you can do is you can leave it either overnight, or you leave it in just for 2030 minutes. Here I use now the Fukkaushi tea, which I used in the second brewing, and with fuamushii. As the partticers are a little bit smaller, they release a little bit faster the flavor. So already after 2230 minutes I already have a good brewing. Normally just leave it for an hour, and then you can enjoy a beautiful cold. Brewed tea? What is good about cold brewing? It doesn’t release that much caffeine, so it’s a little bit less caffeinated’s than a normal breed. Senica. How I did it here. Here we really extracted the caffeine when you go for a cold brewing here the cold brewing more of the threonine is released, and less of the caffeine and less of the catechns, which also makes the tea taste a little bit sweeter as well. So also a very, very beautiful way to enjoy a sweet tea is just to cold brewed. But you have to know it’s lower in caffeine. And finally the taste also will be different. So when I just take this class and I. Taste compare, These two t’s so the Hot Brew. As I said a lot of sweetness, little bit this fruitiness, pine not pineapple, a little bit of this peach, a little bit more apricot, i very sweet a little bit of this Unami flavor, and when I go for the Cold brew. Due to the receptors they perceive. Also, the taste of the cold were a little bit differently, but I get a lot much more sweetness and nearly get a little bit of resin but dried resin. So it’s much sweeter, a little bit more sugary as well. So the cold brew makes the tea even sweeter. There are no caters or much less caters, much less caffeine as well, so it makes the tea very pleasant. It’s super refreshing, especially when you leave it overnight, you have a beautiful tea. What is important is try to find a colder bottle which you can close like this one here, so I can put just a lid on it or tap on it. And then it is actually. Closed so because the green tea a little bit absorb a little bit the odors in the tea in the fridge. So this then finally helps you to keep a very pure refreshing tea, and if he wants to add a little bit of lemon, this is also great to just kick a little bit of vitamin C as well into your green team. So these are the five reasons so let’s go through again. First, the caffeine a little bit lower than coffee like half of the caffeine of a coffee but longer of focus, and second is definitely the sweet of flavor which you get through the leaves with the complexity then maybe look for a shaded tea if you want to have it even sweeter. Third is the beautiful green color which you’re getting always. Try to or always you should always get this beautiful green color with your sania when it’s coming from Japan and then we have more nuents. Also on the spectrum of nutrients is a little bit less nutrients on the non-shaded green tea and as soon as shaded first harvest, then you have the max maximum nutrients actually in your green tea and then the last one, what’s the cold brew? Very easy to do and very refreshing for a summer’s day. Good. This was this a little bit a longer one today, but I wanted to cover all aspects. I hope you liked this one too. And if you ever have a question, please leave a comment, write us an email or send us a DM on or a direct message on. The social media were happy to answer them. Thank you see you, bye bye.
