HomeSenica is the most common type of green tea in Japan and it can take on a wide variety of different forms. In this blog, we’re going to explore the flavors of this tea and learn how it’s made. We’re also going to take a look at how small differences in growing and processing can completely change the flavor. To begin our journey, we’re going to be heading off to Tokyo to get to know a bit more about the taste of Sancho. Tokyo is filled with amazing teach shops. Every time we visit Japan, we make sure to check out as many as we can and learn a bit more about the popular types of tea in Japan. Hey everybody, I’m standing right outside Saito right now, which is a brand new drip green tea cafe here in Tokyo. At Saito, there are many different varieties of single origin centiteas. These teas are prepared with a unique method similar to how you might prepare coffee. While most Japanese green tea is prepared in a small clay teapot like Thisqu, the tea at Sai was prepared using the slow drip method. Five grams of tea leaves are placed into this ceramic cone and then some warm water is added in. Typically, a Japanese green tea like Senica is brewed between 100 and 40 to 100 and 60 degrees water for one minute. The lower temperature in shorter steeping time actually ensures that the sweeter components of the leaf are extracted with less of the bitterness being extracted into the water. At Saito this is taking one step further within an even shorter brewing time. The tea leaves are brewed for only a few seconds and then the tea is drained into a pitcher. The result is an even sweeter tea with less of the astringency or bitterness. In Japan particularly all aspects of the T are appreciated. A green tea, like senica, can be described as sweet, savory, grassy, citrus, floral, earthy, vegetal, and bitter, sometimes all at once. This diverse array of flavors is celebrated, and Japanese tea farmers often blend tea leaves together to capture multiple flavor profiles. Different flavor profiles of a tea can also be seen in later brewings. Once you brew the leaves once, you shouldn’t throw them out. Instead, you can use them two or three more times to make completely unique cups of tea. The first steeping tends to be the sweetest and most savory. This is because Threonine is the easiest component to extract. The second steeping tends to be more grassy vegetal or citrus. This means that the catkins in the tea are start to be extracted at a higher proportion. When steeping the tea a second time, you’ll want to use the same temperature water 100 and 40 to 100 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, but this time only let the leaves brew for 20 seconds. With the first steeping, you are brewing it for longer to fully open up the leaves, but in the second steeping the leaves are already open, so it is easier to extract flavor from the leaves. Now that we’ve gotten to experience a nice cup of Setia, let’s take a brief look at how it’s made before a new tea is made. Of course, the plant must first be grown and harvested. This may seem simple, but there is actually a lot of thought that goes into it. First, the farmer needs to decide what type of tea plant to grow. 70 percent of the senna tea in Japan is from the Yabukita Kotar. This tea plant produces a broad spectrum of flavors from grassy to sweet to savory. It also produces some of the toughest leaves. This is important in Japan as the winters can actually get quite cold here and tougher leaves are more resistant to frost. If the farmer is trying to produce a lighter or sweeter tea, they may use a more rare cultivar like Siimidori or Okumiddoi. These tea plants will require more labor and may even have a slightly smaller yield. In order for the farmer to grow these teas, they must first be sure that they can sell them for a higher price. After the tea planta is planted, it will take three to four years before it can be harvested. At tea fields you may often see younger tea plants growing alongside larger ones. This is a sign that farmers are making an investment in the future of their farm. What type of tea plant is grown is not the only decision that the farmer needs to make. Before the tea is harvested, the farmer needs to decide whether or not they shade the tea plant. Shading is perhaps one of the biggest factors when it comes to sent. When the teal is shaded, it retains higher levels of chlorophyll, caffeine and threonine. When the tea is exposed to sunlight in the final days before the harvest, it will produce more catkins. This decision comes down to the taste preference. If the farmer wants to produce more of a sweet and savory senica like a Kabul Sacha, they will shade the plant for a longer time. If they want to produce a drier and slightly more bitter setia, they will leave the plant unshaded. Although shading is not necessarily a mark of high quality tea, the most prized teas in Japan tend to all be shaded. Kabuse, sancha. Yokuro, and Match are all shaded for a longer time and these teas are all noticeable for their intense, sweet and savory flavors. In late April or early May, the tea plants in Japan are typically harvested for the first time. The last time these plants were harvested was likely in the fall of the previous year, so the plants had been able to store up nutrients for many months. The most desirable leaves are these light green ones on the top of the tea plant. These leaves are the most nutrient dense as well as the lightest and sweetest leaves of the whole plant. These tender young leaves are then harvested and brought directly to be processed. Once the leaves are picked, the farmer’s work is only just begun. What separates green tea from black tea is that green tea is unoxidized while black tea is fully oxidized. Once the leaves are picked the enzymes will begin to oxidize the leaf over time, leading to a more complex floral and even fruity flavor in order to lock in the natural grassy and vegetable flavors of the leaves. The leaves need to be heated within a few hours of being picked. In China, these leaves would be heated in a large pan, but what makes Japanese centra unique is that the leaves are actually steamed. These leaves are steamed for only around one minute, but in that time the enzymes that cause oxidation are deactivated and the leaves are softened. If the leaves are steamed for a longer time, the sen will become a fukumushi, or deep steam tea. During this extra steaming time, the cell membrane of the leaf are broken down even further and more of the leaf is able to flow into the cup. These teas are famous for their incredibly vibrant green color and their smooth and round taste. This is a technique a farmer can use to soften their tea even further. Deep steam tea leaves are also a little bit more brittle and you may notice smaller leaf particles in the leaves. This increases the surface area of the tea and can lead to an even more intense brewing. After the tea leaves have been steamed, they then need to be dried. This is done in a series of small ovens that bake the leaves over time at a lower heat. The humidity content of these leaves needs to be between four and seven percent, so that the leaves can infuse properly. While the leaves are still pliable, they can also be rolled into the proper shape. Japanese green teas are quite unique for these tightly rolled needle shapes. This is one of the reasons why leaves need to be infused for a full minute. The leaves are so tightly rolled that in order to extract the flavor properly, they need to be in the water for at least a minute. With gkuro, a special type of green tea, the leaves are even more tightly rolled. For this tea, we recommend a steeping time of two minutes, ensuring that these needle-shaped leaves are fully opened up. After lots of hard work, the senica is finally done. This loose tea can either be packaged up and sold as a single cult of our tea or made into a blend. Tea blending is a very precise art and it takes a lot of skill. The idea is to blend multiple tea varieties together to capture the best aspects of each. The Gokuro Sasahhima is a good example of a successful tea blend. Mr. Sakamoto takes three distinct cultivars and crafts them together beautifully. The verge flavor of the Yabukita, the smooth, round and fruity flavor of the Okumidori, and the light sweetness of the Samidori all combined to create a perfectly balanced tea. Senica is such a diverse category of green tea but that means that there is a little something for everybody. If you like milder, drier setia, you should go for an unshaded one like the Senna Isaggawa. If you like lighter, sweeter Senta, you should go for the Kaluga and Asatsuu Sentcha. If you prefer these intense, bold flavors, perhaps you may enjoy the Murasaki Sentcha with Senna teas. Being as broad as they are, they are difficult to get tired of. There are so many different flavor profiles that can be explored all at once through the same tea. Thank you all so much for joining us on this adventure through the world of Senna green tea. If you are interested in trying this magical Japanese green tea, we would really appreciate it if you checked out neos.com and help support our mission of bringing quality sustainable green tea to the world.
