Green tea connoisseurs would tread every possible path to get the perfect tasting cup that soothes their senses. Japan is definitely the right destination for tea lovers.
The land of the rising sun has Sencha, Genmaicha, and Matcha teas to offer. However, the major chunk of the tea grown goes into producing sencha.
Brewed from dried tea leaves, Sencha is a famous green tea variety in Japan. ‘Sencha’ means simmered tea. You will find it in every house in Japan.
How is Sencha produced?
The source of Sencha is Camellia sinensis, the tree plant, like other true teas. After the harvesting of tea leaves, they are withered and left for drying the natural way.
While the leaves don’t get oxidized, the process of making sencha is not the same as that of most other Chinese green teas.
Sencha undergoes steaming and that is why it gets an earthy and vegetal flavor.
Post steaming, there is the process of rolling the leaves to turn them into fine needle-like in shape. The final step is to sort and blend the tea leaves and go ahead with the packing.
Aroma and Flavor Profile of Sencha
The flavor of sencha tea is invigorating. It has an aftertaste to it that is on the floral, fruity, and nutty side. You can categorize its taste as grassy and earthy.
In addition to that, there are notes of seaweed in it too. The tea when brewed can be anything from light green to dark green color and is a total delight.
What are the different varieties of Sencha?
Sencha has many varieties. Futsu mushi sencha is the standard sencha that normally undergoes steaming which gives the characteristic flavor to the tea.
Its aroma is refreshing and the flavors are naturally sweet and bitter that give an overall earthy taste.
The other variety of sencha is fukamushi-cha. This sencha is a deep steamed one and due to that its natural astringency gets a little subdued.
The end result is that the sencha leaf is more powdered and the brewed tea is quite rich when compared to standard sencha.
Next comes the Kabuse-cha which is a type of sencha that has a rich aroma and flavor along with a distinct scent. The tea leaves are grown in shade to make this particular variety of sencha.
This procedure helps in minimizing the growth of some amino acids that reduce the tannin content of the tea and give it a fuller taste.
Kuradashi-sencha is one variety that is stored for a while at high altitudes in order to deepen its flavor and bring down the astringency of the tea while keeping freshness intact.
The aged tea is not available throughout the year; you get it only during winters.
Gyokuro is also called jade dew tea is a unique and expensive Japanese green tea. The main reason behind its high cost is the fact that it involves a lot of labor.
This sencha tea variety is called jade dew tea which is grown under shade for the growth of just the tip and due to that, there is only a single harvest each year.
Health Benefits of Sencha Green Tea
Green tea is popular for the health benefits it has to offer. You can consider it as the elixir of life. Sencha is one variety of green tea that possesses the qualities that standard green tea has.
1. Aids weight loss
Like all green teas, sencha contains bio-active compounds that have the ability to facilitate weight loss. However, you can expect it to work as a weight-loss supplement and not a magic potion.
It helps in increasing fat burning during exercise when consumed 90 minutes prior to your workout.
Green tea is also a good appetite suppressant that helps in bringing down your urge for binging on food unnecessarily.
Along with all this, green tea helps in increasing the body’s metabolism and the credit for it goes to catechins present in it and the main catechin in green tea is EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate).
Also, as green tea is a very low-calorie beverage swapping it for sugary sodas will help you lose weight and keep it off for good. So, it is basically about making a healthy lifestyle change.
2. Protects cardiovascular health
Cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading causes of death all over the world. To help prevent them, you must adopt a healthy lifestyle and include green tea in your diet.
Green tea’s star compound – EGCG is capable of preventing the development of plaque in the inner walls of blood vessels.
In addition to that, it keeps blood pressure normal and reduces bad cholesterol levels. All this directly helps in preventing heart disease.
3. Boosts brain function
Green tea has caffeine in it. Though it is not as much as what is present in coffee, it works as a stimulant and improves brain functions like memory and reaction time.
There is also improvement in one’s mood and vigilance.
Along with caffeine, there is another compound called L-theanine which is an amino acid. In fact, both the compounds work in unison to improve the functioning of the brain.
With L-theanine and caffeine present in green tea, you will feel a mild buzz and stable energy that will help you get productive at work.
4. Prevents certain cancers
Free radicals cause oxidative stress in the body that results in chronic inflammation. This can in turn cause diseases like cancer. Antioxidants are capable of fighting free radicals damage and preventing inflammation.
Being a rich source of antioxidants, green tea reduces the risk of a few cancers like breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer. However, there is a need for more research in this regard.
5. Prevents type 2 diabetes
One can prevent type-2 diabetes by drinking green tea regularly. The medical condition involves increased levels of blood sugar caused either due to the body’s inability to produce insulin or insulin resistance.
Green tea works well in controlling blood sugar and improving insulin sensitivity.
6. Prevents the onset of neurodegenerative diseases
Drinking green tea protects the brain from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. This effect is due to the presence of health-promoting catechins in green tea.
7. Possesses antimicrobial properties
With green tea, you can keep bacterial and viral infections at bay because of the antimicrobial properties of the catechins present in it.
What is the difference between Sencha green tea and Matcha?
Sencha and Matcha are two green tea varieties that come from the same tea plant “Camellia sinensis“. However, the main difference between the two is because of the way they are processed, their texture, and consistency.
While sencha is in the loose-leaf form, matcha is finely ground into a powder. You need to brew sencha in hot water and discard the leaves whereas matcha involves dissolving the fine powder in hot water.
How to Brew Sencha the Right Way?
Brewing sencha the right way will give you a pleasant tasting cup. Here’s how to do it (serves 2):
- Boil water and pour two cups of it into an empty teapot (cool the boiling hot water to around 80° C (176° F) which is an ideal temperature for sencha).
- Now add two teaspoons of sencha tea leaves into the teapot (for two cups)
- Allow the tea leaves to steep for 1 minute.
- Empty the teapot in the two cups and prepare the leaves for a second infusion.
- Don’t add more tea leaves for the second infusion. Just pour boiling hot water into teacups, allow it to cool down a bit for 30 secs, and then pour it into the teapot containing the leaves used in the previous infusion.
- Allow it to steep for 20-30 secs and pour the tea into the cups distributing it evenly.
- To make the third infusion, repeat the steps followed for the second infusion but increase the steeping time to 1 to 3 minutes based on the tea’s quality.
- You can go for a fourth infusion but it depends on the sencha tea’s quality.
You can enjoy it chilled too! Just brew it and add ice to it to enjoy a refreshing drink. You can even sweeten it with honey.
How many times can you steep Sencha?
The Japanese don’t usually steep sencha green tea more than three times. However, the higher quality tea leaves you use, the more you can reuse the sencha tea.
Simply make sure you do not steep for longer. You may go beyond that but the flavor will not be pleasing anymore.
When should I drink Sencha green tea?
Sencha green tea when consumed at the right time of the day helps you make the most of it. You can choose to start your day with the beverage as it can give you the boost to go on for the day.
You can consume it in between office hours too so that your mood and metabolism stay revved up.
How long does Sencha tea last?
When you have the unopened pack of sencha with you, it can last you for around one year if you refrigerate it. However, once you open the pack, it is better to finish it off within 2 months or it will lose its freshness and flavor.
Nevertheless, you have to store sencha right because over time green tea loses its aroma and flavor. Please note that you should never keep sencha under direct sunlight.
Side Effects of Drinking Sencha Green Tea
Sencha green tea is a safe beverage but it can have its own set of side effects. Consuming it in large quantities can be detrimental to health.
The side effects are mainly due to the presence of caffeine in sencha. Though sencha tea has an average amount of caffeine level, those who are caffeine sensitive have to be wary.
The most common side effects experienced due to caffeine are the following:
- Diarrhea
- Jitters
- Headache
- Insomnia
- Dizziness
Apart from caffeine, sencha has oxalic acid in it. Excess of it can result in urinary stones. So, you need to be careful with your sencha consumption.
Increasing calcium intake can help as it prevents the absorption of oxalic acid in the gut.
In case you are a pregnant woman or a lactating mother, it is better to seek the advice of a doctor before consuming sencha green tea.
The Bottom Line
Sencha is the most widely produced green tea in Japan. It has all the goodness that standard green tea has to offer. Flavor-wise, the grassy and earthy flavor notes of the beverage sets it apart from others.
It is healthy and can be a healthy addition to one’s diet.
Is Sencha green tea good for you?
The fact that sencha green tea is rich in antioxidants makes it a beverage that prevents several chronic diseases. Additionally, it helps in building the body’s immune system.
This is sufficient to name sencha as a health-promoting beverage in the long run.
Is there caffeine in Sencha green tea?
Yes, it does have caffeine in it but it falls in the medium caffeine range (between 20 and 30 milligrams). The other green teas like matcha have higher caffeine content in them.
If you are looking for a tea that gives a moderate boost, sencha green tea is the best option.
Which is healthier Matcha or Sencha?
Matcha is healthier than sencha because when you drink the former, you are consuming the entire leaf in powdered form.
On the other hand, sencha involves steeping of tea leaves that have to be discarded. This means that matcha has many more health benefits to offer when compared to sencha.
In which form sencha green tea benefits the most – is it tea bags or loose leaf?
When compared to teabags, Sencha is always better in the loose-leaf form. This is because the health-promoting compounds (catechins) are present more in loose leaf tea.
On the other hand, the same compounds get absorbed by tea bags over time which prevents their goodness from reaching you.