Tencha is a Japanese green tea where Ten means “mortar” or “grind” and cha means “tea“. Tencha is basically the dried whole leaf form before being powdered to make matcha.
In the case of tencha, the tea leaves are harvested, plucked, steamed, and dried but not rolled or grounded. The growing method is almost the same as the well-known Gyokuro tea.
The leaves are shade-grown for 3-4 weeks before the harvest. However, like sencha or Gyokuro tea, tencha is not crumpled or kneaded.
The main reason why sun exposure is limited is that direct sunlight increases catechins levels in the tea leaves. This leads to a bitter taste.
Tencha leaves are not usually sold in tea leaf form. Instead, mostly powdered and sold as matcha.
About Tencha Green Tea
Tencha is the whole-leaf form of green tea leaves just before being powdered to make matcha. Basically, artisans crush/stoneground the tencha leaves (dried leaves) to a fine powder to make matcha.
The kind of harvest process tencha undergoes consequently leads to a high amount of amino acids l-theanine and chlorophyll. This gives it a sweet, mellow, and smoothy taste.
After the harvest, the leaves are sorted and steamed at approximately 200°C to prevent oxidation. Artisans then dry the leaves that produce small dark green flakes.
Tencha has a pleasant herbal aroma and is rich in umami.
Moreover, you will sense that a mild scent remains in the mouth for few minutes after you drink a cup of tencha tea. Comparing tencha with matcha, the freshness of tencha green tea remains longer than matcha.
Also, artisans use only the first and most tender leaves of the spring season to make high-quality tencha and matcha.
Talking about the color, tencha when brewed gives a light yellow color with an elegant taste.
Overall, the cultivation of tencha involves 3 steps:
- Tencha tea leaves are fertilized thrice. The process contributes to the sweetness in the leaves.
- About 20 – 30 days before harvest, the plants are roofed with curtains to shade them from direct sunbeams. No direct rays mean very few bitter tannins. Tencha thus gives a mild sweet flavor. The efforts put in to grow the tea in the shade for a month before harvesting bring unique features in Tencha. You are sure to enjoy an elegant scent and a sweet taste in the tea.
- Within 24 hours after harvest, before turning the leaves into a fine powder, artisans steam the tencha leaves, cool them down, and then dry them to the fullest. They later take the form of a fine powder i.e., Matcha. But until then, they are termed as Tencha.
How much caffeine is in tencha tea leaves?
Being shade-grown like Gyokuro tea, the caffeine content in tencha tea leaves is relatively higher than other green teas. Though undefined, tencha has 140-160mg of caffeine content per 100g.
The shading process prevents the plant from being exposed to direct sunlight. This in turn increases the caffeine levels.
However, the powdered form of tencha, that is, matcha has lower caffeine content than the whole-leaf tea. Matcha approximately has 70mg per 100g.
In both cases, caffeine helps stay calm, relaxed, and stress-free. It also increases focus and gives an energy boost.
What makes tencha different from Gyokuro?
While Gyokuro and tencha have a lot of similarities, the plucking process makes them different from each other.
For tencha, harvesters pluck the buds along with the three tea leaves. Therefore, the plucked leaves are larger in size. On the other hand, artisans pluck the Gyokura tea buds along with the two leaves.
Moreover, they steam and roll the Gyokura tea leaves. But in the case of tencha, the leaves are not rolled. This makes tencha leaves flat and larger in size.
Also, tencha leaves are further powdered to make silky smooth matcha.
Health Benefits of Tencha Green Tea
Tencha green tea contains a high amount of l-theanine and caffeine. Theanine is a type of amino acid that relaxes the mind and body. And once you have a tranquil body, the caffeine progresses your concentration for 1.5 to 3 hours further.
Research also suggests that theanine in tea plants is capable of boosting immunity. It improves its disease-fighting capacity of gamma delta T cells and fights infections.
Other benefits of theanine in tencha include preventing high blood pressure and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, tencha green tea contains catechins, flavonoids, and chlorophyll that help boost metabolism and burn extra fat.
Let’s dive deep into each component and look at the health benefits tencha offers.
1. Ensures balanced energy and relaxed mind
Not too much caffeine as seen in coffee but not too little to make you feel dull. Tencha has an appropriate proportion of caffeine that gives you more sustainable energy all over the day.
You will feel attentive and alert yet relaxed the entire day. Also, higher levels of l-theanine in tencha green tea help sharpen your memory and reduce the effects of stress.
Tencha having a high number of amino acids designates alpha brain waves leading to mental relaxation, reduction of stress, and lower blood pressure.
The tea leaves counterbalance the frazzled effects of caffeine, leading to a relaxed mindset.
2. Helps in weight loss
The presence of caffeine and flavonoids in green tea leaves helps boost your metabolism and burn down extra fat. Also, green tea polyphenols and catechins help increase thermogenesis in the body burning the stored fat.
In addition, according to studies, EGCG can help burn up to 70-100 extra calories a day. And since tencha contains a whole-leaf form of green tea, the healthy substance remains intact.
3. A great body detox
The chlorophyll element present in tencha is a perfect detoxifier. It purifies the blood and maintains the alkalinity of blood and tissues.
4. Strong antioxidant and antiaging properties
Packed with powerful antioxidants, tencha green tea fights the free radicals evading damage to the cells and hastened aging.
Antioxidants defuse free radicals and sensitive oxygen molecules that harm cells and organs triggering body damage.
This damage is usually related to age-related diseases including thrombosis, impaired immune system, rheumatoid arthritis, and dementia Alzheimer’s disease.
Others include heart disease, atherosclerosis, and diabetes.
Tencha offers beauty benefits as well. For instance, it helps slow down aging with its free radical scavenging activities of EGCG.
When you expose yourself to sunlight, EGCG produces enzymes, i.e., metalloproteinases. They repair the sun-damaged skin scaffolding.
5. Fights cancer
The antioxidants in EGCG are capable of protecting you against various types of cancers. Studies show that they inhibit cell growth, trigger cell cycle arrest, and induce apoptosis (self-destruction) of several cancer cells, but not of normal cells.
EGCG is also capable of reducing the risk of cancer types such as prostate, brain, cervical, and bladder cancers.
How to brew tencha green tea?
Brewing tencha leaves is not so easy. This is because, being light in weight, the tea leaves keep floating back on the top of the cup.
Also, to brew tencha tea leaves (if you find them somehow), make sure you heat the water at a lower temperature. Else, it will give a bitter taste despite being sweet.
To make one cup of tencha green tea:
- Take 2 tablespoons of tea leaves and 200 ml of warm water (60–70-degree Celsius)
- Add water to the cup of tea leaves
- Wait for 1-2 mins till you get an elegant smell and enjoy it thereafter!
However, if you want a much more mellow taste, consider keeping it for a longer time like 3 minutes. Also, you can add more tea leaves to enhance the taste of tencha.
It is best to have your tea early in the morning. It will keep your mind and body relaxed throughout the day.
In addition, you can prepare iced tencha by brewing it in ice or in hot or cold water.
Conclusion
Tencha is what matcha is made from. It is a whole-leaf tea form of green tea leaves with more caffeine and a high amount of l-theanine.
Tencha processing is similar to other green teas. It undergoes plucking, steaming, and drying. However, they are shade-grown for 3-4 weeks before the harvest.
Also, though matcha is made from tencha leaves, it doesn’t remain as fresh as tencha. This is because tencha holds its original taste while matcha is powdered and loosens some flavor.
Talking about the health benefits, rich in theanine, it gives the body a calming effect and relaxed mind. It helps improve focus and concentration. In addition, it a great for boosting metabolism and energy levels.
However, do not overconsume green tea. It may cause insomnia and disturb your sleep patterns. Also, people who have caffeine sensitivity may suffer from nausea, irritation, and headache.
But again, the effects are only due to high caffeine intake. If taken in moderate levels (2-3 cups a day), tencha is a perfect drink for your health.