Sencha
Green Tea is a variety of
tea made from the first
blooms of the bush. The young
buds and top leaves are cut
early and quickly rolled and steamed before drying (as opposed to most tea leaves which are apparently
fried after picking). It is ever so slightly more
bitter than other green teas apparently, but it also contains the highest amount of
antioxidants. Actually I don't notice a huge bitterness, it tastes pretty much like a fairly
mild green tea. It is also very light in
color when brewed. It also contains more
caffeine than other green teas, but it is still far less than
black tea or
cola. From my box of Haiku Sencha Green Tea:
For several weeks in early spring, farmers in the Uji district, traditional center of the Japanese tea industry, gather the first flush new buds and leaves for processing into Sencha, the highest grade of Japanese tea for export. The bud and top two leaves are cut at the peak of flavor and quickly pan-fired to halt oxidation of the precious polyphenols. Next the buds and leaves are rolled into tight curls, slowly dried, and immediately packed to seal in the fresh flavor and aroma. Try our Haiku Nagata Japanese Organic Sencha Green Tea and you will understand why true connoisseurs of Japanese green tea will drink nothing else.