日本茶の種類と淹れ方 — 煎茶・玉露・抹茶の違い

For Japanese people, tea is an indispensable drink at the daily dining table and whenever guests come to visit. Although we say "tea" in a single word, in fact there are many varieties depending on production and cultivation methods, and the taste, aroma, and proper brewing method differ significantly. This article introduces the major types of Japanese green tea and how to brew them correctly.

Unlike black tea or oolong, green tea is steamed immediately after picking to halt oxidation. This is the secret to preserving its green color and refreshing flavor. Even though all teas come from the same plant (Camellia sinensis), the processing method turns them into completely different beverages.

Sencha accounts for over 70% of green tea consumed in Japan and is by far the most common type. Tea leaves grown under full sun are steamed, rolled, and dried. Its hallmark is a balance of astringency, sweetness, and a refreshing aroma — enjoyed widely in homes and workplaces alike.

Gyokuro is considered the highest-grade Japanese tea — a luxurious cup. When the new buds appear, the tea fields are covered with reed screens or black shade cloth for about 20 days to block sunlight. This is called "shade cultivation" (oishita-saibai). By suppressing photosynthesis, catechins (the source of astringency) decrease, while amino acids (especially theanine, the source of umami) accumulate in abundance.

Matcha is the only green tea drunk by consuming the leaf itself in powdered form. Like gyokuro, the raw material is shade-grown leaves, but they are steamed and dried without being rolled — this product is called "tencha." The tencha is then slowly milled in a stone mill into a vivid green fine powder: matcha. Because only about 40 grams can be milled per hour, it is expensive.

Matcha is used in the tea ceremony, but in recent years its overseas boom has been remarkable: matcha lattes, matcha ice cream, and matcha sweets have become standard menu items in cafés worldwide. With the surge in demand, matcha exports from Japan have expanded year by year, and in some producing regions supply can no longer keep up.

Bancha uses harder, more mature leaves and stems than sencha. It is a low-price tea — strong in astringency but low in caffeine, so it can be safely served to children and the elderly. The basic method is to brew it quickly with boiling water (around 95°C).

Hōjicha is bancha or sencha roasted over high heat, distinguished by a fragrant roasty aroma and a brown-colored liquor. Caffeine is largely driven off in the roasting process, making it ideal for evenings or during meals. At Kyoto's traditional ryōtei restaurants, serving hōjicha after a meal is the standard.

Genmaicha is sencha or bancha mixed with roasted brown rice. The roasty aroma of the rice fuses with the freshness of the green tea, and because it is also filling, it was widely enjoyed during the postwar food-shortage era. Even today it remains firmly popular as an affordable, homely flavor.

Shizuoka prefecture accounts for about 40% of Japan's tea production. Vast tea fields stretch across the foot of Mt. Fuji and the Makinohara plateau, and you can see this carpet of green even from the bullet train window. Kagoshima prefecture comes next at about 30%, leveraging its warm climate to ship early-picked new tea throughout the country.

Mie prefecture, centered on Ise, is known as a producer of sencha and kabusecha (a simpler form of shade cultivation) and boasts the third-largest production volume. And although Kyoto prefecture's Uji has a small production volume, it commands an overwhelming brand presence as the highest-grade producer of gyokuro and matcha. The name "Uji matcha" has become a symbol of quality both at home and abroad.

The basic tool for brewing Japanese tea is the kyūsu — a small ceramic pot with a handle on the side, with a built-in mesh strainer to filter the leaves. The shidei (purple-clay) kyūsu of Banko ware, made in Yokkaichi in Mie prefecture, is especially famous; the more you use it, the mellower the tea is said to become.

The yunomi is a cylindrical vessel for drinking sencha or bancha. It is common to use larger ones at home and smaller ones for guests. Gyokuro, on the other hand, is served in tiny cups of just about 40 milliliters, so the concentrated umami can be savored little by little.

Japanese green tea exports have expanded rapidly since the late 2010s, with matcha in particular winning support from health-conscious consumers in America, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Its antioxidant action and the relaxing effects of theanine have drawn scientific attention, and matcha is increasingly treated as a "superfood."

Even a single cup of tea contains layers of ingenuity and history — cultivation, production method, region, and brewing technique. The freshness of sencha, the rich umami of gyokuro, the vivid green of matcha, the roasty fragrance of hōjicha — each has its own scene and mood. Simply by brewing at the correct temperature and time, the same leaves will show you a strikingly different face. The next time you brew tea, please pay attention to the water temperature.