Japanese tea varieties
The Japanese have been enjoying green tea and its benefits for centuries, choosing the appropriate tea according to the season, time and occasion. The care taken in the cultivating and processing is revealed in the wonderful flavours of these teas, the mellow taste of hojicha after a meal, the refreshing taste of ice cold sencha in the summer heat, or the brilliant colour of gyokuro in a fine porcelain cup.
Now, we have selected some premium teas from one of Japan’s finest producers, the award-winning Marukyu Koyamaen, whose teas come from Uji, near Kyoto, one of the first places tea was planted and considered the finest of all tea growing regions in Japan.
Sencha
The best known of Japanese teas, sencha has a wonderful delicate colour, a sweet flavour with a hint of astringency that creates a wonderful drink. It is also wonderful as a cold drink in summer and as a food ingredient.
Shop for Sencha
Gyokuro
The ultimate in premium Japanese loose leaf green tea. “Pearl dew” tea is cultivated in the same painstaking method as matcha and this care and exclusivity is reflected in its expense. Brilliant colour and sweet flavour.
Shop for Gyokuro
Kukicha
Kukicha or twig tea is a tea made from the stems and stalks removed during the production of other high grade teas such as matcha, gyokuro and sencha. It has a light clean taste and very low levels of caffeine.
Shop for Kukicha
Konacha
Also known as “agari”, this is the tea normally served at sushi restaurants. It comprises of the dust and buds from sencha, gyokuro and kabusecha processing. Good for cooking, it has a strong flavour, colour and aroma.
Shop for Konacha
Bancha
Bancha consists of leaves harvested after the first flush. More astringent than sencha, it is best drunk after a meal where it’s high fluoride content can freshen the breath.
Shop for Bancha
Hojicha
This is a very pleasant roasted tea made from sencha or bancha leaves. It is a mild tea suitable for the vey old, the very young and those feeling under the weather. Can be served chilled.
Shop for Hojicha
Genmaicha
A wonderful looking and satisfyingly tasty tea. Bancha or medium grade sencha leaves are combined with toasted brown rice to create a lovely nutty flavour. Particularly good after oily foods.
Shop for Genmaicha
