Tea from Japan can be confusing with the funny names and the odd English translations they produce. In this publication we will give a quick overview of Japanese tea including the general types and grades of tea, growing/processing styles and varietals used. With this guide as a companion anyone should be able to navigate the Japanese tea rhetoric and determine exactly what it is being advertised.
Part One: What was that twig tea called???
There are 8 general kinds of green tea in Japan. They are Aracha, Konacha, Kukicha, Bancha, Hojicha, Sencha, Gyokuro and Tencha, the base of Maccha. You may have heard some or all of these names before, but hopefully this guide will convey a deeper meaning than you have previously understood.
Aracha (literally ‘rough tea’) is the unprocessed and unsorted raw tea product made in Japan. From Aracha the other teas named above are sorted. One batch of Sencha Aracha can produce varying quantities and grades of Konacha, Kukicha, Hojicha and Sencha. Aracha can come in many different grades, so if you find it online the most important distinction to know is whether it is Sencha or Gyokuro Aracha. Sencha being a lower grade and Gyokuro being the higher.
(Aracha pictured is Gyokuro Aracha from Wazuka City near Uji)
Konacha (lit. ‘particulate tea’) can be one of two things. Traditionally it is the dusty byproduct of tea production sorted from Aracha. More recently a market has opened for this style of tea and many Konachas are now produced by taking various grades of sencha and grinding them to a powder. These more modern varieties are often more flavorful than the traditional byproduct.
(Konacha pictured is from Sencha production in Kyoto)
Kukicha (lit. ‘stem tea’) is most often the more delicate stems of the green tea leaf that have been sorted from various Arachas. Any standard grade of Kukicha, sometimes referred to as twig tea, also includes some small amount of leaf which sticks to the stem when it is sorted out. Higher grades of Kukicha can be made from Gyokuro Aracha or even Tencha (the tea base for Maccha). These higher grades can be almost as delicious as the higher grade teas themselves, yet at a fraction of the price. Be wary of any Kukicha that is exclusively stem as it is not a natural Aracha byproduct and is over-processed.
(Kukicha pictured is from a Tencha base)
Bancha (lit. ‘interval tea’) is a tea that is picked out of the normal tea picking period. Bancha is usually picked after all of the tea picking for the spring is complete or just before winter as a method of maintaining the optimal harvesting shape of the tea bush. Bancha is normally very smooth and vegetal in flavor, with practically no bitterness.
(Bancha pictured is picked between First and Second Flush)
Hojicha (lit. ‘roast tea’) is as the name implies. The base tea is usually a coarser grade of Kukicha or Bancha. A good Hojicha is normally not over-roasted, appearing mostly green in the pot, and has at least a 1:1 leaf to stem ratio.
(Hojicha pictured is picked between First and Second Flush)
Sencha (lit. ‘steep tea’) is the main product of Sencha Aracha. It is the tender spring leaf that has been shaped into a pine-needle like form and is a dark-green color. The leaf should not be overly broken or dusty and under close inspection should appear highly glossy. Senchas can range in flavor and quality a great deal, but a good sencha should have a solid balance of bitter, sweet and savory flavor aspects.
(Sencha pictured is shade finished from Wazuka City near Uji)
Gyokuro (lit. ‘Jade Dew’) is the main product of Gyokuro Aracha. Gyokuro (gyoh-coo-roe) has been grown with extensive fertilization of the surrounding field and is shaded from the sun for the last 4-6 weeks before harvest. Gyokuro should also be highly glossy and pine-needle shaped. If you chew a bit of the dry leaf it should be sweet, savory and inoffensive. Though possibly very lightly bitter, Gyokuro’s flavor should focus on sweetness or umami.
(Gyokuro pictured is sorted from the Aracha pictured above)
Tencha (lit. Heaven Tea) is the base tea that is ground into Maccha. All drinkable Tenchas are hand-picked and carefully shade-finished before picking. After picking the leaf is steamed and dried immediately. The product looks like a simple withered leaf, but is a rich, deep green. All of the vein and stem matter is removed by crushing the leaf and using a variety of sorting methods, thus the broken look to the leaf matter. There are various grades, but all of the drinkable grades are essentially the same tea, but grown from different varietals with different fertilizers to enhance certain flavors.
(Tea pictured is a Tencha base for a ceremonial-grade thick-tea Maccha from Aichi Pref.)
Maccha (lit. Paint Tea) is the product of grinding the Tencha above in a traditional stone tea-mill. With none of the vein matter in the mix, the product can be sweet, savory and thick without being too bitter. Higher grade Macchas tend to use Tenchas that were produced with more fertilizers or from varietals that are more difficult or take longer to grow. Lower grades of Maccha are not hand-picked and can be quite bitter with additives like spirulina to enhance the green color. These lower grades are wonderful for cooking or baking as they can have quite pungent flavors that shine when combined with sugar or salt in a cookie or a biscuit.
One additional naming convention that I should mention is Shincha, as this term is often used in the US, as a buzz-word of sorts, to sell tea. Shincha is not a tea, but rather a first picking of a tea for the year. A more easily understood term would be “first-flush”, though it only applies to teas picked and sold during the current Spring. Like Aracha, Shincha comes in Sencha and Gyokuro forms and does not necessarily denote a superior tea, just one picked earlier than later.
This list is not entirely comprehensive, but should cover most teas available for sale in the US. Other teas that may be found are Kawayanagi, Karigane, Sayamacha, Tamaryokucha/Guricha, Kamairicha, etc. I will write the definitions for these and other Japanese teas soon, so please let us know if you find one that you would like to know more about! I have worked in the Japanese tea fields as well as in the steaming and shaping houses and would love to share the knowledge I have accumulated.
Really informative.
But as far as confusion is concerned, I remember reading that at first, Chinese tea names were also confusing.
I guess it is just a matter of becoming used to these “strange” new things.
Hey Xavier, I completely agree with the confusion aspect. I never realized that there was much confusion until someone asked me to write this article. But when I thought about some of the more obscure Chinese teas, I could definitely understand where they were coming from. My hope is that this article will, first, help those who find it to remember the strata of teas available from Japan and, second, be some assistance in knowing what they are going to get. Any other info that you think would help? Thanks for the comment
“But when I thought about some of the more obscure Chinese teas, I could definitely understand where they were coming from.”
Could you elaborate a bit more?
I was speaking of all of the named Chinese teas out there. Some are green, some are oolong, but more often than not there are no hints as to what category the tea falls into. For example: Tou Tan Xiang – This is an oolong from Anxi, but there is no way to know it is an oolong, other than being told…or possibly googling it. Worse is when the name one is told is actually a regional name that many people would not recognize. THE worst is when people just make up a name and pretend it is some sort of traditional tea, when really it just means something pleasant and was coined for the purposes of marketing to a non-Chinese market. It can all get very confusing, especially if you can’t read Chinese characters. I can look up an unknown Japanese tea in a few seconds, but Chinese…it takes me a while
Have you ever run into something like this? I hope this was sufficient elaboration. (^^)v
“There are 8 general kinds of green tea in Japan.”
Right there, one of the clearest introductions to Japanese tea I’ve seen. I know that many tea drinkers have heard some of those tea names, but probably haven’t seen them put together in one list.
Every picture and accompanying description is perfect for the Japanese tea newbie. Your post makes an excellent reference guide.
From my perspective the need to define the other teas you mentioned; Kawayanagi, Karigane and so forth has already arisen. I’m looking forward to more about those too.
I really enjoyed reading this, thanks.
Thanks Jackie! I didn’t realize that so many Japanese teas were available. I will update soon to define those other teas, as well. I think I will probably make a follow-up post, since the list is literally unending~
. There are so many regional teas out there it could very possibly make your head spin! (^O^)
A few mild critiques, having a picture of tencha next to maccha (matcha) is a bit deceiving as Matcha might actually be the most widely known Japanese tea in the west due to Matcha Lattes, smoothies and the likes at various places, people might not think that the incredibly vivid green, powdered tea they are served is actually matcha. Not to mention Shincha is not just a buzz word to sell tea in the US, it is even sold by major and very traditional teashops. Granted I do think the US over emphasizes the freshness aspect of Shincha, but part of that might be hardwired as we are a relatively new country to tea, and too many people think the minimal time between harvest and consumption is ideal. Its part of the reason why non avid tea drinkers have a hard time comprehending certain aged teas.
I personally find Sencha versions of teas better than Shincha, but I still get a few bags of Shincha each year to drink.
Thank you for your comments Adam! I knew the Tencha picture was a stretch, but for me Maccha is not really a tea, other than the fact that it comes from the same plant. It is like comparing flour to oatmeal for me. You probably already understand this, but where tea is considered a steeped beverage, Maccha is actually leaf suspended in the water. If the leaf falls out of the water, what remains is really not that tasty. But, I will rethink that blurb and perhaps just change that section title to Tencha and leave Maccha for later
Shincha is totally a buzz-word in the states. It is sold in Japan, but it wasn’t a big deal until recently. It is the same as buying shinmai (fresh rice), and whereas I do think that shinmai tastes better, it is not such a commodity as shincha is now perceived to be, it is just a seasonal item. Really, from what you said, it sounds like we might be on the same page, but use different words. As for the aged aesthetic and the attitudes toward age in the states, I completely agree. I have traditionally prepared senchas and gyokuros from Japan that are over 2 years old, properly stored, that are better than most teas I can get now.
I agree with Adam on the issue with the picture of tencha. Since tencha is not usually sold to consumers but matcha is, I think a picture of matcha plus a short paragraph would complement your (very nice) introduction to Japanese green teas. I’ll refer curious customers to it when the occasion arises
When it comes to fresh Japanese green tea, I am looking forward to fresh harvest teas every year. But that’s the beauty of seasonality: if we don’t always have it (the way it used to be with almost all produce), it becomes so much more precious. I do also feverishly wait for the first flush Darjeelings every year, but I do have teas that are a few years old now and still taste fantastic. As you mention, proper storage is the key issue.
Hi Yaya. Thank you so much for commenting! That Maccha issue~, I will definitely add a little photo and blurb. I don’t need to be told 3 times
. At our house we have readopted seasonality and very much look forward to Spring. We almost exclusively shop with local producers (and produce a fair amount ourselves) so the end of kale and potato season is time for celebration! I wish it were so with everyone, because, as you say, that would help alot with the hype. Thanks again, and check back for the Maccha update. I will check out your site, too.
Wha? No guricha/tamaryokucha?! ;-P
Kidding…
Wonderful post as usual.
Oops…nevermind, I see you payed lip-service to Tama/Guri just fine. My bad. However, they’re not two different types, last I checked – anyway.
They can be different, if the only difference is location. I can look up and post a definition from the tea dictionary a bit later. Thanks for reading so carefully!
Okay! I was thinking of the Tamaryokucha vs. Kamairicha difference
Guricha is a synonym for Tamaryoku. To give some detail, here is what I was thinking of: Tamaryokucha can be made by either a steaming process, which I have seen, or by a pan-firing process (lit. kama-iri). So, Kamairicha could be considered the ‘real thing’, brought to Japan around the 15th century, whereas tamaryokucha is simply a tea, similar in appearance only to kamairicha, produced by foreshortening the sencha or gyokuro shaping process. These days they are referred to technically as Mushisei Tamaryokucha (steam produced balled green tea) and Kamairisei Tamaryokucha (pan-fired balled green tea), though the Kamairi preceded the Tamaryoku.
I love this technical stuff. So many subtleties when it comes to tea… Goodnight!
Thank you for clearing that up!
Sorry for whining about it. *heh* See, tamaryokucha is my absolute favorite sencha variant out there. I’ve had both the steaming and pan-fired varieties and prefer the former.
Where does one find kamairicha?
Yuuki-cha seems like a good bet for the English speaker. Their teas are pricy, but generally somewhere between inoffensive and very good. I like the Okumidori varietal