What are the different Japanese teas? Which green tea should you choose?

In Japan, there are different varieties of green tea and production methods, often little known in the West.

You will also learn more about my favourite tea: matcha tea.

Sencha tea, Japanese green tea

Sencha (煎茶), or "brewed tea," is the most common type of tea in Japan. It accounts for about 70% of national tea production.
This tea has a slight bitterness, with vegetal and marine notes reminiscent of seaweed.

Invented in the 17th century by Nagatani Soen, the method used to produce sencha is unique to this tea: to stop the leaves from oxidizing (which is what differentiates black tea from green tea), they are steamed for several seconds after harvesting, before being cooled, kneaded, and then dried.
This is known as the process of making aracha (荒茶), or "raw tea."

This raw tea then undergoes a finishing process called shiage (仕上げ):
- a cutting and sorting phase,
- a final drying process, called hiire (火入れ),
- before being (sometimes) blended with other cultivars or qualities of tea leaves.

Sencha is recognizable by its long, thread-like green leaves, which produce a characteristic green-yellow infusion.

Genmaicha, rice tea

Genmaicha (玄米茶) tea, or "brown rice tea," is green tea mixed with common green tea (bancha) or sencha and roasted rice grains.

Also known as "popcorn tea" because the rice grains sometimes pop, this umami-flavored tea offers delicious roasted and malty notes, and the fresh vegetal flavour typical of Japanese green teas. The infusion takes on a fairly light, yellow-green colour.

Houjicha, roasted tea

Houjicha (ほうじ茶), or "roasted tea," is a green tea that is easily distinguished from traditional Japanese teas by the roasting process it undergoes. Once roasted, houjicha tea leaves take on a beautiful brown colour, which is reflected in the infusion.

Low in caffeine, this tea is very popular with the Japanese, who often drink it in the evening.

This is a smooth tea with a sweet flavour and hints of toast and hazelnuts.
Recently, it has become increasingly popular in the form of houjicha latte, i.e., mixed with frothed milk. An excellent substitute for hot chocolate in winter!

Gyokuro, the king of Japanese green teas

Among the most prestigious green teas is gyokuro (玉露), or "dew pearl."

This is a shaded green tea, meaning that it is grown away from sunlight during the weeks leading up to harvest with the help of black nets.

Thanks to this method, the tea leaves gain in chlorophyll and theine concentration. Gyokuro is a steamed green tea: it also undergoes the same aracha and shiage manufacturing processes as sencha.

The result is a tea rich in umami, with vegetal notes, iodine, and vegetable broth notes.

Gyokuro is a high quality tea, reserved for special occasions or enthusiasts, as it is very delicate and more difficult to prepare than other teas.

Matcha, Japan's jade green powder

Matcha tea (抹茶) is probably the Japanese tea that has gained the most popularity worldwide in recent years.

Matcha is a green tea that is shade-grown and ground into a fine powder using stone mills. It is traditionally served during the Japanese tea ceremony, chanoyu (hot water for tea).

Good quality matcha powder has a characteristic vibrant green colour and offers a deliciously umami taste, a creamy liquor with fresh, herbaceous plant aromas.

Matcha green tea has many benefits, including:

- a high concentration of antioxidants: up to 137 times more than in brewed tea!
- helps improve focus and mood;
- help in slowing down neurodegenerative diseases;
- help with weight loss as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Like gyokuro, matcha is covered with black nets several weeks before harvest to increase its chlorophyll and theine content. But unlike other Japanese teas, it is not rolled: this produces tencha tea.
Once de-veined and dried, the tencha leaves are ground to produce the famous matcha powder.

Looking for high-quality matcha? Take the time to discover our organic matcha teas available to buy online and find the one that's right for you.

That's why I'm happy to share with you exceptional matcha teas from unique cultivars (single-cultivar) and a unique region (single-origin), including our community's favorite matcha: organic Saemidori! Grown in Japan, in the Kagoshima region on the island of Kyushu, this tea is without bitterness, with notes of cocoa and fresh herbs, offering a pleasant, captivating, and comforting sensation.

What are the best Japanese green teas?

We have reviewed the most well-known types of Japanese teas, as well as their specific characteristics.

While hojicha and genmaicha can be drunk at any time of day, matcha and gyokuro are more suitable for early in the day due to their high level of caffeine.

Matcha, in particular, is a good substitute for morning coffee, providing more sustained energy over time due to the combination of L-theanine and caffeine molecules. This helps avoid the crash that follows the energy spike provided by coffee.

In a more recent item, we also showed that matcha, unlike coffee, does not increase the risk of cardiac death in people with high blood pressure.

Ultimately, the important thing is to choose a tea that suits you and is appropriate for your tea break time of day.