Japanese Tea Varieties - Matcha, Kombucha, Hojicha and More

Tea is made from the Camellia sinensis “cha” plant, and there are many different types depending on the method of production.

Tea types are classified mainly by the degree of fermentation and processing method, and include fermented tea, unfermented tea, and semi-fermented tea. The representative of unfermented tea is green tea.

Green tea is made by steaming tea leaves to stop the action of oxidizing enzymes, thereby preventing fermentation and preserving the bright green color and fresh flavor of the tea leaves. Sencha, gyokuro, and matcha are included in this category.

Gyokuro is grown under shade from sunlight and is characterized by its rich flavor and sweetness. Sencha is a common green tea with a refreshing aroma and taste.

On the other hand, the representative of semi-fermented tea is oolong tea. The representative of fermented tea is black tea.

In Japan, there are also many variations of tea based on green tea. There are diverse types of tea depending on the production method and degree of fermentation, each with its own unique flavor and appeal.

Matcha

What comes to mind when you hear the word “matcha”? From its bright green color to its mellow aroma to its healthy image, matcha has many appealing qualities. Nowadays, matcha is gaining popularity around the world.

Matcha is made from specially cultivated tea leaves called “tencha,” which are ground to a powder using a stone mill. Tencha is grown under cover for several weeks before harvesting, which allows the tea leaves to grow slowly, increasing their sweetness and flavor. After harvest, the tea leaves are steamed, dried, and the stems and veins are removed before being ground into a fine powder using a stone mill.

This painstaking process produces a matcha tea characterized by a perfect harmony of sweetness and bitterness and a rich, delicious flavor. The bubbling of the tea when it is brewed is another enjoyment.

It is also rich in nutrients and contains high levels of catechins, theanine, vitamin C, vitamin E, and caffeine. Catechins are strong antioxidants effective for maintaining health and beauty. Theanine has a relaxing effect and helps reduce stress. The nutrients in matcha tea have a wide range of health benefits, including boosting immunity, anti-aging, and promoting fat burning.

The traditional Japanese tea ceremony emphasizes the ritual and etiquette of serving matcha to guests, but matcha can also be enjoyed more freely and casually. Matcha is a delicious and powerful drink that is good for your health and beauty. We hope that you will try to incorporate matcha into your daily life and experience its power.

Hojicha

Hojicha is a Japanese tea with a clear brown color. It is made by roasting sencha, bancha, and stem tea, and the savory aroma produced by the roasting process is so attractive that it can stop people in their tracks when passing by a tea shop.

You can also enjoy its unique flavor, which is different from other green teas. It is especially popular as an after-dinner tea because its savory aroma refreshes the palate.

Hojicha is made by roasting tea leaves such as sencha, bancha, and stem tea at high temperatures to release caffeine and tannins, which are bitter components. As a result, it is less stimulating than matcha or sencha, and can be enjoyed by adults, children, and people with sensitive stomachs.

Furthermore, the catechins in hojicha have strong antioxidant properties and are effective for promoting beauty and healthy skin. It is also recommended for those interested in anti-aging care.

Sencha

Sencha is the most widely consumed tea in Japan, characterized by its bright green color and refreshing flavor. It is made from tea leaves that have been exposed to plenty of sunlight and is produced by steaming the leaves before rubbing and drying them. This process gives sencha its refreshing taste.

Sencha also has excellent health benefits and is rich in catechins. Catechins are powerful antioxidants that help maintain health by eliminating active oxygen in the body. Theanine also has a relaxing and calming effect. Furthermore, the combination of caffeine and catechins promotes metabolism and fat-burning effects.

Sencha’s rich flavor and diverse health benefits make it an easy tea to incorporate into daily life. Refresh your mind and body with a cup of sencha.

Gyokuro

Gyokuro is considered the finest of teas and is characterized by its unique sweet and savory taste. Gyokuro tea leaves are cultivated by covering the tea plantation about 20 days before harvest to protect them from direct sunlight. This covering allows the tea leaves to grow slowly and enhances their sweetness and flavor. The tea leaves are bright green and have a mild flavor with little astringency.

The gyokuro process was developed in Kyoto in the late Edo period. Initially, it was a tea for the upper class and monks, but with the development of tea culture, it spread to the general public.

Even today, gyokuro is produced in small quantities and is a very valuable tea. Gyokuro is valued for special occasions and as a gift.

Kombucha

Kombucha, a popular health-based beverage, originated in Mongolia. It is made by adding sugar to black or green tea and fermenting the tea by soaking the strains.

In the U.S., it became a booming beverage when celebrities started drinking it as a substitute for carbonated drinks. As the fermentation process progresses, carbonation occurs, resulting in a refreshingly sour and slightly carbonated drink.

In Japan, it is called “black tea mushrooms” because of the mushroom-like mass that forms during fermentation, and it became very popular in the 1970s.

Now also produced with green tea, it is said to increase beneficial bacteria and regulate the intestinal environment, as well as contain abundant enzymes, lactic acid bacteria, amino acids, polyphenols, and other substances that help improve metabolism and immunity, liver function, anti-aging, beautiful skin, and detoxification. These health benefits are unique to tea.

In addition, kombucha comes in a wide variety of flavors, including berry, ginger, and passion fruit, and features colorful, well-designed packaging.

Because it is a fermented beverage and contains less than 0.5% alcohol, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and those who are sensitive to alcohol should use caution. It also contains sugar, so care should be taken not to drink too much.

Genmaicha

Genmaicha is a tea made by mixing sencha or bancha with roasted rice. It is characterized by its savory flavor, which softens the bitterness of green tea. The secret is to brew it all at once with boiling water.

Genmaicha contains caffeine, but in small amounts. It also contains catechins, which are antioxidants, and is expected to have antioxidant properties, improve immunity, regulate blood pressure, and stabilize blood sugar levels.

Genmaicha goes well with Japanese food and is popular alongside green tea and hojicha.

Originally invented to enhance the aroma of lower-grade teas, it has become an affordable and popular tea for the common man. Recently, it has gained popularity among young people, and high-end lines of genmaicha with gyokuro or matcha are also available.

Mugicha

Mugicha is a drink made by infusing roasted barley and is characterized by its savory and refreshing taste. In Japan, it is widely used as a staple beverage during the hot summer months.

Mugicha, which is also used to rehydrate during exercise and to prevent heat stroke, is generally made by grinding the grains into tea bags, which can easily be homemade by boiling or rinsing. This tea is often kept on hand in households with children.

Mugicha is rich in minerals and has relaxing and blood flow-improving effects. It also differs from ordinary leaf tea in that it contains no caffeine or tannins.

With zero caffeine and zero calories, it is a delightful drink that is safe for everyone from pregnant women and babies to the elderly.

Sobacha

Sobacha is a caffeine-free tea made from roasted buckwheat seeds. While most teas are made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, sobacha is made from buckwheat seeds, which are then roasted. This gives it a savory, coffee-like flavor.

The greatest appeal of sobacha is that it contains no caffeine. Even those who are concerned about caffeine, pregnant women, and children can drink it safely. It is perfect for drinking before bed or for relaxing at any time of the day.

Sobacha is also rich in a polyphenol called rutin. Rutin has powerful antioxidant effects and is believed to be effective in preventing aging and promoting beautiful skin, as well as preventing arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure. It also aids in the absorption of vitamin C, which helps maintain good health.

Gobocha

Gobocha is made by roasting dried burdock. It is said to be effective in improving constipation and regulating the intestinal environment due to inulin, a soluble dietary fiber. It is also effective for weight loss, as the dietary fiber helps to make you feel full and suppresses your appetite.

Because gobocha is caffeine-free, it can be enjoyed at any time. However, if weight loss is your goal, it is recommended that you drink it during meals.

While gobocha contains many ingredients that are good for constipation, excessive consumption may cause diarrhea. Therefore, it is best to avoid drinking too much at one time or over a long period.

Enjoy gobocha within a healthy range and use it effectively.

Kukicha

Kukicha, also known as “twig tea,” is made from the stems of tea leaves that have been selected during the finishing process of sencha and gyokuro teas. Usually, the stems are removed from sencha and only the tea leaves are used, but kukicha has its own refreshing flavor because it contains the stems.

Because kukicha is reasonably priced and can be easily brewed with boiling water, it is a favorite everyday tea.

Gyokuro kukicha, called “karigane,” is characterized by its sweetness, flavor, and rich aroma, and has a taste comparable to that of leaf tea. Gyokuro kukicha is lighter and more refreshing than leaf tea, and can be enjoyed even with hot water, which is a characteristic of kukicha.

Kabusecha

Kabusecha tea is characterized by the fact that it is grown by covering the tea leaves with a cloth called "kanreisha" before plucking. During the cultivation process, the tea leaves are covered with this cloth to block direct sunlight for about one week to 10 days before harvest. The length of this covering period varies depending on the region and the tea plantation.

The longer the period, the more similar the quality of the tea is to gyokuro; the shorter the period, the more similar it is to sencha. Covered cultivation also affects the color of the tea leaves, which contain more chlorophyll produced by photosynthesis and maintain a bright green color.

Kabusecha falls between gyokuro and sencha, which have similar cultivation methods, and is often enjoyed as a gift or for special occasions due to its reputation as a high-end tea.

Bancha

Bancha is a lower-grade tea made from hard or old leaves that are picked late in the season. It is made from tea leaves that have been picked too late in the season when the shoots have grown too long and become hard. Tea leaves harvested after summer (sanban-cha and yoban-cha), tea leaves harvested when the branches are trimmed in autumn and winter (aki-fuyu-bancha), and large leaves removed during sencha production are also used.

There are various types of bancha depending on the picking time, quality, and region. Bancha is classified as a lower-grade tea, but it is suitable for pregnant women and children because it is refreshing, has low bitterness, and has little caffeine stimulation. Bancha is widely popular as a common, easy-to-drink tea.

Konacha

Konacha, or powdered tea, is tea that has been crushed into powder during the tea processing stage. It is made in the same production process as sencha by collecting the “kona (powder)” produced when tea leaves are cut into “leaf” and “stem” parts.

Konacha is the truncated part of sencha, so to speak, and is inexpensive. Since it does not dissolve in hot water, powdered tea is brewed using a kyusu (teapot) with a fine mesh for deep steaming, or by placing the tea leaves in a tea strainer, setting it on top of a teacup, and pouring hot water over the teacup.

Konacha may contain young buds or cores, and if you come across a good one, it can be surprisingly tasty.

The tea served at a typical Japanese sushi restaurant is called “agari,” which is made from konacha.

Enjoy Different Types of Japanese Tea

Japanese tea has long been popular for its rich flavor and health benefits. There is a wide variety of teas, including matcha, gyokuro, sencha, hojicha, and genmaicha, each with its own unique appeal.

For example, matcha is rich in vitamins and catechins, making it ideal for beauty and health. Gyokuro is characterized by its mild sweetness and is perfect for a luxurious moment. Sencha has a well-balanced flavor and is ideal for daily refreshment. Hojicha has a roasted, savory flavor that calms the mind and is recommended as an evening tea. Genmaicha combines the savory taste of brown rice with the freshness of green tea and is ideal for enjoying with a meal.

We recommend that you choose the Japanese tea of your choice according to the occasion and your mood, and enjoy a relaxing time. Take a moment out of your busy daily life to experience the relaxing and health benefits of Japanese tea and refresh your mind and body.