tencha

type: green

origin: japan

caffeine: medium

price level: $$$$

This a special offering as it is rare to find it for sale, even inside Japan. Tencha is the base tea for making powdered Matcha. It is dark in color but light in the cup. The tea has a lot of body, or umami, and no roast flavors. Dry Leaves: These tea leaves look like no other: small, dark green, round, and ragged flecks. This is because Tencha is a grown in the shade, like Gyokuro. We get our Tencha from the source of the best Matcha: Uji. After plucking by hand, the leaves are cut and dried by warm air. Liquor: Although the leaves are a very dark green, the tea brews up a light yellow green, very different from Matcha. Aroma: There is a light vegetal aroma of lightly cooked spinach, with the slight sweetness of steamed white rice. Since this tea is dried by air, without any direct contact with intense heat, there are no roasty toasty aromas. This is unlike any other Japanese green tea. Caffeine Level: Caffeinated Body: Given the light liquor, the body is surprisingly full. This is because the amount of amino acids that give body and create umami is higher in shade-grown plants. Flavors: A cup of this tea delivers on the aromas, light spinach backed by the rounded sweetness of steamed rice. And there are none of the roasted nuts or toasty flavors found in other Japanese teas. Brewing Time: 1 to 2 minutes Brewing Temperature: 160° F