HOME PAGE
CAKE & SNACK
   Kastella
   Dorayaki
   Kompeitoh
DRESSING
GARDENING
GREEN TEA
   Varieties
   Preparation
   When
        and where
   Benefits
PICKLES
   Beer-zuke
   Hakumai-zuke
   Bettara-zuke
NATTO
SUSHI
   Rice
   Nigiri-zushi
   Hako-zushi
   Temaki-zushi
   Masu-zushi

A flower of the tea plant, "Camellia Sinensis," which is a relative of the well known camellia plants. They can not be grown in cold areas. Ibaraki and Saitama prefectures (about 100 miles north of Tokyo) are about the north bounds for growing tea in Japan. The tea trees are cultivated to be a few feet tall, but if left untrimmed, they can grow up to ten yards high.



Tea Varieties

Difference between green tea, oolong tea and black tea:
    All three are produced from the same tea specie, but the processes are different. Green tea is prepared from fresh leaves or buds that are steamed, then rolled and dried. Wilting the fresh leaves in the sun and partially fermenting them make oolong. The fermentation of oolong is stopped by roasting in an oven. Fully fermenting the slightly wilted leaves makes black tea.

There are several kinds of Japanese green teas. They are different depending on how leaves are plucked and then processed.

  • Sencha
    Most popular kind of tea in Japan. Made from the leaves exposed to direct sun lights. The price changes widely from low to high. High-priced senchas use young, small and tender leaves, while low-priced sencha leaves use older, larger and harder leaves. Accordingly the tastes change. The high-priced senchas have a deep aromatic taste with some sweetness. The low-priced sencha tend to have a stronger bitterness but less flavor. For serving, boiled water cooled 80 degrees C should be used for preparing tea (see "Preparation" ).

  • Gyokuro
    Made from the young leaves that are protected from the sun light for two weeks before plucking (footnote 1). Gyokuro has a dark green color. The tastes are sweeter and much milder than sencha. Boiled water cooled to 70 to 75 degrees C should be used for serving Gyokuro (see "Preparation" ).

  • Matcha
    Powder made from buds protected from the sun. Used for tea ceremony. Mixed also in icecream, liquor, snacks, and cakes. Someone even invented green tea Tilamisu (see footnote 2).

  • Bancha
    Made from grown-up tea leaves plucked in late summer or autumn. Inexpensive.

  • Houjicha
    Roasted tea, made from bancha in most cases, but sometimes from sencha.

 

Footnote
For more reading:
http://w3.vit.or.jp/~murataen/english/mura112.html (variety of japanes tea)
http://www.naranoshi.pref.nara.jp/tea/process.html (tea production: You need Japanese fonts to read this page.)
http://www.inh.co.jp/maru7/qa/qa.html (other varieties of tea: yabukita, fukamushi. Japanes fonts required.)
http://www.chabashira.co.jp/meetinshz/scbEng/5e/moka1e.html (sightseeing) http://www.culture-dome.or.jp/FS-E/NUMBERS/FS19/page01-e.htm (general info.)
http://www.moa.or.jp/english/naturefarm/nf-chap2.html (tea production)