Tencha Tea

Tencha is a green tea with a slight seaweed aroma and flavour made from Camellia sinensis var. sinensis. It was firs produced during the rule of the Wei Jin dynasty in China. In the 12th century, Buddhist monks took the tea plant from China to Japan, where tencha was developed (Takeo, 1992). Today, tencha is the main type of green tea manufactured in China and Japan, with its pleasant seaweed-like aroma being the main factor contributing to its universal popularity (Baba et al., 2017; Wang et al., 2020).

Tencha tea is a shade-grown Japanese green tea that serves as the base for the highly prized powdered tea called matcha. Tencha is a specific type of tea that is cultivated and processed in a way that differs from other green teas.

The cultivation of tencha involves shading the tea plants for a few weeks before harvest. By providing shade, the tea leaves undergo a unique growth process. This shading method stimulates the production of chlorophyll, amino acids, and other beneficial compounds in the leaves, resulting in a distinct flavor and vibrant green color.

Once the tea leaves are ready for harvest, they are carefully plucked by hand, ensuring only the top leaves and buds are selected. After harvest, the leaves undergo several meticulous steps of steaming, drying, and destemming. The stems and veins are removed, leaving behind the processed tencha leaves.

Compared to other green teas, tencha is notable for its unique appearance. The leaves are flat and needle-shaped, and they have a velvety texture. Tencha leaves are larger and thicker than those used for sencha, another popular Japanese green tea. This is because tencha is intended to be ground into a fine powder to make matcha.

Flavor-wise, tencha has a pleasant umami taste with a slightly vegetal and grassy undertone. It is generally less astringent than other green teas due to the shading process that reduces the tea’s bitterness. Tencha has a smooth and rich flavor profile that is enjoyed by tea enthusiasts.

While tencha can be brewed as a standalone tea, it is primarily ground into a fine powder to make matcha. The powder is whisked with hot water, creating a frothy and vibrant green beverage with a concentrated flavor. Matcha is known for its ceremonial preparation and its use in traditional tea ceremonies.

Tencha tea, with its unique cultivation and processing methods, plays a crucial role in producing high-quality matcha. Its vibrant green color, umami flavor, and connection to the art of matcha preparation make tencha a highly sought-after and revered tea in the world of Japanese green tea.

References

Baba, R., Amano, Y., Wada, Y., & Kumazawa, K. (2017). Characterization of the potent odorants contributing to the characteristic aroma of matcha by gas chromatography-olfactometry techniques. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 65(14), pp.  2984– 2989 (Article)

Takeo, T. (1992). Green and semi-fermented teas. In K. C. Willson & M. N. Clifford (Eds.), Tea: Cultivation to consumption (pp. 413– 457). Springer Netherlands.

Wang, M. Q., Ma, W. J., Shi, J., Zhu, Y., Lin, Z., & Lv, H. P. (2020). Characterization of the key aroma compounds in Longjing tea using stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O), odor activity value (OAV), and aroma recombination. Food Research International (Ottawa, Ont.), 130, 108908 (Article).