Japanese tea comes from a single plant: Camellia sinensis var. sinensis. Sencha, Gyokuro, Matcha, Hojicha, Bancha — they are all the same raw material, processed by different methods. What separates one variety from another can be reduced to three axes: shading, processing method, and form. Understand those three dimensions, and you understand Japanese tea.
Axis 1: Shading — how Umami is produced
Shading is the most powerful lever in Japanese tea production. Reduce the light reaching the plant and it responds with a biochemical shift: it produces more chlorophyll (visible in the deeper green colour) and slows the conversion of L-theanine into catechins. That distinction matters: L-theanine is the amino acid responsible for Umami and sweetness. Catechins, by contrast, produce bitterness and astringency.
Unshaded plants (Sencha, Bancha) develop a higher catechin-to-theanine ratio under full sun: fresh, grassy, energising character with noticeable astringency. Partial shading over 7–14 days (Kabusecha) shifts the balance — the tea becomes sweeter, rounder, less sharp. Full shading for 20 or more days (Gyokuro, Tencha) maximises the theanine content and suppresses catechins almost entirely: the result is intense Umami, minimal bitterness, and an almost broth-like texture.
The difference between Kabusecha and Gyokuro is not merely a matter of degree — it is qualitative. Kabusecha retains the freshness of Sencha, with a velvety roundness added. Gyokuro occupies its own category: dark, concentrated, almost heavy. A Hohin is the ideal brewing vessel for it. Both are covered before the first harvest (Ichibancha, April–May), because the young leaves absorb the effects of shading most strongly.
Axis 2: Processing — steaming, roasting, oxidising
The second defining parameter is what happens to the leaf immediately after harvest. Japanese tea is almost exclusively unoxidised green tea — but the method used to halt oxidation determines character in a fundamental way.
Steaming (mushi): the Japanese standard
The overwhelming majority of Japanese teas are steamed immediately after harvest. Hot steam at around 100 °C deactivates the enzymes responsible for oxidation within seconds. The leaf stays green, the aroma stays fresh. After steaming, the leaves are rolled, kneaded, and dried — the process that gives them their characteristic needle shape.
Within the steaming method, one important distinction applies:
- Asamushi (light steaming, 20–30 seconds): The leaves remain structurally intact, the liquor is clear and bright, the flavour elegant and defined. Typical of Uji teas and high-grade Gyokuros.
- Fukamushi (deep steaming, 60–180 seconds): The leaves soften and break into smaller particles during rolling. The liquor becomes cloudier, fuller-bodied, almost thick. Fukamushi Senchas from Shizuoka or Kagoshima are more intense in flavour but less clear in the cup. For more body, reach for Fukamushi.
Pan-firing (Kamairi): the exception
Kamairicha is the only significant Japanese tea that is pan-fired rather than steamed — a technique originating in China that has survived in certain parts of Kyushu, particularly Miyazaki and Saga. The pan-firing gives the tea a lightly floral, sometimes toasty quality without the grassy sharpness of steamed Sencha. It is rare and appreciated by connoisseurs, though it holds only a small share of the Japanese market.
Tencha: the special case with no rolling
Tencha is shade-grown like Gyokuro but processed differently: after steaming, the leaves are dried flat without being rolled. Stems and veins are removed by hand. What remains is a flat, unrolled leaf — which is then ground directly into Matcha. Tencha is not traded as a standalone infusion tea; it is the intermediate stage that makes Matcha possible.
Axis 3: Form — what the leaf becomes
The third dimension describes the final form of the tea:
- Rolled leaf: Sencha, Gyokuro, Kabusecha — the standard form. The leaf is rolled and dried after steaming. Needle-shaped, deep green, suitable for infusion.
- Powder: Matcha is produced when Tencha is ground to a very fine powder in granite mills. The entire leaf is consumed rather than just steeped — meaning all its constituents are directly available: caffeine, L-theanine, catechins, chlorophyll.
- Roasted: Hojicha is made by roasting finished Sencha or Bancha at high temperature. The roasting fundamentally transforms the aroma compounds and reduces caffeine.
- Blended: Genmaicha is not a distinct processing method but a blend of finished green tea (usually Bancha or light Sencha) with roasted rice.
- Stems: Kukicha consists of the stems and stalks separated out during the processing of Sencha or Gyokuro. Low caffeine, mild sweetness — often referred to as Kinari-cha or Shiraore.
Reference table: all varieties at a glance
| Tea | Shading | Processing | Form | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sencha | none | steamed (standard or deep) | rolled leaf | fresh, grassy, light astringency |
| Kabusecha | 7–14 days | steamed (standard) | rolled leaf | sweeter, rounder than Sencha, little bitterness |
| Gyokuro | 20+ days | steamed (standard) | rolled leaf | intense Umami, dark, almost broth-like |
| Tencha | 20+ days | steamed, not rolled | flat, unrolled leaf | base for Matcha; rarely brewed as infusion |
| Matcha | (via Tencha) | Tencha ground | powder | full, creamy, intensely green, whole leaf |
| Hojicha | none | steamed, then roasted | roasted leaf | nutty, caramel, low caffeine |
| Genmaicha | none | steamed + rice blend | leaf + roasted rice | mild, toasty-nutty, approachable |
| Bancha | none | steamed (late harvest) | rolled leaf | light, slightly acidic, low caffeine |
| Kamairicha | none | pan-fired (not steamed) | rolled leaf | light, floral, no grassy undertone |
| Kukicha | none (or via Gyokuro) | stems from Sencha/Gyokuro processing | stems and stalks | mild, sweet, lowest caffeine |
The lesser-known varieties in detail
Hojicha
Hojicha is not a distinct tea type in the sense of being specially picked or shaded — it is the result of a secondary roasting process. Finished Sencha, Bancha, or Kukicha is roasted at around 200 °C, typically in a drum roaster. Two things happen: the volatile grassy aroma compounds (primarily cis-3-hexenol, responsible for fresh Sencha's characteristic smell) largely burn off, and new aromatic compounds form through Maillard reactions — pyrazines, furans, lactones that smell of roasted grain, caramel, and wood. Heat also degrades caffeine: a good Hojicha contains less than 1 mg of caffeine per 100 ml, which makes it a reasonable evening tea. The liquor colour is amber to reddish-brown — unmistakably different from any other Japanese green tea.
Bancha
Bancha is not a cultivar but a harvest category. While Sencha typically comes from the first flush (Ichibancha, April–May) or second flush (Nibancha, June–July), Bancha comes from later harvests — or from the same harvests, but from the older, coarser leaves gathered alongside the young shoots. By that point the plant has built up more catechins and stored less L-theanine: the result is lower Umami, higher astringency, and lower caffeine. Bancha is tea for large quantities and everyday moments. In Japan it is often served free of charge in restaurants. Dismissing it as cheap misses the point — cheap and simple are not the same thing.
Genmaicha
Genmaicha brings together two otherwise separate products: steamed and dried green tea (usually Bancha or a light Sencha) and roasted, partially puffed rice (Genmai). The blend ratio varies by producer but typically sits at 50:50. The roasted rice introduces a completely different aroma profile: popcorn notes, grain, mild sweetness. This softens the grassy sharpness of the green tea and makes Genmaicha one of the most approachable Japanese teas. Some blends add Matcha powder (labelled "Matcha-iri Genmaicha"), which deepens the green colour of the liquor and adds some body. Genmaicha is an everyday tea without pretension — and that is not a criticism.
Kukicha
Kukicha consists of the stems, stalks, and sometimes the coarsely split leaf veins separated out during the processing of Sencha or Gyokuro. These parts of the plant contain less caffeine than the leaf blade (stems are not a primary storage site for caffeine) and fewer catechins — but a surprisingly high proportion of amino acids, which concentrate in the plant's vascular tissue. The result is a tea with pronounced sweetness, mild nuttiness, and little bitterness. Kukicha from Gyokuro processing (also known as Karigane) is considerably more aromatic than that from Bancha. People sensitive to caffeine often turn to Kukicha as an alternative to herbal teas — with the advantage that it actually is tea, just a very gentle one.
Kamairicha
Kamairicha is the Japanese counterpart to Chinese green teas such as Longjing or Biluochun: the freshly harvested leaf goes directly into a hot pan or drum (Kama) rather than being steamed. Dry heat halts oxidation differently than steam and leaves a distinctly different aroma profile behind. The typical grassy, marine quality of steamed Sencha is absent entirely — in its place, floral and lightly toasty notes develop. Kamairicha is produced primarily in Miyazaki, Saga, and Kumamoto on Kyushu, in small quantities and mostly by smaller farmers. At a time when Japanese tea regions are increasingly experimenting with rare cultivars and unorthodox processing methods, Kamairicha is experiencing a modest revival.
Three variables, one family
Shading, processing method, form: these three parameters allow every Japanese tea to be precisely located. Gyokuro is fully shaded, steamed, rolled. Matcha is fully shaded (via Tencha), unrolled, then ground. Hojicha is unshaded, steamed, rolled — and then roasted. Kamairicha is unshaded, pan-fired, never steamed.
Behind these processing decisions lie measurable consequences: in the L-theanine-to-catechin ratio, in caffeine content, in volatile aroma compounds. Drinking tea while understanding why it tastes the way it does makes every cup more precise — and more interesting.
At UNEARTHED you will find a curated selection of Japanese teas: from Sencha and Kabusecha to Single-Cultivar Matcha and hard-to-find Wakocha from Miyazaki. Every variety is listed with full origin and processing information — because what happens in the field and during production lands directly in the cup.
