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Pouring tea from Yakishime clay kyusu into porcelain teacup beside blue and white package of sencha and plate of tea leaves

How Well Do You Know Your Sencha?

Written on March 02, 2023

Matcha may be the most well-known Japanese green tea in North America today, but when it comes to a daily brew, nothing is more quintessential than sencha. 80 percent of tea in Japan is made into this loose leaf style, which provides a perfect balance of sweetness, umami, and refreshing astringency. See why we at Ippodo love this classic tea!

What is sencha?

Only young, tender spring tea leaves grown in Kyoto Prefecture are selected for Ippodo’s house sencha blends. After picking, fresh leaves are steamed in a process that halts oxidation, contributing to the crisp green character of Japanese green tea. Then the leaves are rolled into delicate needle shapes, gently dried, sorted, and packaged.

Unlike matcha and gyokuro, sencha tea bushes are cultivated in direct sunlight, which makes them uniquely high in vitamin C as well as tannins that result in a crisp, structured tea. And since sencha is made from young spring leaves, it has an inherent sweetness as well, leading to a balanced brew that shows everything that’s great about Japanese green tea.

How do I brew it?

Sencha is a delicate tea to savor alone or share with good friends, but be careful: overly hot water or oversteeping can lead to a bitter cup. For a balanced brew, measure out 2 tablespoons (about 10 grams) for a 7 to 8 ounce (210ml) standard size Japanese teapot, called a kyusu. If you use a larger Western-style teapot (around 16 ounces or larger), we recommend starting with 3 tablespoons (about 15 grams) and adjusting the proportions to your taste.

Sencha is best brewed with hot but not boiling water: 176°F (80°C). But if you don’t have a thermometer, don’t worry; just pour boiling water into your teacups, then pour from those cups into your pot over the leaves. The two pours will cool your water down enough for brewing. Steep for 60 seconds, then strain evenly between cups. Be sure to pour out every last drop to fully extract the tea’s flavor. You can re-steep the same leaves once or even twice to get the most out of your precious purchase.

Measure the leaves
2 tbsp. (10 g / 0.35 oz)
Recipe for 
            Standard Brew
        
 senchaStandard - Step 1 (small)
Recipe for 
            Standard Brew
        
 senchaStandard - Step 1 (large)
Standard Brew
Makes one pot
Measure the leaves
2 tbsp. (10 g / 0.35 oz)
Add hot water
210 mL (7 oz) 80°C (176°F)
Cool boiling water to 80°C by transferring once.
Recipe for 
            Standard Brew
        
 senchaStandard - Step 2 (small)
Recipe for 
            Standard Brew
        
 senchaStandard - Step 2 (large)
Standard Brew
Makes one pot
Add hot water
210 mL (7 oz) 80°C (176°F)
Cool boiling water to 80°C by transferring once.
Brew
60 seconds
Recipe for 
            Standard Brew
        
 senchaStandard - Step 3 (small)
Recipe for 
            Standard Brew
        
 senchaStandard - Step 3 (large)
Standard Brew
Makes one pot
Brew
60 seconds
Serve
Pour out every last drop.
Recipe for 
            Standard Brew
        
 senchaStandard - Step 4 (small)
Recipe for 
            Standard Brew
        
 senchaStandard - Step 4 (large)
Standard Brew
Makes one pot
Serve
Pour out every last drop.

Or go iced: There are two ways to brew sencha for iced tea. For drinking right away, you can pour a concentrated steeping over ice. With more planning, you can cold brew sencha as well.

Iced Sencha
Measure the leaves
2 tbsp. (10 g / 0.35 oz)
Recipe for Iced Brew senchaIced - Step 1 (small)
Recipe for Iced Brew senchaIced - Step 1 (large)
Iced Brew
Makes one pot
Measure the leaves
2 tbsp. (10 g / 0.35 oz)
Add boiling water
210 mL (7 oz) 100°C (212°F)
Recipe for Iced Brew senchaIced - Step 2 (small)
Recipe for Iced Brew senchaIced - Step 2 (large)
Iced Brew
Makes one pot
Add boiling water
210 mL (7 oz) 100°C (212°F)
Brew
60 seconds
Recipe for Iced Brew senchaIced - Step 3 (small)
Recipe for Iced Brew senchaIced - Step 3 (large)
Iced Brew
Makes one pot
Brew
60 seconds
Serve on ice
Pour into glass or small pitcher full of ice.
Recipe for Iced Brew senchaIced - Step 4 (small)
Recipe for Iced Brew senchaIced - Step 4 (large)
Iced Brew
Makes one pot
Serve on ice
Pour into glass or small pitcher full of ice.
Measure the leaves
2 tbsp. (10 g / 0.35 oz)
Recipe for Cold Brew senchaCold - Step 1 (small)
Recipe for Cold Brew senchaCold - Step 1 (large)
Cold Brew
Makes one pot
Measure the leaves
2 tbsp. (10 g / 0.35 oz)
Add ice water
210 ml (7 oz) Chilled water
Recipe for Cold Brew senchaCold - Step 2 (small)
Recipe for Cold Brew senchaCold - Step 2 (large)
Cold Brew
Makes one pot
Add ice water
210 ml (7 oz) Chilled water
Brew
15 minutes
Recipe for Cold Brew senchaCold - Step 3 (small)
Recipe for Cold Brew senchaCold - Step 3 (large)
Cold Brew
Makes one pot
Brew
15 minutes
Serve
Pour out every last drop.
Recipe for Cold Brew senchaCold - Step 4 (small)
Recipe for Cold Brew senchaCold - Step 4 (large)
Cold Brew
Makes one pot
Serve
Pour out every last drop.

Choose your style

Our master blenders produce seven blends of sencha. All are made with high quality leaves and are processed the same way, but small differences in how they’re grown lead to distinct characters in the cup. Ippodo sencha with a higher price isn’t necessarily better quality; the choice is really about your own personal tastes

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