History of Japan’s Green Tea
Japanese history begins with a Buddhist monk who introduced tea to Japan in the 6th century and by the year 1200 the Japanese Zen priest Eisai wrote the first book on this drink (“Kissa Yojoki” or translated: “Book of Tea”).
He described the plant from which all tea originates (“Camelia sinensis”), how Camellia sinensis can be grown, and how to process its leaves. He also highlights the important health benefits for vital organs like the heart and brain.
Today, around 45% of green tea is produced in Shizuoka Prefecture, south of Tokyo. Other popular regions are Uji and Kagoshima.
types of japanese green tea
There are several types, originating in Japan, such as Gyokuro green tea, grown under shade, but otherwise similar to Sencha green tea.
With three to four harvest periods a year in Japan, the leaves plucked in the first round are of the highest quality. Sencha is made from the tea leaves plucked in the first and second round, grown in full sun. Sencha is the most common type in Japan. Sencha literally means to extract the flavor by boiling in reference to this method of processing.
Sencha is initially steamed, where oxidation is stopped while preserving the colour, aroma and flavor. The leaves are dried in hot air and tightly rolled into long, needle-shaped sheets, following traditional Japanese processing techniques. Finally, after drying, the leaves are fried to preserve them longer and add more flavor.
It has a refreshing aroma of fresh grass and a sweet and sour taste. In addition to the taste, it is rich in vitamins and can be recognized by its shiny, needle-like tea leaves and strong fragrance.
Another high-quality tea from Japan is powdered Matcha tea. This is a tricky question… (but you need to know the truth!)…
Although originally introduced by the Chinese, Japan mastered the preparation of powdered tea and made it part of its culture for hundreds of years, celebrating it in Japanese tea ceremonies, focusing on the preparation, serving and consumption of Matcha in top quality powder.
While other teas are grown around the world, Matcha green tea powder is unique to Japan, where local farmers use traditional methods, from cultivation to grinding. Here, only the top leaves are used. They are dried in the shade and on stone floors following special processing methods to maintain their quality. Since the Japanese grind the entire tea leaf, you ingest the entire tea leaf, not just the brewed water.
Matcha powder is a fine tea used primarily in tea ceremonies. Today, apart from a drink, Matcha has now also been used to flavor and dye food; now they make ice cream, cookies or other recipes with this green powder.
health benefits
Green tea has many benefits thanks to the antioxidants in this drink. Helps prevent cancer, helps prevent acne, speeds up your metabolism helping you in the weight loss challenge, lowers your blood pressure, reduces high and “bad” cholesterol, reduces the risk of kidney stones, fights depression, it can prevent or reduce constipation, it can increase your fertility, it reduces the risks of smoking and it helps against diabetes.
