Sencha vs Green Tea Products: What’s the Difference

All sencha is green tea—but not all green tea products are sencha.

Sencha refers to a specific Japanese green tea with defined growing, harvesting, and processing methods.

• Harvested from the tea plant (Camellia sinensis)
• Steamed shortly after picking to preserve freshness
  
• Carefully rolled and dried.

Green tea products is a broad term that includes many different teas, origins, grades, and formats.

Many Green tea products are:

• Crushed or powdered
• Blended with flavourings
• Made from a lower-grade leaves or stems

Sencha is typically enjoyed as a whole leaf tea allowing the flavour to unfold naturally during brewing.

Sencha - Grown under open sunlight, the leaves develop a natural balance of freshness, sweetness, and umami. After harvest (seasonal !), they are lightly steamed to protect their vibrant colour and living character, then carefully rolled and dried.

Here in Ireland there seems to be a notion revolving green tea being “healthy but not tasty,” Japanese sencha is a revelation to this notion. 

(An idea how to brew sencha, adding cold or hot water depending on taste preference)

Alternative to Matcha !

If you enjoy matcha, sencha is a natural next step. Both come from the same tea plant (Camellia sinensis), but they are grown, prepared, and enjoyed in very different ways. Sencha is the most commonly enjoyed tea in Japan part of everyday life. Sencha is enjoyed by infusing leaves in hot or cold water and then removed. Choose sencha if you want a lighter, refreshing tea you can enjoy any time—even cold

Brewing Sencha

Use fresh, soft water.

Hot Cup of Sencha:

Hot water releases aromatic compounds more quickly than a cold brew, when sencha is brewed you experience a lively fragrant experience. Warm brewing extracts more catechins and umami compounds giving hot sencha a more rounder structured taste especially in high-quality leaves. Hot Sencha is also deeply comforting, ideally in colder weather and being gentle on the stomach. 

1. Add 3g of sencha per 120ml of water heated to 80°C.
2. Brew for 30–60 seconds, then pour fully.
3. Re-infuse the leaves 2–3 times, using slightly hotter water and shorter infusions.

 

Discovering the Beauty of Cold Green Tea:

Sencha works also very well cold and can give a completely different characteristic than its hot counterpart. When brewed the chemistry of the tea changes, the first characteristic is less bitterness resulting in a smoother taste whilst providing more sweetness. If you are new to green tea it is easier to drink than hot. 

1. Add 5–8g of sencha to 1 litre of cold water.
2. Steep as long as your tasting preference, it is recommended to steep and drink throughout the day. Optionally steep on the fridge for 6-12 hours. 
3. Strain and enjoy.

This method produces the softest, sweetest flavour.

Cold Versus Hot ?

Obviously hot sencha works very well on a cold day providing that comfort a hot drink brings.  If you prefer a more sweet (less bitter), refreshing tea then a cold brew of sencha may be your recommended choice. Another thing to consider is time preparation, a cold brew of sencha requires more time, allowing for the tea leaves to steep. If you prefer a more sweet, easier to drink tea, then this brewing method is definitely worth it. 

Hot vs Cold: Not Better—Just Different

Hot Sencha	Cold Sencha
Aromatic & Expressive	Soft & Refreshing
Deep Umami	Natural Sweetness
Comforting	Cooling
Traditional	Seasonal