The kyusu tips forward, and the last drops fall from the spout into the second cup. Both cups now hold the same clear yellow-green, and a thin thread of steam carries a grassy, sweet smell across the table. Sencha is the everyday green tea of Japan, the pot people brew at home between meals and after them. Brewed with water that has been cooled a little, it tastes of sweetness and gentle astringency in balance, with a clean, slightly bitter finish that leaves the mouth ready for the next sip.
The Tea Japan Drinks Every Day
Sencha took shape in the Edo period and grew into the mainstream of Japanese tea. One firm date marks its story: in 1738, Nagatani Soen succeeded in producing high-quality sencha. In Japan, the fresh leaves are steamed, rolled, dried and sorted, and the thin, dark-green needles you shake into the pot are the result.
Steaming depth and the season of the leaf
How long the leaves are steamed shapes the cup. Asamushi is lightly steamed, chumushi sits in the middle, and fukamushi is steamed two to three times longer than regular sencha. The longer steam breaks the leaf into finer pieces, so fukamushi brews faster and pours cloudier and deeper green. Where exactly each category begins and ends is not settled, and the names on a bag tell you more than any number.
The picking season matters as much. Early-picked leaves are richer in amino acids and are counted as higher quality, which is where much of the sweetness comes from. Summer-picked leaves carry slightly more tannin, so the cup leans more astringent. The first flush, ichibancha, includes shincha, the new tea of the year, which arrives from early April to late May.
Shincha season is tied to hachijuhachiya, the 88th day counted from Risshun, the traditional start of spring. It sits within the shincha season.
Ingredients
These amounts brew two cups. The rule behind them is 2–3 g of leaves for every scant ½ cup (100 ml) of water, one cup per person.
You handle water straight from the boil several times. Hold cups and the cooling pitcher by their bases or rims, pour away from your hands, and keep the kettle spout pointed at the vessel, never at yourself. Keep the lid on the kyusu with a finger while pouring.
Equipment
- Kyusu teapot with a built-in strainer
- 2 teacups, each holding a scant ½ to ⅔ cup (100–150 ml)
- Yuzamashi (water-cooling pitcher), or a third teacup in its place
- Tea scoop, or a kitchen scale
- Kettle
- Timer
Choosing Leaves and Water
The grade on the bag decides your water temperature, so read it before you boil anything. Superior sencha wants cooler water; medium-grade sencha takes it hotter, and the method shows both. If you want a sweeter, rounder cup, look for early-picked leaves or shincha in spring. Summer-picked leaves give a brisker, more astringent cup.
Check the steaming depth too. Regular sencha, asamushi or chumushi, follows the method below. Fukamushi follows its own amounts and a much shorter steep, set out under variations; brewing it on the regular timing pulls it too far.
Water changes sencha more than most people expect. Soft water, under 100 mg/L hardness and ideally 30–80 mg/L, is what this tea is made for. Hard water gives a pale cup and flattens the aroma. If your tap water is hard, buy a bottled water whose label lists its hardness in that range.
For tools, a kyusu with a built-in strainer is the one piece worth buying from a tea shop or online. A yuzamashi is pleasant to have, and a plain teacup does the same job. A kitchen scale can stand in for the scoop.
Method
The work is short and all at the counter. Measure the leaves into the dry pot first, then let the water do its travelling: kettle to cups, cups to pitcher, pitcher to pot. The only waiting is the 1 minute 30 seconds with the lid on, and the second infusion follows straight after the first is poured.
When It Goes Wrong
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The tea is bitter and sharp | The water was too hot, or the leaves steeped too long | Move the water one more time before it meets the leaves, and pour on the dot of 1 minute 30 seconds |
| The tea is pale and thin | Too few leaves, or too short a steep | Go back to about 2½ scoops for two cups and let the full time run |
| The second infusion is harsh | Tea was left in the pot after the first pour | Drain the kyusu to the last drop every time |
| One cup is stronger than the other | One cup was filled before the other | Pour back and forth in small amounts until the pot is empty |
| The colour is weak and the smell flat | The water is hard | Switch to soft water, under 100 mg/L hardness |
Serving and Variations
Sencha goes on the table on its own, in small cups, and the second infusion follows the first within minutes. A small Japanese sweet, a plain mochi or a slice of yokan, sits well beside it; the sugar meets the tea's astringency and each makes the other taste cleaner. It is also the pot to brew after a meal, when its light bitterness clears the palate.
Fukamushi sencha
Fukamushi leaves are fine and break apart, so they brew fast. Use 2 g of leaves for every ¼ cup (60 ml) of water and steep for 30 seconds, keeping these numbers apart from the regular method. The cup is cloudier and a deeper green, with a fuller body and less sharpness than regular sencha.
Cold-water fukamushi
Fukamushi also takes well to brewing in cold water. Cold water draws out less astringency, so the cup tastes softer and sweeter, a good choice for warm days.
Superior leaves at their cooler temperature
Brewing a superior sencha at about 160°F (70°C) instead of the hotter medium-grade temperature brings the sweetness to the front. Keep the steep the same and let the temperature do the work.
Frequently asked questions
How much tea do I use for just one cup?
Use 2–3 g of leaves, about 1 to 1½ tea scoops (one scoop holds about 2 g), for a scant ½ cup (100 ml). If you want a second infusion from that one cup, put in 4–5 g instead. The rest of the method stays the same.
Do I need a thermometer?
No thermometer is needed. Use the yuzamashi or a teacup: every move between vessels lowers the water about 10–20°F (5–10°C). Count your pours and the temperature follows.
How much caffeine is in a cup of sencha?
A cup of sencha holds an estimated 20–30 mg of caffeine.
Can I keep brewing after the second infusion?
The leaves and timings here cover two infusions. Once the second cup is poured to the last drop, empty the leaves out and start fresh for the next pot.
