All you need to know about Japanese teas

Tea is not just a hot drink in Japan; the Japanese consider it a symbol of purity, tranquility, respect, and harmony. Tea ceremonies are a part of Japanese culture, so they take the tea brewing process very seriously.
Almost every Japanese house brews a hot pot of tea every day. All Japanese restaurants also serve their special healthy teas, including Sencha, Genmaicha, Matcha, Kombucha, etc.
Other countries make tea by processing tea leaves. On the other hand, Japanese people use leaves in some of their teas and vegetables, barley grains, and kelp for different varieties. Let’s look at some of the most famous Japanese teas.

Matcha
Matcha tea is one of the most liked green tea worldwide. It is a must-have drink at Japanese tea ceremonies. How it is grown and harvested is what makes it unique. Just four weeks before the harvest, matcha tea leaves gain their green color.
When they gain their color, they also lose the astringent taste. After the harvest, the leaves go through a careful process of dehydration. The dried leaves are then de-veined, de-stemmed, and then crushed into a fine powder.
A freshly brewed teacup gives a grassy green color with a slightly sweet flavor. However, people brew more substantial grades of matcha as well.

Sencha
Sencha is another type of green tea. Unlike the matcha, sencha gives of an astringent flavor with a mildly sweet taste. Farmers pick out sencha tea leaves from February till May. The tea
leaves picked in the later months have more astringency than the ones collected at the start.
The glossy Bancha tea leaves have a refreshing aroma, and people consider it a healthy tea as it is high in Vitamin C. Tea sellers sell sencha leaves and powdered sencha. Tea lovers use powdered sencha in other dishes.

Genmaicha
Genmaicha is another variety of the Bancha tea leaves. Vendors prepare this tea by combining it with brown roasted Genmaicha rice. Tea lovers adore the Genmaicha tea, for the brown rice adds a nutty taste to this tea. Genmaicha isn’t a strong tea, so it is known for its mild flavor. People love sipping it after big meals to feel lighter and consider it Detox tea.

Kombucha
The Japanese Kombucha is a kelp-based tea. However, people know this name for a drink made with sugar, yeast, tea, and bacteria in the West. This herb is also used in many Japanese broths, soups, and dishes, etc.
Kombucha tea is known to give an umami and seaweed taste. Kombucha is a healthy tea, and it helps the immune system. It is also one of the famous weight loss and fitness teas.

Hojicha
This Japanese tea has a smooth and mildly bitter taste. Children and the elderly mostly drink this tea because it is caffeine-free. The tea leaves and stems are roasted before crushing them into powdered form.
It gets a light red-brown shade after roasting, which also adds a smoky taste to it. Hojicha tea boosts human metabolism and helps with digestion as well.