Types of Japanese Tea
Twelve teas that cover almost everything sold as Japanese tea — from everyday sencha to pan-fired kamairicha.
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Sencha
Steamed, needle-shaped leaves — Japan's most common green tea, about two-thirds of domestic production.Matcha
Shade-grown tencha leaves, stone-milled to a fine powder and whisked whole into water.Gyokuro
The most shaded of the steamed teas, grown under cover for roughly three weeks or more before picking.Hojicha
Roasted green tea, usually made from bancha or sencha leaves and stems, roasted until reddish-brown.Genmaicha
Green tea blended with roasted brown rice, sometimes with a little matcha dusted on top (matcha-iri genmaicha).Bancha
Everyday tea made from larger, later-harvest leaves picked after the first flush.Kabusecha
'Covered tea' shaded for a shorter period — roughly one to two weeks — between sencha and gyokuro in style.Kukicha
Stem tea (also called boucha) made from the stems and twigs separated during sencha and matcha processing.Shincha
'New tea' — the first picking of the year, sold fresh in spring (around April-May depending on region).Tamaryokucha
Curled-leaf tea: steamed (Ureshino, Saga) or pan-fired (kamairi style in parts of Kyushu), rolled into comma-shaped leaves.Kamairicha
Pan-fired tea in the Chinese-style method: leaves are roasted in an iron pan instead of steamed.Wakoucha
Japanese black tea: fully oxidised tea made in Japan, often from benifuuki or native seed-grown plants.
Steamed, needle-shaped leaves — Japan's most common green tea, about two-thirds of domestic production.Matcha
Shade-grown tencha leaves, stone-milled to a fine powder and whisked whole into water.Gyokuro
The most shaded of the steamed teas, grown under cover for roughly three weeks or more before picking.Hojicha
Roasted green tea, usually made from bancha or sencha leaves and stems, roasted until reddish-brown.Genmaicha
Green tea blended with roasted brown rice, sometimes with a little matcha dusted on top (matcha-iri genmaicha).Bancha
Everyday tea made from larger, later-harvest leaves picked after the first flush.Kabusecha
'Covered tea' shaded for a shorter period — roughly one to two weeks — between sencha and gyokuro in style.Kukicha
Stem tea (also called boucha) made from the stems and twigs separated during sencha and matcha processing.Shincha
'New tea' — the first picking of the year, sold fresh in spring (around April-May depending on region).Tamaryokucha
Curled-leaf tea: steamed (Ureshino, Saga) or pan-fired (kamairi style in parts of Kyushu), rolled into comma-shaped leaves.Kamairicha
Pan-fired tea in the Chinese-style method: leaves are roasted in an iron pan instead of steamed.Wakoucha
Japanese black tea: fully oxidised tea made in Japan, often from benifuuki or native seed-grown plants.
Sources: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) crop statistics; Ministry of Finance trade statistics; Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); prefectural and municipal official information. Checked 5 November 2026.
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