Tencha
Tencha is shaded Japanese leaf that is steamed and dried flat without rolling, then de-stemmed and deveined; it is the raw material stone-ground into matcha.
Definition
Tencha is grown under shade like gyokuro, usually for about 20 days or more before harvest, which raises L-theanine and chlorophyll and lowers catechins. After harvest, the leaf is steamed and then blown through tall drying chambers (tencha ro) where it dries flat and loose. Unlike sencha and gyokuro, tencha is never rolled. The dried leaf, called aracha at this stage, is cut and sorted. Stems, veins and coarse pieces are removed, leaving small, flat flakes of pure leaf blade. These flakes are then ground into matcha, traditionally in granite stone mills that turn slowly to avoid heating the tea; a stone mill produces only about 30-40 g of matcha per hour. Major tencha producers include Uji in Kyoto, Nishio in Aichi, and growing volumes in Kagoshima and Shizuoka. Tencha flakes are sometimes sold as a loose leaf tea, but most of it is ground. Freshly ground matcha keeps its aroma longer, so some shops grind tencha to order.
In Depth
Loose tencha can be brewed like a delicate shaded tea: 60-70°C (140-158°F), 4-5 g per 150 ml for 1-2 minutes. The cup is light green, sweet, soft and less savory than gyokuro, with a fresh, slightly nutty note. Use a fine mesh filter because the flakes are thin and light.
Tencha flakes are flat, irregular and green, resembling dried herb flakes, not the needles of sencha. Because they are not rolled, their cells are less broken and they release flavor gently.
Japanese industry definitions reserve the name matcha for stone- or mill-ground tencha. Products made by grinding sencha or other teas are sold as "powdered green tea" or "konacha" and are not the same as matcha, though some exports blur this.
See Also
- Matcha Production
- Shade-Grown Tea
- Stone Milling