12 Types Of Japanese Tea, Explained

There are countless varieties of tea in the world for you to indulge in. There is oolong, pu'er tea, tulsi rose, and even raspberry leaf tea. All of these options will make you a comforting, warm cup of tea that serves as a great way to soothe any anxiety or stress. In Japan, there are many such types of tea that can be used for any situation. Whether you are looking for a staple nighttime beverage or a special occasion premium tea, there is a fantastic option for you waiting.

When looking for Japanese tea, keep an eye out for the cha ending. Cha means tea in Japanese, and it is from this root that we get favorites like matcha, genmaicha, and hojicha. Besides that name, there are some other characteristics that many Japanese teas share. For starters, all of the caffeinated teas on this list are made from Camellia sinensis, the variety of tea plant that is responsible for almost all of the tea produced in the world. In Japan, tea can only grow successfully in warmer areas, therefore, the major tea-producing regions of Japan are in the south such as Shizuoka, Kumamoto, and Fukuoka. When you read over this list, make sure to note all of the subtle differences between each of these types of teas and enjoy the creativity that is involved in tea making.

Before the process of making and preserving sencha tea was discovered, matcha and bancha teas were the most common among Japanese people. However, once sencha rose in popularity, this tea variety quickly became one of the most popular types of tea across Japan. This is understandable, considering that the matcha-making process is often fairly labor intensive, and bancha does not offer the same complexity of flavor that sencha does. We will explain more about bancha and matcha in just a moment.

Sencha tea is made by steaming tea leaves to stop the oxidation process. They are then rolled into tight rolls and dried for preservation. This way of preparing sencha tea was developed by a farmer named Nagatani Soen, who delighted in the fact that by rolling and drying the tea leaves, you could preserve their rich flavor until you are ready to enjoy them. Today, sencha tea is mostly produced in the south of Japan and can be found in a variety of types depending on how much shade the plants are provided prior to harvest. Generally, the more shade a plant gets, the less bitter its leaves will be, which explains why another type of Japanese tea, gyokuro, is so popular.

Matcha, undoubtedly the most famous tea on this list worldwide, is a powdered version of green tea that must be whisked very quickly with a bamboo whisk, or chasen, to be incorporated and absorbed into hot water. The foamy, light green tea that results from the rapid whisking is high in caffeine, fairly bitter, and pairs indescribably well with wagashi sweets. In the Japanese art of tea ceremony, matcha plays an essential role. This makes matcha more than just a delicious drink. It is also deeply culturally important to Japan and traditional forms of Japanese art.

Matcha also pairs well with dairy, which explains why matcha lattes, ice cream, and confectionaries of all kinds have stolen the tea's spotlight. Matcha can be found in many different forms with varying labels. For example, you may encounter ceremonial grade versus culinary grade matcha, which is fairly self-explanatory. Culinary matcha should be used to flavor your matcha cookies, mochi muffins, and cakes, while ceremonial grade matcha, which is often much more expensive, should be reserved for proper matcha tea-making.

Perhaps you have heard of soba in regard to the noodles. Soba noodles, which are square in shape, and have a delightful nuttiness that pairs well with their dark-brown, almost grey color, are made from buckwheat. In Japanese, soba translates to buckwheat. Can you see where this is going? What do soba noodles and sobacha have in common? Well, they are both made from buckwheat. Buckwheat is a naturally gluten-free grain that makes baked items and other things, like noodles, a very dark grey color. But if you can get past that, buckwheat has a deep richness and density that makes it wonderfully comforting to eat.

Sobacha, or buckwheat tea, is made from roasted and dried buckwheat that can then be brewed like any other tea. Like mugicha, it also tastes delicious when iced and serves as a wonderfully refreshing and satisfying drink. Sobacha derives its satisfying flavor from the roasted buckwheat which gives off a very nutty flavor and aroma when roasted and then steeped. This makes sobacha the ideal tea for a cold evening, or right before bed. Since it is made from buckwheat, another point for sobacha is that it is not caffeinated, making it a great everyday drink to stay hydrated and happy.

If sobacha makes a good summer iced drink, mugicha certainly qualifies as an excellent summer iced drink. This scrumptious tea, which is made from roasted barley, has all of the nuttiness and earthiness that is loved in roasted teas. On top of that, mugicha tea can be made in very large quantities and left to sit in your fridge as the perfect beverage to get you through the summer. The only hard part is waiting for your big vat of mugicha to cool completely. But don't worry, if you have to sneak a mug full while it is hot, you will still be pleasantly surprised. With similar teas in both China and Korea, mugicha can be found in many local grocery stores or online. Regardless of where you buy your mugicha, it is certainly worth the effort of finding it.

Mugicha gets its signature deliciousness from the roasted barley it is made from. To prepare the barley for tea, it must first be de-hulled, then roasted to a soft caramel color to draw out the flavor of the grains. Mugicha is somewhat of an acquired taste for some, and while nothing compares to the childhood nostalgia of drinking mugicha all summer, this tea has some happy converts thanks to its wonderful health benefits. Mugicha helps your digestion and skin health, and most importantly, it can keep you hydrated during hot, humid summers.

One of the cheaper, more economical everyday tea choices, bancha is nothing special. It is special in that it is a variety of tea that has been hand harvested and rolled, but beyond that, bancha is defined as using the largest, least desirable tea leaves. During tea harvest, the small and medium-sized leaves are usually saved for sencha and gyokuro, while the larger, more fibrous leaves are used for bancha. Using these tougher, older leaves, makes bancha less coveted and refined. However, the simpler flavor profile of bancha also makes it much more affordable, especially for people who regularly drink green tea. Therefore, if you want a tea you can enjoy daily, bancha might be your option.

When looking at a bancha leaf compared to a sencha leaf, you can see that the bancha leaf struggles to roll into a thin point due to its tougher fibers. Larger tea leaves are also lower in amino acids and caffeine. Therefore, bancha tends to have a less complex flavor. However, this is not to dissuade you from drinking bancha — it's quite the opposite. Bancha is a great option when you are deciding on a casual tea to have in your pantry. It has the classic green tea flavor that we love, just minus some layered nuances. Regardless, it still offers a very satisfying and warming tea experience, minus the cost of a very high-quality tea.

This tea is very similar in process to sencha, with a crucial difference being their drying process. Another green tea, tamaryokucha is most commonly produced in Kyushu, one of the southern islands in Japan. In Kyushu, the weather tends to be more temperate and well-suited for tea growing. Tamaryokucha is made, like sencha, by steaming and pan-roasting the leaves. However, while sencha is then rolled into tight, toothpick-like shapes, tamaryokucha is placed in a drum-shaped tumbler to be dried. Here, the leaves are blown on with hot air, and while rotating, the leaves curl around themselves into tight balls.

In the past, Japan had a ban on pan-roasting teas, requiring all teas to be steamed and then dried rather than pan-fired. Therefore, it was not until the 1950s that tamaryokucha was developed. Tamaryokucha came into existence in part because, at the time, the Russian and SWANA tea markets had a high demand for Chinese teas. While the Japanese government forbade the production of pan-fired tea, the special way of drying tamaryokucha made it comparable to Chinese teas, and popular across Russia and the SWANA region.