Japanese green tea with a grass-like flavour.
Although the name 'Sencha' covers a specific type of tea, the flavour of this tea differs depending on the season and the place where it is produced.
The first pick is called 'Shincha' and this is considered to be the best quality. During the winter the tea plants store nutrients, giving strong concentrations of it in the leaves in Spring. The picking begins in the south of Japan, moving up north with the Spring warmth.
Unlike Chinese tea Japanese green tea is first steemed for 15-20 seconds to prevent oxidization of the leaves. Then the leaves are rolled, shaped and dried.