Essay on Japanese Senchas By Jesse Jacobs
Eating heirloom tomatoes in August, and persimmons in January, more and
more people are embracing a diet based on the seasonality of the foods
they eat. Food tastes better, and has a better environmental impact
when it is grown and consumed in season. And yet few people know that
tea, that little leaf that has lubricated the palates of kings,
peasants, and everyday folk throughout the millennia, also has distinct
seasons.
And with the Summer upon us, we are now blessed with fresh-crop
green tea. Reportedly sipped by the Buddha to keep from falling asleep
while meditating, most of the world drinks green tea. High in
antioxidants and polyphenols, low in caffeine, and wide ranging in
flavor, green tea has also made significant inroads into contemporary
America.
Summer signifies the arrival of fresh green tea from Japan and China.
These two different cultures both grow tea, each of them unique due to
different processing and growing techniques. The tea is grown and
processed in the Spring and made available to us in the Summer.
Available now, green tea is the perfect antidote to hot, muggy summer
weather: inherently cooling, refreshing, and gently uplifting.
Although all tea comes from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis, there
are many varietals of that plant used for tea. In China, more than 70
tea varietals make up large, medium, and small leaf teas. These
varietals are suited to the diverse Chinese climates, and produce more
durable, sturdy cell structures that are very specific to the
varietal�s micro-climate.
In China, green tea is processed by any of the following methods,
each method yielding a different looking and tasting tea: Dry Pan
Roasting (Chaoquing) Baking (Hongqing) Combination of Roasting and
Baking (Ban Hong Chao) Sun-Curing (Saiqing) Steaming (Zhenqing)
Pre-rain Spring tea in China is marked by tea picked between the New
Year (Feb. 19) and the first week of April. Because these tea leaves
have not yet taken on the water from the rainy season, the flavor is
pure, delicate, and undiluted; a taste distinguished by the fact that
the plant struggled to survive a long, cold winter. Depending on the
kind tea they are creating, artisans pick just the first two leaves and
the unopened bud, or just buds, or just the leaves.
Some of the world�s premier tea comes from Shizuoka and Kagoshima
prefectures in Japan. Tea plants in Japan are often shaded to encourage
an overproduction of chlorophyll, resulting in a leaf and brew that is
a deep green. What differentiates Japanese green teas from one another
is the source Varietal of the leaf, and the heat process used to
neutralize the oxidizing enzymes and fix the chlorophyll and
polyphenols in the leaf. The high grade of deep volcanic water is used
to steam Japanese tea, helping to create the flavors unique to sencha.
Fixing the Green in Japanese Green Tea
What makes "fixing the
green" so significant? It increases the amount of magnesium. Steaming
kills the enzyme faster than roasting, but, requires - as a result,
with roasted tea, the enzyme is often still present at the rolling
process.
There is an enzyme in the tea plant that changes its color when
exposed to moisture, oxygen, and heat. The leaf's color changes from
green to yellowish, to red, to brown, to black. From the picking, to
the basket, to the steaming house, preventing the tea leaf from fully
oxidizing into a black leaf, and retaining the vibrant green color
takes years of skilled training.
Asamushi (lightly steamed) tea, is steamed for 30 seconds before the
final drying process. Also known as "mountain tea," Asamushi is from
Kaogshima prefecture. It yields a vibrant, golden infusion, and has a
bittersweet, toasted, hazelnut aroma. The processing of this leaf
creates a long, needle-like, slightly shiny, dark green leaf.
Fukamushi (deep steamed) tea has undergone a 90 second steaming before
the final drying. Deep steaming was developed about 30 years ago in
response to the industrialization of the water supply. Attempting to
retain the umami (deliciousness) of the tea, this process yields a
vivid green, opaque infusion with a smooth rich, milky, deep green,
full bodied, less astringent, and more sweet infusion. Less yellow,
less clarity, and more opacity than the asamushi this tea has more
broken leaves and fine particles which float suspended in the infusion.
These particles reflect light, and create a rich mouth feel that make
it immediately appealing to many here in the US.
Chumushi (medium steamed) tea is steamed for 50-75 seconds, and has nuances of each of the above teas.
Kuki Matcha Kukicha is stem and leaf tea. Matcha is pulverized,
ground tealeaves. Kukicha is a green twig tea from Japan that has a
milky, smooth, full bodied taste, reminiscent of roasted rice and
grass. Thick bodied, kukicha is a blend of green twigs and leaves,
which makes it ideal for chilling with ice. This tea was designed to
very simple to brew, not be fussy- it can take a range of water
temperatures and tastes great cold as well.
Houjicha: This is a dark roasted green tea which is low in caffeine.
It has a mildly sweet flavor and a calming digestive effect. It also
has a smooth body, rich flavor and aromatic notes of roasted barley and
dark chocolate. Made with the leaves and stems of the first flush of
the spring harvest, this is a premium tea.
Bancha: Steamed green tea from coarse leaves
What to look for with green tea: Good tea is fresh tea, picked
recently, and stored in airtight packaging away from heat and light.
Spring tea is available in the Summer, and, once opened, it should be
consumed as quickly as possible. Unopened, it can retain its freshness
for several months provided it is stored in an airtight container, and
away from heat and light sources.
Even though the tea business is a $10b industry here in the US,
production is limited to primarily Japan, China, and Korea. There are
reportedly a few micro-renegade farmers in Sonoma County California
starting to grow tea bushes, but it is far from being available. For
now, the highest quality tea still comes from small family farms in
Asia, and becomes available every season.
You don't need to be an expert to understand good tea. The dry leaf
should look consistent in size, shape and color. This will yield a
consistent taste. To explore the breadth and depth of seasonal teas,
this author suggests you expose yourself to a tea tasting, either at
home our in any of the nation's burgeoning tea-houses. Within a few pots, your taste
buds will tell you which teas are fresh and good.
