Fermentation will often decrease the nutritional value of a tea. So both sencha and matcha are notorious for their amazing nutritional value. I just recently discovered sencha tea, despite my avid obsession with its twin, matcha.
Though it's similar to matcha in that they are both Japanese green teas, there are actually quite a few differences between the two. Sencha tea is grown in the sun , which contributes to many of its nutritional attributes.
Sencha tea is rich in polyphenols, including catechins. Catechins help to prevent heart disease and act as amazing antioxidants. Not only does sencha have a specific nutritional presence that matcha doesn't, but it's also prepared differently. Sencha is made by seeping whole tea leaves in water and then removing the leaves before drinking. It is also known to have a refreshing taste and a slightly pungent aftertaste.
Unlike sencha tea, matcha is grown in the shade. Because of this, matcha is nutritionally different from sencha. Matcha is known for its ability to energize, yet calm at the same time. The idea behind this is to starve the plants so they crave more sunlight.
Although both matcha and sencha leaves must first be steamed to prevent oxidation, they are harvested and processed very differently. Usually, sencha tea is picked with the stem, shoot, and two or three opened leaves intact more leaves are intact if picked by machine.
Sencha leaves are fanned with damp air to maintain freshness, and then steamed to prevent oxidation. After cooling, the leaves are pressed, dried, and made ready for distribution. Rolling the leaves produces a needle-like shape which intensifies the flavors when steeped and is usually seen in Chinese tea.
Read my other article comparing Japanese Tea and Chinese Tea here. Unlike sencha, only the youngest parts of the plant are picked when harvesting matcha , more specifically: The two leaves at the very tip of the shoot. Similar to sencha , the soon-to-be-matcha leaves are also steamed to preserve color and nutrients. Thus begins the long and laborious process of removing stems and veins.
The leaves that make it through quality control are called tencha. These leaves are then ground by specialized granite grinding wheels.
As mentioned above, matcha tea is ground using granite-grinding wheels. Konacha is actually just made up of the dust, and small bits of leaves and buds that are left behind after the processing of sencha. Stone Grind of Matcha. Matcha and loose-leaf sencha have a plethora of health benefits that attract tea drinkers; but because they are consumed differently, one is inherently better for you than the other.
To drink matcha tea means to ingest the entire leaf. By doing so, we get more of the health benefits the plant has to offer. Here are two key reasons why matcha tea is more expensive: 1. It requires more involvement, care, and skill to produce 2. Quality matcha is only grown in specific geographic regions. As with most things in life, all matcha is not created equal.
There are some things you should keep in mind when venturing into the land of matcha. The plant grown to produce green tea is very sensitive, so experts suggest purchasing matcha from Japan rather than China as the concentration of lead tends to be higher there. Read here about Japanese farmer caring for their dirt for their tea.
While location is crucial, so is the color of your matcha. Similarly, if you open up the package and an overwhelmingly gross scent of grass tickles your nose, you may have been misled. Green tea appears to be the same for many people, but it has many varieties, and it depends on harvesting and processing methods.
Sencha and Matcha are also different from each other in many ways, such as from growing to preparing. The main difference you see between Matcha and Sencha is the color. It is due to the different growing methods the farmers adapt to achieve a certain color. Sencha is grown in full sunlight, which reduces the green color pigment in the leaves and makes the leaves dark greenish color. As for the Matcha, tea plants are kept in the shade for many days and only given limited sunlight. Lack of sunlight stimulates excess chlorophyll production in leaves, and leaves appear greener.
When Match leaves are ground, it looks bright green as compared to Sencha leaves. The processing also makes both green teas different from each other. After picking the matcha tea plant, leaves are separated from stems.
After the steaming, cooling, and drying process, leaves are grinded into a fine powder, which is the final form and full of nutrients. Due to extra labor in processing, Matcha is highly-priced as compared to Sencha. In the case of Sencha green tea, whole leaves, stems, and veins are picked. These are then boiled and simmered in water, which reduces the oxidation level.
It is later dried and kneaded into small pieces. The final product you see is the loose leaves, which are wholly used when brewing tea.
There is a visible difference in leaves color between the two teas. Due to the lack of sunlight in the Matcha case, it gets the bright green color. Whereas, Sencha gets the dark green color light due to exposure to sunlight.
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