is a type of Japanese ''ryokucha'' (,

green tea Green tea is a type of tea that is made from '' Camellia sinensis'' leaves and buds that have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process which is used to make oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China, and since ...

) which is prepared by infusing the processed whole tea leaves in hot water. This is as opposed to

matcha is finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea leaves, traditionally consumed in East Asia. The green tea plants used for matcha are shade-grown for three to four weeks before harvest; the stems and veins are removed durin ...

(), powdered Japanese green tea, where the green tea powder is mixed with hot water and therefore the leaf itself is included in the beverage. Sencha is the most popular tea in Japan.

Overview

Among the types of Japanese green tea prepared by

infusion Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An i ...

, sencha is distinguished from such specific types as

gyokuro is a type of shaded green tea from Japan. It differs from the standard ''sencha'' (a classic unshaded green tea) in being grown under the shade rather than the full sun. The name "gyokuro" translates as "jewel dew" (or "jade dew"). While most se ...

in that it is shaded for a shorter time or not at all, or

bancha is a type of Japanese green tea. It is harvested from the second flush of ''sencha'' between summer and autumn. (The first flush is harvested for ''shincha''.) It can be found in a number of forms such as roasted, unroasted, smoked, matured or ...

which is the same tea but harvested later in the season. It is the most popular tea in Japan, representing about 80 percent of the tea produced in the country. The flavour depends upon the season and place where it is produced, but shincha, or 'new tea' from the first flush of the year, is considered the most delicious. Tea-picking in Japan begins in the south, gradually moving north with the spring warmth. During the winter, tea plants store nutrients, and the tender new leaves which sprout in the spring contain concentrated nutrients. Shincha represents these tender new leaves. The shincha season, depending upon the region of the plantation, is from early April to late May, specifically the 88th day after

Setsubun is the day before the beginning of spring in the old calendar in Japan. The name literally means 'seasonal division', referring to the day just before the first day of spring in the traditional calendar, known as ; though previously refer ...

which usually falls around February 4, a