Chinese Sencha

Crisp, light and refreshing; our Chinese Sencha is the quintessential example of an exquisite steamed green tea.

Sencha teas are a specialist type of green tea where the tea leaves are steamed before drying, giving them higher levels of vitamins and anti-oxidants than other green teas.

Our own Sencha uses lustrously green, whole tea leaves of the highest-quality; specially selected for their fresh, vegetal aromas and crisp refreshing flavours.

This results in a quintessential example of green tea, a wonderfully crisp cup which is the strongest of our green teas in flavour - a must for the green tea lover!

This exclusive loose leaf tea is available in our range of iconic damask caddies, and also in our new loose-leaf pyramid teabags presented in our standard size caddy to preserve ultimate freshness.

Chinese Sencha is also included in the following signature gift collections:

Story

Sencha is one of China’s most popular teas and has been commonly consumed since ancient times; it is also fairly unique amongst Chinese teas for how it is produced.

All green teas require a short, sharp application of heat in order to “fix” the leaves and prevent them oxidising. Pan-firing is the most widespread method for fixing leaves and the majority of Chinese tea types employ this method.

Sencha differs because it is fixed by steaming instead of pan-firing and this serves to lock in more of the crisp, herbaceous and vegetal characteristics of the leaf resulting in a very distinctive infusion and the famous “green tea” flavour for which it is particularly known.

Sencha teas are also created from the earliest flushes of the season, with the younger leaves generally producing sweeter liquors and later flushes being somewhat more savoury or astringent. These first flushes are also very climate-sensitive and so distinctly different flavours can be produces by different areas and regions.

Whilst Sencha is reverred in China for its crisp, refreshing and energising brews, in the West Sencha is more famous as a “health tea”. The reason for this is that the steaming process locks in more vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants than pan-firing. This results in Sencha teas being amongst the highest in anti-oxidant levels, particularly polyphenol antioxidants which have been linked with neutralising free radicals in body and improving cardiovascular activity, metabolism, blood sugar management and even having anti-aging properties!

Product Information

Preparation Instructions

Place one teaspoon per cup into an infuser, filter or teapot. Switch the kettle off, before it boils, when you hear the water rumbling. Add the hot, but not boiling, water and infuse for 3 minutes. Serve immediately or remove leaves to prevent spoiling.

Health

The secret of Chinese Sencha lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallo-catechin gallate (EGCG) - one of the most powerful polyphenols (natural antioxidants) found in green tea.

 EGCG has also been reported as effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the formation of abnormal blood clots (thrombosis); considered among the leading causes of heart attacks and strokes.

Other health benefits indicated through scientific study include :

Helping to prevent tooth decay and reduce bacteria that causes halitosis (through naturally occurring fluoride) 

A reduced risk of several cancers - skin, breast, lung, colon, oesophageal, and bladder.