Isn't it difficult to distinguish the green tea you drink on a daily basis when you actually buy it because the color is green at first glance?
Even if the color is green, the taste, flavor, and content of active ingredients are different.
In addition, the name is decided according to the process of making, the part where the tea leaves are taken, and the time.
Knowing its meaning is the secret to enjoying tea more deliciously.
This time, I will explain the types of green tea in an easy-to-understand manner.
Yulu
Immediately after the sprout of tea begins to emerge, gyokuro is made from tea leaves in the same process as sencha after the sprout is grown by blocking sunlight for about 3 weeks (about 20 days).
By blocking the sunlight from the tea leaves, the amount of catechins that cause astringency, which is one of the tastes of tea, is small.
You can feel the aroma and umami of tea because it is less astringent.
The price is high, and even cheap ones cost more than 1000 yen for 100g.
If you want to be aware of the aroma and umami, the point is to brew at a slightly lower temperature of 60 ° C, and you can maximize the goodness of gyokuro.
Gyokuro is suitable for people who want to drink tea for drowsiness or refreshment because the caffeine content is high.
Sencha
Tea is grown in the open field where sunlight shines, and sprouts are used in the same way as black tea and other teas.
However, the characteristic of sencha is that it involves a steaming process in the process of making tea to block the action of enzymes that tea has.
It becomes bright green only if there is a process to block the action of enzymes.
The price is reasonable and starts from 700 yen for 100g.
Although the content of caffeine is lower than that of gyokuro, the content of catechin is the highest in sencha among green teas.
Catechin has a strong cold prevention and antioxidant effect, and can be expected to have beauty and health effects when taken daily.
Sencha is recommended if you want to take catechins easily with health consciousness.
Bancha
It means the number of tea leaves in which the sprout of the year comes out.
There are first tea, second tea, third tea and later. The shallower the number of the first and second teas, the more caffeine and catechins, but the content decreases as the number of the third and subsequent teas increases, so the original taste of tea becomes refreshing. Is a feature.
Ichibancha and Nibancha are sold at about the same price as Sencha, and after Sanbancha, you can buy them at a reasonable price in the 300 yen range.
Instead, it contains more theanine (amino acid) than other teas, so it is recommended for those who seek sweetness in tea.
Stem tea
Kukicha is a tea made by collecting only the stems of sprouts and the handle of tea leaves, which are taken when picking sprouts of tea.
The process of making is the same as that of sencha, but the parts are different.
Unlike leaves, Kukicha is rich in vitamin C and theanine.
This is a part that is less exposed to sunlight than leaves, so it is characterized by less caffeine and catechins.
The price is the same as that of gyokuro and gyokuro, because the tea made from the stems of picking sencha and sencha is prized as "Karigane", otherwise it is a tea that can be purchased for about 300 yen.
For those who like the sweetness and aroma of tea, Kukicha is an affordable choice.
Matcha
Similar to Gyokuro, the tea tree is shielded from sunlight for 20 days or more, and the raw leaves are steamed and dried without rubbing. The finely powdered tea leaves are ancient Japanese matcha.
Among the matcha used in the tea ceremony, the one with a particularly dark color is called dark tea, and the one with a light color is called light tea.
Recently, industrial products are also on sale, so it is important to purchase products under the names of dark tea and light tea.
Matcha used in the tea ceremony is sold at a high price of 1500 yen for 20g, and industrial products are sold in units of 500g.
The manufacturing method is similar to that of gyokuro, but the feature is that theanine can be ingested most because the tea leaves are dissolved in hot water and drunk.
Therefore, it is recommended for those who want to get a relaxing effect to activate the parasympathetic nervous system of the brain.