Tencha - Hoshino Blend

Tencha is a rare tea to find in its leaf form. It is grown the same as gyokuro - indirectly shaded from sunlight for 3-4 weeks before harvest, then steamed immediately and dried. The final drying process is done in a special oven called a tencharo. Instead of being rolled, tencha is de-stemmed and de-veined, leaving small flakes of the tea leaves. These flakes are then put into a stone mill (if it is a good quality tea) and slowly stone ground in chilled rooms to reduce oxidation. This is how good quality matcha is grown and processed! The vast majority of tencha is ground into matcha so not many people have come across it in leaf form.

The colour of the leaf flakes is deep green which is a sign that the leaves have been shaded before harvest, as the tea plant will over produce chlorophyll during the stressful shading time, and the leaves will even stretch out to increase their surface area in an attempt to catch as much light as possible.

This tencha is a blend of cultivars, grown and produced in Yame, Fukuoka prefecture. Like Yame matcha, we find this tea has a nutty profile that can be extracted with even very cold water or very hot water.

We find tencha to be rather unique as a steamed Japanese green tea, where we prefer to cold brew the tea or use very high temperature water (by Japanese green tea standards). By all means experiment to find your personal brewing preferences but our recommendation is:

Hot brewing guide:
Tencha 3 grams
Water 50-100ml
First infusion 80°C for 120sec
Second infusion 85°C for 45sec
Third infusion 90°C for 10sec

Cold brewing guide:
Tencha 8 grams
Water 900ml @ 5-20°C
Duration 8-14 hours in the fridge

When cold brewing Japanese green teas it is important to use soft water - hard water will cloud the taste and in our opinion ruin the potential of the tea, no matter the quality.

Storage:
Store in a cold environment (6-10°C) and avoid exposure to light, air, heat, moisture and strong smells - these will degrade your tea. Store in an airtight container or if keeping in the bag, gently squeeze out as much air as possible, seal, and keep in a zip-lock bag in the fridge. Once opened, best consumed within one-two months, or freeze if you wish to keep for longer. If you will be freezing the tea, place in the fridge for two hours to allow the temperature to warm gently before opening.