Kabuse Sencha Superior

We discovered our Kabuse Sencha Superior on our last trip to Japan. What makes this tea special: a few days before the harvest, the tea plants are shaded with so-called “kabuse” – similar to our Hon Gyokuro Kusanagi. This causes the plants to form more chlorophyll and break down their bitter compounds. The plant also builds up a mix of different amino acids that give the tea its typical umami flavor.

Taste

This tea is clearly for everyone who can’t get enough of freshness. Shading the tea plants results in a full, savory umami. After steeping, the wet tea leaves give off a seductive aroma reminiscent of a fresh sea breeze and cut grass.

Origin

Kabuse Sencha Superior comes from a tea garden in the Kagoshima region on the Japanese island of Kyushu. Besides this sencha, our matcha is also made there.

• Origin: Kagoshima, Kyushu, Japan
• Cultivar: special blend of different cultivars
• Steaming: asamushi (あさむし), 20–30 seconds
• Shading: 10 days
• Caffeine: medium

Preparation

People could argue about the right way to prepare a sencha. We think it tastes best when you steep 6 g of tea leaves in 500 ml of water at 70 °C for 2 minutes.

A sencha of this quality can also easily be prepared in a kyusu, an original Japanese side-handle teapot. Steep 4 g of tea leaves in 100 ml of water at 60 °C for 2 minutes. Multiple infusions are explicitly encouraged.

Tasting video

Learn more about this sencha in the tasting video (in German).

Discover more

Read more about the history of sencha in our blog article Sencha tea: the history of Japanese green tea (in German). If you prefer something warmer and more complex, try our Asamushi Premium Sencha.