Sencha

Sencha is the everyday green tea of Japan and by far the country's most-produced tea — the unoxidised leaf of Camellia sinensis grown in full sun, steamed within hours of picking to halt browning, then rolled and dried into slender dark-green needles. Brewed below boiling it gives a clear pale yellow-green to jade liquor that smells of cut grass, steamed greens and the sea, with a refreshing balance of grassy umami, soft sweetness and a clean, brisk astringency.