Green Tea

Green tea is ubiquitous in Japan and therefore is more commonly known simply as "tea". Sencha (decocted tea) was served at Sushi Tei and Ichiban Bento.

It is the first and second flush of green tea made from leaves that are exposed directly to sunlight. This is the most common green tea in Japan. The name describes the method for preparing the beverage. Sencha can be translated as "roasted tea", originally influenced by the Chinese tea processing methods. Sencha is noted for its delicate sweetness, mild astringency and flowery-green aroma. The quality of Sencha will vary depending on origin, time of harvest and leaf processing techniques. The early spring harvests, or first picking of the tea bush (known as ichi-ban cha), are considered to produce the highest quality Sencha. After a long period of dormancy during the winter, the spring crops are enriched with nutrients, especially amino acids, sugars and catechins, which enhance the flavor and aroma of spring-picked tea. At both restaurants, the hot green tea had a distinct lack of sweetness unlike the common bottled green tea available almost everywhere. The tea had a very soothing taste which was good as when we ate, we may have put too much chili powder in our dishes, thus the green tea tends to help us deal with the burning sensation in our mouths. The cooling taste of the green tea was an unexpected delight for our taste buds as it saved us from minutes of torture.