What is Fukamushi Sencha? | The mild astringency is addictive! The reason for its popularity is its high nutritional value

Introduction

A type of sencha is deep-steamed sencha.

Deep-steamed sencha is made by steaming the tea leaves for a longer period of time, which is the first step in the tea manufacturing process.

The standard steaming time for regular sencha is 30-40 seconds, but deep-steamed sencha is steamed for 60-120 seconds, which is two to three times longer. Tea steamed longer than that is called special steamed tea.

The Birth of Deep Steamed Sencha

Deep-steamed sencha tea originated in the Chubu region of Shizuoka prefecture.

The tea from this region is characterized by thick leaves and a strong astringency, which is why it was not well received by consumers. So, through trial and error, tea farmers increased the steaming time to reduce the astringency and create a mellow-tasting deep-steamed sencha.

Since then, through continuous improvements to our manufacturing methods and machinery, the quality has improved significantly, and continues to do so to this day.

Characteristics of Deep Steamed Sencha

The defining feature of deep-steamed sencha is its smooth taste.

By steaming it for longer than regular sencha, the flavor of the tea leaves is slowly brought out and the sweetness is increased.

Compared to regular sencha, it appears to be more powder, but the aroma is mild and the taste is less astringent or bitter, with a thick, rich, gentle sweetness.

On the other hand, the refreshing aroma will be subdued, resulting in a milder flavor.

Also, as mentioned earlier, long steaming processes tend to break the tea leaves into fine powder, which is why the brewed tea has a deep green color and looks almost like matcha.

The spread of deep-steamed sencha: becoming Japan's leading green tea

Deep-steamed sencha was created relatively recently, in the 1950s, but word of its deliciousness spread by word of mouth, and now it is produced not only in Shizuoka Prefecture, but all over the country, including Kagoshima and Mie Prefectures, and has become a representative type of Japanese green tea.

It is an especially popular tea in Shizuoka Prefecture, where more than 70% of the tea produced is deep-steamed sencha.

Reasons for the popularity of deep-steamed sencha

One of the reasons for its popularity is that it is more nutritious than regular sencha.

It is a common misconception, but there is no difference in the nutritional components and content of tea leaves between regular sencha and deep-steamed sencha.

However, as mentioned earlier, deep-steamed sencha is steamed for a longer period of time than regular sencha, which crushes the tea leaves finer and increases the amount of ingredients that dissolve into the tea.

When drinking regular sencha tea after brewing it in hot water, only about 30% of the nutrients are absorbed, while the remaining 70% of the nutrients remain in the tea leaves.

Because there are differences depending on the product, it is difficult to say in general how much more ingredients deep-steamed sencha contains than regular sencha, but it is probably safe to say that you can consume a few percent to about 10% more ingredients than with regular sencha.

Finally

Deep-steamed sencha has a mellow taste with little bitterness, making it popular with people who don't like the bitterness of tea and with small children.

And above all, the best thing about it is that you can consume more nutrients than with regular sencha.

Deep-steamed sencha is ideal for those who want to efficiently consume the ingredients contained in green tea, such as catechins and vitamins.