brewed sencha green tea in a cup with sencha tea tin

Green Tea | June 13, 2020 | Y. Morita

How to Brew the Perfect Cup of Sencha Green Tea

Sencha is Japan’s most popular green tea, prized for its fresh, grassy aroma and smooth umami flavor. Whether you're a tea enthusiast or a beginner, learning how to brew sencha properly ensures a rich, well-balanced taste. This versatile green tea pairs beautifully with light meals, snacks, and sweets, making it a staple in Japanese tea culture. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the best way to brew sencha green tea for an optimal experience.

Brewed sencha in a glass with sencha tea tin and teapot

How to Prepare the Perfect Cup of Sencha

Sencha yields its ultimate taste when brewed using simmered water for a shorter time in comparison to most other kinds of green teas. If you try to brew your sencha green tea with water that is very hot or for a long time, it will end up tasing bitter. So, these little things matter a lot in order to prepare a perfect cup of sencha green tea. You should keep the following in mind while brewing sencha:

Color - Light yellowish-green
Flavor - Fresh vegetal, aromatic, and mildly sweet
Brew time - 45 seconds to 1 minute
Brew Temperature – Tempered water (not boiling): 70-80 °C (158-176 °F)
Tea Leaves Amount: 1 teaspoon per cup: three grams per 200 ml cup

hand pouring green tea from sakura chasen teaspoon into a black kyusu teapot with sakura cherry blossom tea canisters in the background

Follow the instructions below to brew the perfect cup of sencha green tea:

Step 1: Start by adding sencha leaves to a teapot - 1 teaspoon per cup.
Step 2: Add near-boiling water to all cups and allow to cool for two minutes.
Step 3: After the water cools down, pour it from the cups into your teapot.
Step 4: Brew for one to two minutes.
Step 5: Finally, serve.

Pour a small amount of tea into each cup at a time and continue until you serve up all the tea in the pot. The Japanese strongly believe that even the last drop of this green tea tastes the finest. Needless to say, you can add hot water again to the teapot for a second or even a third brewing.

japanese-kyusu-teapot-with-two-cups-of-green-tea-sencha-genmaicha-gyokuro-in-white-cups-on-coaster

Sencha Brewing Best Practices

Don’t shake, mix, or stir while brewing
It is better if you don’t use an infuser. Loose sencha leaves make contact with water as they move more freely, which results in a richer infusion.
If your water does not taste good, then your sencha will also not taste good. Therefore, make sure to use fresh and good-quality water which doesn’t contain lots of minerals. If you’re using tap water, then allow it to run cold for at least ten seconds before using it.
Don’t use a kettle made of aluminum. Aluminum is a very reactive material and can result in toxic contamination of the water. Ceramic, glass, stainless steel, cast iron, enamel or marble are non-reactive and non-toxic materials.

Happy brewing and enjoy your cup of sencha green tea!