Bancha

Bancha
Type	Green
Other names	Common Tea
Origin	Japan
Quick description	More widely available in the West. A late season crop, goes well with food.

Bancha (番茶) also called ordinary tea, is a Japanese green tea. It is harvested from the second flush of sencha between summer and autumn. (The first flush is harvested for shincha.)

Background

Bancha is harvested from the same tree as sencha grade, but it is plucked later than sencha is, giving it a lower market grade. It is considered to be the lowest grade of green tea. There are 22 grades of bancha. Its flavour is unique, it has a stronger organic straw smell. It is often used as a daily consumption of liquid for the Macrobiotic Diet.

Brewing

Infuse at approximately 80 degrees Celsius (176 degrees Fahrenheit) – this can be achieved by using an electric water boiler with an 80-degree setting, or by adding to the boiling water one third of its volume of room temperature water before adding the leaves. Infusing at a higher temperature will cause the tea to taste bitter. Allow the tea to infuse for 30 seconds to 3 minutes.

See also

• Hojicha – often made from bancha
• Japanese tea