Collection: Guricha

Guricha is different from Sencha both in appearance and taste. Guricha is steamed and fashioned into "comma" shaped leaves by omitting the final kneading process. We recommend Guricha for those who like Sencha's taste but may think Sencha is a bit strong. 

Guricha is produced in a different way than traditional Japanese tea. Normally after picking, tea leaves are steamed, kneaded and rolled. Just before the last kneading process, the tea leaves are rolled like ball. A final kneading process makes tea leaves straight, as in Sencha. For Guricha, that final process is omitted which leaves the tea the shape of a in a "comma". Because the fibers of the tea are not as broken as they are when making Sencha, the extraction of the flavors (including bitterness) is slower than other Japanese loose-leaf teas. Consequently, we say Guricha is like a milder version of Sencha. This becomes apparent when tasting Sencha and Guricha side by side.