Sencha is tea. Description and useful properties

Sencha is the most popular type of green tea in Japan today. It is grown and harvested in the Land of the Rising Sun, and then exported all over the world. Sencha - tea, which is made from tea leaves, processed in a special way. They are steamed, and then folded into thin strips - "spider's paws" (santya), thanks to which the product got its name.

general information

The long, thin Senchi tea leaves look very much like spiders' feet. Despite this unappetizing fact, green tea sencha, cooked by all rules, has a pleasant tart taste with a light bitter taste and peculiar "sea", herbal and nutty notes of aftertaste.

The color of the correctly brewed tea beverage must be gently green, but not yellow. Sencha - tea, which is incredibly invigorating and refreshing in the summer. But most importantly - of all the types of green tea known these days, this one possesses the greatest number of useful properties.

History

Since ancient times in Japan it is considered that the best tea grows in the Uji area of Kyoto prefecture. According to legend, the first tea bushes on this small plantation, the size of which - only about six hundred meters, were planted by a certain monk Cockan in the thirteenth century. Since then, for many centuries, tea, collected in the area of Uji, was presented as a gift to the emperors of the Land of the Rising Sun.

In 1738, the trader Soen Nagatani came up with a method for processing tea leaves, which is still famous for Japanese sencha. Tea, distinguished by a subtle exquisite taste, which could also be brewed in a teapot, from that time became available not only to the nobility, but also to the common people. The technology of production of such a product as Sencha continued to improve, but the aroma and taste of this drink still remain intact to this day.

Sencha (tea): properties

The list of useful qualities that Japanese Sencha possesses is truly enormous. Regular use of this tea helps maintain oral hygiene. Due to the high content of fluoride compounds, sencha prevents caries formation and fights against plaque, strengthens tooth enamel, and also excellently freshens breath.

Catechins - strong antioxidants that are part of green tea - contribute to strengthening the body's immune system, actively fighting viruses and inflammations.

Sencha is a tea that can qualitatively lower blood pressure, as well as the level of "harmful" cholesterol. It is believed that this drink is useful for using in diabetes, as it stabilizes the level of sugar. In addition, Sencha is an excellent cleanser for the skin. Still this tea is applied for treatment and preventive maintenance of some oncological diseases, in particular, a leukemia.

To drink this tea is also useful for those who regularly experience stress: it acts soothingly, but at the same time it helps clarity of thoughts. A bath made with the use of a packet or sachet of this tea will help to effectively relax after a hard working day.

Brewing method

Sencha - tea, quite unpretentious in the process of cooking. And although in Japan there is a whole ritual of brewing this drink (senchado) to enjoy its pleasant taste, it's enough just to perform a few simple steps.

Sencha is recommended to brew in china, preferably in light or white. The water for the drink should be heated to 85 degrees, it is necessary to withstand tea leaf for no more than a half minutes. The last moment is very important - the taste of the re-established Japanese senchi begins to be bitter, and the color of the drink sharply becomes turbid.

Repeat the process of tea brewing is acceptable, however, no more than three times in a row. In summer, this drink, as a rule, is served in a cooled form.

Use in everyday life

Quite a lot there are nontrivial opportunities to use the useful properties of Senchi in everyday life. So, soaking up the welding can serve as a good fertilizer for indoor plants. If you pre-dry the brewed tea leaves, and then fall asleep for a few days inside the shoe, this will help rid of its odor and destroy many of the specific microorganisms and bacteria that appear in shoes in the process of wearing them. Well, and, of course, we can not ignore the cosmetic effect that sencha has. Tea of medium strength, applied to cotton swabs, can be used as a moisturizing and smoothing mask for the skin of the face.

Sencha from Japan and from China

The historical homeland of this kind of tea is Japan. However, Chinese sencha tea is becoming more popular these days. What is it different from the traditional Japanese drink?

It can be said that Sencha tea, grown in China, is somewhat simpler and poorer in taste than its Japanese counterpart. In a drink prepared on its basis, the bitterness bright enough appears, which in the classical Japanese Sench is barely perceptible. Experts agree that the tasting bouquet of Chinese tea is less diverse and bright. However, the price of this variety differs from the Japanese in a more favorable way. However, the quality of Chinese Senchi, which conquers modern markets, is improving every year.

Curious is the fact: in the Middle Kingdom it is believed that it was their people who actually invented the Senchu, and the insidious Japanese just stole the recipe. However, no matter what the historical truth, one thing is certain: both versions of tea - both Japanese and Chinese - have the right to exist and find their fans and connoisseurs.