Tea family guide

Types of Japanese Tea

Short answer: sencha, gyokuro, tencha, matcha, hojicha and genmaicha describe different processing or ingredients. To understand a listing, check raw material, shading, steaming or pan heating, rolling, roasting and added ingredients.

Main types

Tea	Main point
Sencha	Leaves generally steamed, rolled and dried.
Gyokuro	Shade-grown before harvest, then processed into rolled leaves.
Kabusecha	Shade-grown tea, with duration and method varying by producer.
Tencha	Shade-grown leaves, steamed and dried without rolling, prepared notably for matcha.
Matcha	Tencha ground into a fine powder.
Hojicha	Roasted Japanese tea. The starting tea material may vary.
Genmaicha	Tea blended with roasted rice.
Bancha	A term with varying usage, often connected with later leaves or everyday tea.
Kamairicha	Tea heated in a pan rather than steamed, following a minority Japanese tradition.
Tamaryokucha	Curled tea that may be steamed or pan-heated.
Shincha	New tea of the season, linked with the early harvest period.
Ichibancha	The first harvest of the year. The term does not automatically mean “best”.

How to distinguish them

Matcha comes from finely ground tencha. Gyokuro and kabusecha are shaded, with durations and methods that vary. Genmaicha contains roasted rice. Hojicha is roasted. Kamairicha is pan-heated instead of following the more common steaming process.

These categories do not determine quality on their own. Two sencha or matcha products may differ by cultivar, region, harvest, processing, finishing and storage.

Choosing a starting point

sencha for learning loose-leaf infusion;
hojicha for a roasted profile;
genmaicha for tea and toasted cereal notes;
matcha for a suspended preparation using a chasen;
gyokuro for exploring more precise preparation, without treating it as a required purchase.

Sources

Sources checked 13 July 2026.

Last review

Page checked 13 July 2026.