Home › Tea guides › How to brew sencha
Brewing guide
How to brew sencha so it's sweet, not bitter
Sencha is Japan's everyday green tea: bright, grassy and fresh, with a gentle sweetness when it's brewed well. If green tea has ever tasted harsh to you, the water was probably too hot. Here's how to get a smooth cup every time.
Sencha at a glance
What is sencha?
Sencha (煎茶) is the most popular tea in Japan. The fresh leaves are steamed soon after picking, which keeps them green and locks in their fresh flavour, then rolled into fine, needle-like shapes and dried. A good cup is pale yellow-green, with a taste that's grassy, bright and gently sweet, sometimes with a savoury note like fresh greens or seaweed.
Why sencha tastes bitter (and how to fix it)
Almost every bitter cup of green tea comes down to one of three things:
- The water was too hot. Boiling water scalds the delicate leaves. This is the big one: let the kettle cool first.
- It steeped for too long. Sencha is quick. Set a timer for 1–2 minutes rather than leaving the bag in.
- Too much tea for the water. One bag per mug is plenty.
How to cool water to 70–80°C without a thermometer
- Wait: boil the kettle, open the lid and wait about 5 minutes.
- Pour twice: pour boiling water into your mug, then into the teapot. Each pour cools it by roughly 10°C. Warming the cup this way is a traditional Japanese method.
- Add cold: top up the mug with a little cold water before adding the tea, roughly one part cold to four parts boiling.
- Use a temperature kettle: set it to 75°C for the easiest option.
How to brew sencha tea bags
- Cool the water to 70–80°C using one of the methods above.
- Add one tea bag to a 200–250ml mug and pour the water over it.
- Steep for 1–2 minutes. One minute gives a light, sweet cup; two minutes gives more body.
- Take the bag out and enjoy it plain. Sencha is traditionally drunk without milk or sugar.
How to brew loose leaf sencha
Use one level teaspoon (2–3g) of leaves per 200–250ml cup, at 70–80°C, and steep for about 1 minute in a teapot or infuser. Pour out every last drop so the leaves don't keep stewing.
Good sencha can be re-steeped 2–3 times. For the second cup, use slightly hotter water and steep for just 20–30 seconds, as the leaves have already opened. Then go back up to about a minute for the third.
Caffeine note: sencha is a green tea and contains caffeine, a lighter amount than coffee or black tea. Many people enjoy it as a gentler morning or mid-afternoon lift. If you'd like something toastier with less caffeine for the evening, try hojicha.
Iced and cold brew sencha
Cold brewing is the gentlest way to make sencha. It brings out the sweetness and leaves the bitterness behind. Put 3–4 tea bags or 2 tablespoons of loose leaf in 1 litre of cold water, cover and leave in the fridge for 3–6 hours. Strain and serve over ice, perhaps with a slice of lemon or a few mint leaves. Drink within 24 hours.
What to eat with sencha
- Light breakfasts, rice dishes, sushi and salads
- Mochi, citrus cakes or a simple butter biscuit
- Anything sweet: the slight bitterness balances sugary treats well
Sencha vs matcha
Both come from Japanese green tea, but you brew sencha leaves in water and then remove them. Matcha is the whole leaf ground into a fine powder and whisked into the water, so you drink the leaf itself. Matcha is thicker, stronger and contains more caffeine. Sencha is lighter and easier for everyday drinking.
Quick answers
Can I add milk to sencha?
You can, but it's not traditional, and milk tends to hide sencha's delicate flavour. If you love a milky tea, a hojicha latte is a better match.
Why has my sencha gone a darker yellow or brown?
It's oxidising after brewing, which is natural. Drink sencha soon after it's made, and keep the dry tea sealed and away from light and warmth.
How should I store sencha?
Reseal the pouch tightly and keep it somewhere cool, dark and dry. Green tea is at its freshest within a few months of opening.
