Miyazaki Sencha Green tea

Miyazaki Sencha is a Japanese green tea from Miyazaki Prefecture, located on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan. The region’s warm, rainy climate provides favourable conditions for tea cultivation, and Miyazaki is one of Japan’s important tea-growing areas.

Steaming is a defining step in sencha production. Shortly after harvesting, the fresh tea leaves are steamed to stop oxidation, then rolled, shaped and dried in several stages. This processing method plays an important role in creating the characteristically fresh, vegetal profile of Japanese green teas.

The dry tea consists of narrow, dark green and olive-green leaf pieces, together with finer leaf fragments. Once infused, it produces a clear, pale yellow-green liquor. Over successive infusions, the leaves gradually unfold, revealing green and olive-green leaf pieces of varying sizes.

Its flavour combines fresh vegetal notes, delicate sweetness and pleasant umami with the gentle astringency characteristic of sencha. It is a fresh, smooth and well-balanced Japanese green tea.

Miyazaki Prefecture is located in southeastern Kyushu and is one of Japan’s important tea-growing regions. Its warm climate, abundant rainfall and varied landscape provide favourable conditions for tea cultivation.

Miyazaki’s tea culture encompasses several styles of Japanese tea. Alongside steamed green teas such as sencha, the prefecture is particularly known for its tradition of kamairicha, in which the leaves are heated in a hot pan rather than steamed.

Sencha, by contrast, represents the steaming tradition that is now the most widespread method of Japanese green tea production. The freshly harvested leaves are quickly steamed, then rolled and dried, creating the tea’s characteristic appearance and fresh, vegetal character.

Use 5 g of tea per 150–200 ml of water, preferably in a Japanese kyusu teapot. Allow the water to cool to 70–80 °C, then steep the first infusion for 1.5–2 minutes.

For subsequent infusions, begin with a shorter steeping time, then adjust the time and water temperature according to taste. Take care not to over-steep the leaves, helping to preserve the tea’s fresh, smooth and well-balanced character.