Blog Details

Withered Sencha can be described as a uniquely fragrant and vibrant lightly-fermented tea. Similar to oolong tea and black tea, the tea leaves are picked and then left in well-ventilated areas to wither, allowing the fragrance to develop. During this withering process, the tea leaves undergo a slight fermentation. Compared to oolong tea and black tea, withered sencha has a lower degree of fermentation. While its base aroma and flavor are similar to regular sencha, floral notes are added, creating a tea that, when sipped, first presents a fresh grassy aroma typical of Japanese green tea, followed by the scent of flowers that lingers in the nose.

Sayama in Saitama prefecture, a renowned tea-producing region, is passionately dedicated to the production of withered tea. The Saitama Prefecture Tea Youth Association has even established a separate category for withered tea in their annual tea competitions, a unique initiative not commonly found in other tea-growing regions like Shizuoka or Kagoshima. Although the production of withered Sencha is still limited in Japan, and its availability is significantly lower than regular Sencha, its popularity is growing both domestically and internationally, especially in markets like the United States.