Bancha

Bancha is commonly used in Japan as a tea to refresh the palate after eating a meal and is one of the more common teas drunk, after Sencha.

After the first picking for Sencha has been completed between February and May, new shoots begin to appear on the tea bushes. These new tea shoots are the basis of Bancha. Bancha leaves are picked in June (nibancha), August (sanbancha) and October (yonbancha), with the leaves becoming "tougher" with each subsequent picking.

Bancha tea includes both the tea leaves and upper stems of the tea bush which helps give the tea it's characteristically astringent taste. It's this taste that makes it a perfect tea to drink after a heavy meal.

Bancha has high levels of flouride within it's compound, making it an excellent tea for fighting tooth decay and haitosis. There have been many recent studies that show the health benefits of drinking tea, where Bancha is rated highly for it's health promoting properties.

Below are some hints on how to brew your Japanese Bancha Green Tea.

- Allow 1 heaped teaspoon (approx. 5grams) for 240mls (8 oz.) of water.
- If possible, use charcoal filtered water. Failing that, a good mineral water would suffice.
- The temperature of the water should be between 70-80 degrees C (165-176 degrees F).
- A preference would be to use a small teapot and 2 small teacups.


1. Pour desired amount of just boiled water into the teapot, leaving it for about 30 seconds to warm the pot through.

2. Once the above is done, pour the water from the teapot into 2 small teacups to warm.

3. Put desired amount of tea leaves into the teapot.

4. Then pour the water from the teacups back into the teapot. This will have allowed the water to cool to around 70 degrees C, ideal for serving.

5. Steep (brew) for between 30 seconds and 3 minutes before serving. Do no tover-brew as this can promote a metallic tste within the tea.