Bancha

Bancha
Type	Green
Other names	Common Tea
Origin	Japan
Quick description	More widely available in the West. A late season crop, goes well with food.

Bancha (番茶) is a Japanese green tea. It is harvested from the second flush of sencha between summer and autumn. (The first flush is harvested for shincha.)

Background

Bancha is harvested from the same tree as sencha grade, but it is plucked later than sencha is, giving it a lower market grade. It is considered to be the lowest grade of green tea. There are 22 grades of bancha. Its flavour is unique, it has a stronger organic straw smell.

See also

• Hōjicha – often made from bancha
• Japanese tea