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Tencha: Shade-Grown Tea Leaves Steamed and Dried Flat for Matcha
Tencha is green tea grown under cover for the last two to three weeks before picking, then steamed and dried flat, without the rolling that gives sencha its needles; stems and veins come out and the leaf is cut small. Ground in a stone mill, tencha becomes matcha. Shading makes the leaves thinner, greener and sweeter.
The picture: tencha on a stone mill in Uji (photo by Derjochenmeyer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).
Intermediate
Three weeks of shading, then a day
Instructions
1
1
Shade the bushes
Shade the bushes
Two to three weeks before picking, cover the tea bushes on a frame with reed screens and straw, or with cheesecloth, so little sun reaches the new shoots.
Tools needed:
Reed Matting
Cheesecloth2
2
Pick and steam
Pick and steam
Pick the young shoots and steam them at about 100–105 °C for 10–15 seconds to stop them darkening.
Materials for this step:
Fresh Tea Leaves1 kgTools needed:
Steamer Basket
Thermometer
Digital Kitchen Scale3
3
Cool and spread
Cool and spread
Toss the leaves in moving air to cool them and dry their surface, separating any that stick together. Spread them open on wire mesh.
Tools needed:
Wire Mesh / Screen
Drying Rack4
4
Dry without rolling
Dry without rolling
Dry them flat: strong heat first, then lower heat for longer. Do not roll them. Pull out stems and larger veins and dry again.
Tools needed:
Food DehydratorDrying Rack5
5
Finish
Finish
Pick out any foreign matter and hard veins, cut the leaf into pieces about 5 mm square, and give a last short drying. Store dry; grind only to make matcha.
Tools needed:
Kitchen ScissorsFood DehydratorMaterials
1- 1 kgPlaceholder
Tools Required
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