Bancha green tea

Tea tree was brought to Japan by the Buddhist monks at the beginning of the 9th Century. The Japanese quickly saw the positive effects of tea on awareness, concentration, and consciousness. Today Japan produces exclusively green tea, which is nearly entirely intended for the Japanese market (they even import it), leaving only a small percentage of the harvested product for export. Production and processing of Japanese teas, with some exceptions, such as gyokuro, is mostly mechanised. BANCHA stands for late harvest, when tea leaves are bigger and contain less caffeine. When SENCHA harvesting is over, the plucking for BANCHA starts. This is a common type of tea drunk at any time of the day, including the evening, because of its low caffeine level. We recommend drinking it after heavy meals. Bancha is often used as the basic ingredient for GENMAICHA tea.