HOW SENCHA IS MADE "JAPANESE GREEN TEA"

http://www.foodieteas.com/ All types of tea come from the Camellia Sinensis plant. The difference between different teas lies in the cultivation and further processing. Sencha is made from green tea leaves that are cultivated in direct sunlight (as opposed to matcha and gyokuro), and are harvested in the first or second flush (tea leaves of the first harvest have the best quality). The leaves of the upper shoots (which are younger) are used because they are of higher quality than those of the lower shoots. Once the tea leaves have been picked, they are steamed to prevent oxidation. This process lasts less than a minute but is the most important step and is the main difference between Japanese and Chinese green tea (which is pan-fried instead of steamed). Next, the leaves are dried and rolled. When rolled, the leaves attain the familiar wrinkled-strip shape and as a bonus the juices inside the leaves are released by this action, so that the taste is intensified. I've added a video where the steaming, drying and rolling is made at a sencha processing plant: