About the Quality of Tencha

The quality of tencha (the raw tea leaves used to make matcha) is mainly evaluated based on the following inspection criteria:

Appearance

The color and shape of the tencha are evaluated visually.
High-quality tencha has a bright, vivid green color, with minimal unevenness and an overall uniform tone. The leaves should be thin, and when touched by hand, they should feel soft and fluffy.

Aroma

Tencha should have a characteristic “covered aroma” (a seaweed-like fragrance) created by shading during cultivation, along with a moderate roasted aroma (produced in the tencha drying furnace). Burnt smells or musty odors result in point deductions.

Liquor Color (Suishoku)

This refers to the color of the liquid when tencha is brewed.
It should be clear, with a light amber or golden hue, and convey a sense of richness. A reddish or darkened liquor color lowers the evaluation.

Kara-iro (Leaf Color After Extraction)

This evaluates the appearance of the tea leaves after brewing.
It correlates with the grinding color once the leaves are made into matcha. Leaves that are vivid and free of color unevenness are highly rated, especially if they maintain their color even after some time has passed.

Taste (Umami and Overall Flavor)

This is judged comprehensively based on the taste in the mouth and the aroma that passes through the nose when the infusion is sipped.
Tencha that has a pleasant covered aroma, an appropriate roasted note, and a rich umami flavor is highly evaluated. Bitterness, harsh astringency, raw leaf smells, or grassy/green odors result in deductions.

Tencha is evaluated based on these criteria. Even after being processed into matcha, the final product correlates closely with these same standards. For this reason, tea wholesalers use these evaluation criteria when deciding how to blend different tencha batches.

Recently, I participated in a tea appraisal event and had the opportunity to examine many different tencha samples. What I found interesting is that these evaluation categories do not necessarily correlate with one another. For example, a sample may have an excellent appearance but receive a low score for taste. Conversely, some tencha with less impressive liquor color may still receive relatively high overall evaluations.

Although it may be difficult to see in the photograph, the sample on the left appears to have less color unevenness and a richer hue compared to the one on the right. However, in the overall evaluation, the tencha on the right received the higher score.

These inspection criteria also serve as cultivation targets for producers. This experience once again made me realize the importance of advanced evaluation skills in order to produce high-quality tea.