Compare two teas
Side by side across seven dimensions. There is no verdict and no winner — the purpose is to understand the difference, not to be told which to buy.
TeaHQ has written about this pair
How many seconds the leaf spent in steam, which decides whether the cup is clear and aromatic or cloudy and thick. Cloudiness in Japanese green tea is one of the most misread signals in tea: here it is the deliberate product of the steaming choice.
- Steaming time
- Asamushi sencha: Roughly twenty to forty seconds.Chumushi sencha: Roughly thirty to sixty seconds — the default.
- What it does to the leaf
- Asamushi sencha: Leaves it intact and needle-shaped.Chumushi sencha: Some breakdown, still recognisably whole leaf.
- What the liquor looks like
- Asamushi sencha: Clear and pale.Chumushi sencha: Clear to slightly hazy.
- What it tastes like
- Asamushi sencha: Bright, aromatic, quick to fade.Chumushi sencha: Balanced — the point everything else is described against.
- How it brews
- Asamushi sencha: Wants the longest steep of the three; the leaf gives up slowly.Chumushi sencha: Ordinary sencha timings.
- What it does to a filter
- Asamushi sencha: Passes cleanly.Chumushi sencha: Passes cleanly.
- Where it comes from
- Asamushi sencha: Associated with clear-liquor districts and delicate material.Chumushi sencha: The national default; most unlabelled sencha is this.
In summary: None of these is a grade. A cloudy fukamushi cup is not a fault and a pale asamushi cup is not weak tea — they are two ends of one processing decision, and the practical consequence is timing: if a sencha turns bitter at a steep that used to work, the new packet may simply be deeper-steamed.
Point by point
| Dimension | Asamushi sencha | Chumushi sencha |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Green tea · unoxidised | Green tea · unoxidised |
| Production | In order: Steaming (Japanese fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Drying. bud and two leaves and spring harvest. | In order: Steaming (Japanese fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Drying. bud and two leaves and spring harvest. |
| Origin | Japan — Uji | Japan |
| Flavour | grassy, citrus and vegetal. light and silky in the mouth. Aroma: fresh grass, citrus zest, light seaweed. Moderate in character. Moderate in intensity. | grassy, vegetal and umami. medium and silky in the mouth. Aroma: fresh grass, seaweed, sweet pea. Moderate in character. Moderate in intensity. |
| Brewing | Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1.5–2.5 g/100 ml at 65–75 °C, first steep 60s. Kyusu brewing (Japanese style): 3–5 g/100 ml at 65–75 °C, first steep 60s of 3 authored. Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 3–4 g/100 ml at 75–85 °C, first steep 20s of 4 authored. Ice steeping (kōridashi): 5–9 g/100 ml at 0–5 °C, first steep 3000s. Cold brew tea: 1.5–2.5 g/100 ml at 3–8 °C, first steep 28800s. | Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1.5–2.5 g/100 ml at 65–75 °C, first steep 60s. Kyusu brewing (Japanese style): 3–5 g/100 ml at 65–75 °C, first steep 60s of 3 authored. Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 3–4 g/100 ml at 75–85 °C, first steep 20s of 4 authored. Cold brew tea: 1.5–2.5 g/100 ml at 3–8 °C, first steep 28800s. Ice steeping (kōridashi): 5–8 g/100 ml at 0–5 °C, first steep 2400s. |
| Cultural context | Not recorded for this tea. | Not recorded for this tea. |
| Who may prefer it | Someone who wants presence without being dominated and has drunk enough tea to notice what changes between infusions. It rewards attention to leaf weight and timing. | Someone who wants presence without being dominated and wants to enjoy it on the first cup. It tolerates an imprecise brew. |
Nothing above is a recommendation. The last row describes the drinker each tea suits, using each tea’s own authored fields and the same sentence structure for both, so neither can be framed as the safe choice.