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.
Why these two get confused
A Chinese steamed green tea and the Japanese benchmark. Enshi Yu Lu is regularly mistaken for sencha in blind tasting, which is the strongest evidence that steaming rather than country drives the flavour.
Point by point
| Dimension | Enshi Yu Lu | Sencha |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Green tea · unoxidised | Green tea · unoxidised |
| Production | In order: Steaming (Japanese fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Drying. bud and one leaf and first flush harvest. | In order: Steaming (Japanese fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Drying. bud and two leaves and spring harvest. |
| Origin | China | Japan |
| Flavour | umami, vegetal, nutty and sweet. medium and silky in the mouth. Aroma: sweet seaweed, steamed greens, chestnut, cream. Layered in character. Moderate in intensity. | grassy, vegetal, umami and citrus. medium, drying and astringent in the mouth. Aroma: cut grass, steamed greens, sea air, citrus zest. Moderate in character. Moderate in intensity. |
| Brewing | Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1.5–2.5 g/100 ml at 70–80 °C, first steep 120s. Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 3–4 g/100 ml at 75–85 °C, first steep 20s of 4 authored. | Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1–1.5 g/100 ml at 70–80 °C, first steep 60s. Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 3–4 g/100 ml at 65–75 °C, first steep 20s of 4 authored. Kyusu brewing (Japanese style): 3–5 g/100 ml at 65–75 °C, first steep 60s of 3 authored. Flash-chilled iced tea: 2–3 g/100 ml at 90–95 °C, first steep 90s. |
| Cultural context | Not recorded for this tea. | Used in Senchadō (the way of steeped tea) and Japanese tea farming practice. |
| Who may prefer it | Someone who wants presence without being dominated and wants to enjoy it on the first cup. It tolerates an imprecise brew. | Someone who wants presence without being dominated and wants to enjoy it on the first cup. It tolerates an imprecise brew and is traditionally drunk plain. |
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.