Matcha vs. Sencha: Which Suits Your Taste?
Whisked powder or steeped leaves? Matcha and sencha call for different preparations and feel different in the mouth.
By Roseline Zhou, Founder
Contents
You already prepare green tea from leaves, and matcha has caught your interest? Switching to matcha changes more than the cup's color. You whisk a powder that stays in the water; with sencha, you steep the leaves and then remove them. Choose matcha for that texture and movement, or sencha if you enjoy a strained infusion.
We'd start with the preparation you'll enjoy making again. A teapot and a bowl don't offer the same experience, even when both teas are green. To compare their tastes without confusing texture with flavor, serve them with water first.
Matcha or sencha: what each tea puts in your cup
| Criterion | Matcha | Sencha | Our advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form | Shaded tencha, a leaf dried without rolling and then milled | Leaves usually grown in sunlight, steamed, rolled and then dried | Don't confuse steeped leaves with tencha powder. |
| Preparation | Powder whisked in water | Leaves steeped, then removed from the drink | Use a whisk for matcha, a teapot or filter for sencha. |
| Texture | The powder stays in the cup. | The cup holds a strained infusion. | For a lighter mouthfeel, start with sencha. |
| Taste | Vegetal and umami, a round savory taste, depending on the tea | Vegetal, sometimes livelier or slightly astringent | Taste each tea with water before deciding. |
| Caffeine | Present, depending on the amount of powder used | Present, depending on the leaves and infusion | Compare the cups you actually make, not two tea names. |
How does a leaf become matcha or sencha?
Matcha is milled from tencha: a leaf grown in shade and dried without rolling. For classic sencha tea, the leaves generally grow in sunlight, then are steamed, rolled and dried. Grinding sencha therefore doesn't turn it into matcha made from tencha.
We check the raw material named on the package before comparing two green powders. A whisk can't change the leaf's history. If you're buying tea to steep, look at the leaf and how you'll prepare it rather than the fineness of a powder.
Taste and texture: which will you enjoy more?
Matcha powder stays dispersed in the water and feels denser. Sencha is strained; it can taste vegetal or lively, with a little astringency depending on the tea and infusion. Matcha can be vegetal too, but its roundness changes with the powder and the dose.
To feel that difference, we'd taste both without milk. If you mostly make lattes, this test will be less useful: choose the tea for the drink you'll actually make. For the pleasure of a clear infusion, sencha has the advantage.
Does caffeine decide between matcha and sencha?
Both contain it. The amount in a cup of matcha depends on how much powder you use; for sencha, the leaves and infusion matter too. A tea name alone can't tell you how much you're drinking. We wouldn't declare a winner without comparing the cups actually prepared.
If your hesitation is really about coffee, compare matcha with coffee by the cups you prepare.
Where does gyokuro fit among these green teas?
Gyokuro is also prepared from leaves that you steep, but it comes from shade-grown tea. That growing method distinguishes it from classic sencha, while its whole leaves for steeping distinguish it from matcha. If you want shaded leaves without whisking powder, it's a third possibility. It doesn't replace your original choice between matcha and sencha.
When should you choose sencha over matcha?
If you enjoy watching leaves open, removing the filter and pouring clear tea, we'd choose sencha. Matcha won't give you that experience. For a fuller texture and the movement of the whisk, matcha powder is a better fit.