Bancha

Bancha is a Japanese green tea often called common, everyday green tea. This tea is harvested at the end of the season, following the summer harvest for sencha tea. The leaves are mature and firm, resulting in a slightly harsher and less fragrant tea, which is considered lower in quality than sencha or gyokuro.

Bancha can also include stems and twigs, which are indicators of quality. If the tea has more twigs and stems, this is a signal of lower quality bancha. This type of tea should be shortly steeped. It will usually be lighter and have more astringency than other types of Japanese green tea.

Bancha is generally not distinguished by brand or region, and it is usually sold under the generic bancha term. Premium bancha is sometimes labeled as senryu.