Gyokuro is slightly sweeter than sencha and is famous for its crisp, clean taste.
As more people drank sencha, the popularity of the tetsubin grew.
It is harvested from the second flush of "sencha" between summer and autumn.
It differs from the standard "sencha" (a classic unshaded green tea) in being grown under the shade rather than the full sun.
To prepare "sencha", tea leaves are first steam-pressed, then rolled and dried into a loose tea.
In both cases, the leaves are then rolled into comma shapes (instead of being kneaded into needle shapes, like "sencha" teas).
The tea then is finished the parts of the leaves are sorted, sized, graded, and blended to produce sencha tea with specific flavor profiles.
Throughout the 18th century, people started drinking sencha as an informal setting for sharing a cup of tea with friends or family.