Matcha vs
sencha

The field notes

Two green teas.
Different paths to the cup.

Matcha and sencha are both Japanese green teas, but their leaves take different routes before they reach a cup. Matcha is a fine powder made from tencha. Sencha remains in leaf form for steeping. Those forms help explain the familiar contrast: a bowl and whisk for one, a teapot and strainer for the other.

• Matcha: powdered leaf in the drink

  Whisk the powder into water

  In the preparation shown, water is added to matcha and a bamboo whisk spreads its fine particles through the bowl. The powder does not completely dissolve. The tiny leaf particles remain part of the drink, even though they are much smaller than the enlarged dots in our animation. Sifting before whisking is one step in Ippodo’s basic usucha method.

• Sencha: an infusion from leaves

  Steep the leaves, then pour

  Sencha leaves are steamed, rolled and dried. During brewing, water draws flavor from those leaves. In our illustrated teapot, a strainer holds the visible leaf pieces back as the tea is poured. Some finer particles can still pass through: this is a preparation comparison, not a promise that every sencha will be perfectly clear.

One you whisk. One you steep. Two different journeys to your cup.

Read the narration Full video transcript

One you whisk. One you steep. Matcha and sencha are both Japanese green teas, so why do their cups look different?

Follow the leaves. For matcha, tea plants are shaded before harvest.

The leaves are steamed and dried without rolling, becoming tencha. That tea is ground into fine powder.

Sencha leaves are steamed, rolled and dried, keeping their leaf form.

Now add water. Whisk matcha, and tiny leaf particles spread through the bowl.

With sencha, water draws flavor from the leaves.

Pour through the teapot's strainer, and the leaves stay behind.

Matcha gives you powdered leaf in the drink; sencha gives you an infusion.

Brewing choices change the result, so follow your tea's directions.

Two green teas, two different journeys to your cup.

Matcha and sencha · Sources

1. Japan MAFF · Uji TeaJapan’s agriculture ministry describes shade cultivation, tencha and sencha processing, and the preparation of powdered and steeped teas.
2. ITO EN · Powdered tea, matcha and instant teaThe producer distinguishes powdered leaf from soluble instant tea and explains tencha as matcha’s starting material. Japanese-language FAQ.
3. Ippodo Tea · Basic Usucha (Matcha)A producer’s preparation guide showing sifting, adding water and whisking. Its recipe is an example, not a rule for every matcha.
4. Ippodo Tea · Basic SenchaA producer’s sencha brewing guide explains steeping and pouring, with preparation choices affecting flavor.

Original illustrations simplify processing and preparation. Powder particles are enlarged, the teapot uses an illustrative cutaway, and cup colors are not a quality or clarity test. The film makes no health or caffeine comparison. Sources checked November 1, 2026.