{
    "id": 1070300,
    "title": "Tamaryokucha: Japan's curly green tea",
    "slug": "tamaryokucha",
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    "url": "https://teas.co.uk/wiki/tamaryokucha/",
    "modified": "2026-09-18T00:45:36+01:00",
    "excerpt": "Tamaryokucha is Japanese green tea with curled leaves instead of needles, in steamed and pan-fired versions. What it tastes like and how to brew it.",
    "content_text": "Most Japanese green tea is rolled into fine straight needles. Tamaryokucha skips that final shaping step, so the leaves stay curled and comma-shaped \u2014 which is why it is also called guricha, \"curly tea\". It is made mainly in Kyushu, in the south of Japan, around Ureshino in Saga and in Miyazaki.\r\nThe cup is softer than sencha: less sharp, less grassy, with a gentle citrus note and very little astringency. If you find sencha too brisk, this is the Japanese tea to try next.\r\nTwo versions, one name\r\nThis is the part that confuses people. Tamaryokucha is made two different ways, and the leaf looks similar either way.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nVersion\r\nHow the leaf is fixed\r\nCharacter\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSteamed (mushi-sei)\r\nSteamed, like sencha, then dried without the needle-rolling stage\r\nFresher, greener, closer to sencha\r\n\r\n\r\nPan-fired (kamairi-sei)\r\nFired in a hot pan or drum\r\nToastier, rounder, a little nutty\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nJapan's agriculture ministry treats the pan-fired version as its own type \u2014 the tea usually sold as kamairicha. MAFF on Japanese tea types\r\nSo if you specifically want the pan-fired style, look for \"kamairi\" or \"pan-fired\" on the label. The curl alone does not tell you which one you have.\r\nHow to brew it\r\nTamaryokucha is forgiving by Japanese standards, but it is still a green tea.\r\n\r\nLeaf: 3g per 150ml (a little more than you would use for sencha, because the curls are bulky).\r\nWater: 70\u201380\u00b0C. The steamed version prefers the cooler end.\r\nTime: 60 to 90 seconds for the first infusion.\r\nAgain: a second infusion at a slightly higher temperature for 30 seconds is usually excellent.\r\n\r\nUse a pot or basket with room for the leaves to move, and a fine strainer: steamed Japanese teas shed small particles and the cup is often slightly cloudy, which is normal.\r\nBuying it\r\n\r\nCheck whether it is steamed or pan-fired.\r\nLook for the region \u2014 Ureshino and Miyazaki are the classic areas.\r\nCheck the year. Japanese green tea is at its best in the year it was picked.\r\nStore it like matcha: sealed, cool, dark, away from strong smells.\r\n\r\nOur Japanese green tea page maps the family, and green tea: pan fired or steamed explains what the two processes do.\r\nCommon questions\r\nIs tamaryokucha the same as sencha?\r\nNo. Sencha is rolled into needles; tamaryokucha is not, and it tastes softer as a result.\r\nIs guricha a different tea?\r\nNo, it is the same tea. Guricha is the nickname for the curly shape.\r\nWhy is my cup cloudy?\r\nSteamed Japanese teas release fine leaf particles. It is normal and does not mean the tea is dusty or poor.\r\nDoes it have less caffeine than sencha?\r\nNot meaningfully. Caffeine depends on the leaf, the dose and the brew, not on the shape.",
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