Bancha green tea has a strong straw smell. It is lightly roasted and has a sweet, nutty flavor. This is a less popular green tea among regular green teas. However, it is one of the staple teas in Japan.

The leaves of bancha tea is collected from late summer throughout late autumn.

How is it made?

Bancha has the similar cultivation way and processing like sencha green tea. But, to prepare bancha, the leaves from lower shoots of the plant is used or that are collected later in the season

The leaves are picked, steamed, and carefully dried after collecting.

How is it different from other teas?

The leaves of Bancha are rather bigger and coarser. Therefore, it has a lower price than any other Japanese teas. The simple technique to distinguish a sencha from a bancha is comparing their costs.

The chemical elements found in bancha tea is similar to gyokuro green tea. But bancha has fewer amino acids and caffeine and higher amounts of catechins than gyokuro.

How to make Bancha green tea?

What You’ll Need

  • A tea pot
  • 1 and ½ cup of water
  • 1 tbsp. bancha tea leaves or a tea bag
  • Lemon or honey (optional)


  1. Boil water in a tea pot.
  2. Add a tablespoon of bancha tea and boil for around 5 minutes.
  3. Pour the tea into cups using strainer. You can use the strained tea leaves to make another cup of bancha.
  4. Additionally, you may add a few lemon drops or honey for taste.
  5. Serve after sometime.

Benefits of Bancha Green Tea

Bancha Green Tea Health Benefits

Low Caffeine Content

The caffeine content of bancha is significantly low. So if you are looking to cut down on your daily caffeine intake, then bancha might be the right choice for you.

Lowers Bad Cholesterol

Bancha has comparatively higher catechins level which help to lower levels of Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), the bad cholesterol and helps in keeping your heart healthy.

Beneficial for Weight Loss

Daily intake of bancha tea combined with regular physical exercise is a great way to get rid of that pot belly. Catechins present in green teas, especially EGCG, helps in weight loss by burning calories and boosting metabolism.

Skin Benefits

There are a lot of harmful free radicals in our body and drinking two cups of bancha green tea on a daily basis helps in reducing these free radicals. Polyphenols in green tea act as antioxidants which fight against free radicals. It prevents the chances of premature aging and helps your skin glow.

Applying bancha green tea topically keeps your skin moisturized, and prevents your skin from rashes, acne as well as psoriasis.

Hair Benefits

Brewed bancha green tea can be used as hair mask, hair treatment or pre shampoo which helps you deal with dandruff, scaly scalp, and split ends.

Pro-vitamin B found in all green tea types works as a conditioner. It makes your hair softer and strengthens them.

Side Effects

Excess intake of bancha green tea can be disadvantageous. These side effects may include headache, sleep problems, nausea, diarrhea, heartburn, dizziness etc.

Compounds called tannins present in green tea including bancha green tea can mix with iron making it less available for absorption. Drinking the green tea with a meal can reduce iron absorption, causing iron deficiency.

Therefore, drinking Bancha tea two hours before having your meal gives you maximum health benefits



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