1.
bancha, coarse green tea
A common, everyday grade of Japanese green tea made from larger, mature leaves harvested later in the season. Less refined than 煎茶 but widely drunk as an everyday beverage. It has a mild, slightly astringent flavor.
食後に番茶を飲む。
To drink bancha after a meal.
番茶は値段が手頃で毎日飲める。
Bancha is affordable enough to drink every day.
祖母はいつも番茶をやかんで大量に沸かして、家族みんなで飲んでいた。
My grandmother always brewed a large pot of bancha in a kettle for the whole family to drink.
USAGE:
A staple everyday tea in Japan, less expensive and less delicate than 煎茶 (sencha). Made from larger, coarser leaves picked in the later harvest. Often served at restaurants as a complimentary tea.
The proverb 鬼も十八、番茶も出花 (even a demon at eighteen, even bancha at first brew) means that anything can look its best at the right moment — used humorously about young women.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 番茶を入れる: to brew bancha
- 番茶を沸かす: to boil bancha
- 京番茶: Kyoto-style roasted bancha
- 番茶も出花: bancha at its first brew (proverb)