Varieties Of Green Tea - Kabusecha
Unlike most Sencha tea cultivated in un-shaded gardens exposed to direct sunlight, Kabusecha Sencha requires shading tea plants a few weeks prior to harvest. Special nets (kabuse) are hung over the plants to obtain a natural shade without completely letting out sunlight. Kabusecha Sencha has a mellower flavor and more subtle color than Sencha grown in direct sunlight.
Produced in very limited amounts. Has a mellower flavor and more subtle color than Sencha grown in direct sunlight. The taste is a little sweeter and has a particularly fresh and “shady” or “fruity” aftertaste. To steep one should use lower water temperatures (about 65-70°C) with pure water.
Kabusecha is between Sencha and Gyokuro. It is grown in the shade for twenty days like the hand picked Gyokuro, and then is machine harvested like Sencha. Kabusecha is gathered only once a year in the early springtime from select quality tea leaves. It has a very desirable fine light taste and green color.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, shizuokatea.com, greenteaphd.com