Sencha is one of the most popular green tea in Japan. It is raised in the sun. Shincha indicates sencha green tea harvested in the early season. Gyokuro is the high grade green tea raised in the shade. Matcha is green tea powder, which is made from green tea leaves raised in the shade. The tea leaves are steamed, dried, and ground into powder. Hojicha is made by roasting green tea leaves. Genmaicha is blended tea of green tea leaves and popped rice. Bancha is made from tea leaves picked in late summer.
To brew green tea, using a Japanese teapot called kyusu is good. Put green tea leaves in the pot and pour some hot water. Then, cover the pot with a lid and wait for a while before serving the tea into individual tea cups called yunomi which has no handles.
To brew tasty green tea, water temperature is important. It's recommended to change the temperature depending on the kind of green tea. When brewing sencha green tea, it's good to use about 160-175 degrees F hot water and brew about one minute in a tea pot. To brew gyokuro green tea, it's good to use about 130-145 degrees F hot water and brew about two minutes. To brew hojicha, genmaicha, and bancha, please use boiling water and brew just 15-20 seconds. Regarding matcha, please refer to how to whisk matcha from About.com Guide to Coffee and Tea.