Known history dates back to A.D 815, when tea drinking started in Japan. This was powdered green tea matcha. Then in the late 16th century leaf tea – sencha was introduced from China to Japan. Leaf tea was easier to make than matcha, so it became popular. Many kinds of leaf tea drunk in Japan –Gyokuro, Sencha, Bancha, Hojicha, Genmaicha, Kobucha etc.