Green Tea

Green tea is [tea](/knowledge/what-is-tea) in its most original form. The leaves are picked and heated as quickly as possible to deactivate the enzymes and stop any oxidation. The result: a clear, fresh infusion that preserves much of the natural green colour of the leaves, and with it the precious polyphenols, catechins and amino acids. ## Two schools — China and Japan Not all green teas are alike. The two great traditions differ fundamentally in the way they stop the enzymes: • In China, the leaves are pan-fired in hot woks (Sha Qing). The result is a tea with nutty, lightly smoky, vegetal notes and a yellow-green liquor. • In Japan, the leaves are steamed, in modern Sencha styles often for only 30 to 60 seconds, in Fukamushi-cha for up to 120 seconds. This produces a bright green, full-bodied liquor with marked umami and marine, seaweed-like notes. ## Classics from China **[Long Jing (Dragon Well)](/product/premium-longjing)**: From Long Jing village in the West Lake area of Zhejiang province. Geographically protected, hand-fired in woks. The leaves are flat, smooth and sword-shaped. Flavour: nutty, slightly sweet, with a hint of roasted chestnuts. **Huang Shan Mao Feng (Yellow Mountain Fur Peak)**: From the mountains around Huang Shan in Anhui province. Spring harvest before the Qing Ming festival. One bud and one or two leaves with fine white hairs. Fresh, floral, with elegant sweetness. **[Anji Bai Cha](/product/premium-anji-white-green-tea)**: From Anji County in Zhejiang. Despite the name («Anji White»), this is a green tea — the young spring leaves appear light green-white in the sun. Taste: creamy, gentle, with a high amino-acid content. **Taiping Hou Kui (Monkey King)**: Exceptionally long, straight leaves, produced in Huang Shan. Traditionally made over charcoal in bamboo baskets. Floral, orchid-like, with a long aftertaste. **[Bi Luo Chun («Green Snail of Spring»)](/product/premium-biluochun-green-snail)**: From the hillsides around Lake Tai in Jiangsu. Very fine, curled leaves with white buds. Fruity, floral and sweet — the bushes often grow among peach and apricot trees, which subtly shape the flavour. ## Classics from Japan Japan has a rich palette of green teas, all coming from the same plant but produced through very different processing steps. Most producers first make Aracha, crude, unsorted tea that the wholesaler then separates into its components (leaves, stems, buds, fines) for different uses. **[Sencha](/product/premium-sencha)**: By far the most widely drunk tea in Japan. Steamed, rolled and dried. Steaming time defines the character: Asamushi (10–30 seconds) gives a clear, light, bright liquor; deeper-steamed variants become fuller and darker. **[Fukamushi-cha (deep-steamed Sencha)](/product/premium-fukamushi-sencha-deep-steamed)**: Steamed for around 120 seconds, the softened leaves release more chlorophyll and polyphenols. The result is a thicker, more intense, deep-green liquor with finer particles — not a defect, but part of its character. **[Kabusecha](/product/premium-kabuse)**:A bridge between Sencha and Gyokuro: the bushes are shaded directly («Jika-gake») for 7 to 10 days before harvest, cutting out about 50 % of the sunlight. The tea has the sweetness of Gyokuro and the freshness of Sencha. Our [Premium Kabuse from Uji Kyoto](/product/premium-kabuse-uji-kyoto) embodies this tradition. **Gyokuro («Jade Dew»)**: The finest Japanese green tea. The bushes are shaded for 21 days using «Tana-gake», a canopy structure that cuts out 90 % of the sunlight. Without sun, the sweet L-theanine amino acids do not convert into bitter polyphenols; chlorophyll and caffeine levels rise. The result: a deep green, velvety infusion with pronounced sweetness and umami. Brewed with water at 50 °C. **[Matcha](/product/ceremonial-matcha-2025)**: Made from Tencha: a similarly 21-day shaded tea whose stems and veins are separated out before grinding. The best Matcha is ground in stone mills («ishi-usu») that produce only around 40 g per hour. Today, finely tuned machines imitate this motion; a truly good Matcha is never simply «powdered green tea», but a product of its own demanding craft. Whisked with the bamboo whisk (chasen) in a bowl (chawan). **Bancha**: Means «everyday tea» or «late harvest». Made from the second, third and fourth flushes (June to September). Can be steamed or panned. Often the basis for [Hojicha](/product/premium-houjicha) and [Genmaicha](/product/premium-genmaicha). **[Hojicha](/product/premium-houjicha)**: Bancha or Kukicha roasted over charcoal or in rotating drums. Lower in caffeine, mild, with notes of caramel, toast and roasted nuts. **[Genmaicha](/product/premium-genmaicha)**: Tea blended with roasted, partly popped rice. Earthy, nutty, an everyday classic. The variant with powdered Matcha — [Matcha Genmaicha](/product/premium-matcha-genmaicha) or Genmaicha Matcha-iri — unites the best of both worlds. **[Shincha (Ichiban-cha, «New Tea»)](/product/premium-hashiri-shincha)**: The first flush of the year. Because of its high amino-acid content, sweeter and richer in umami than all other harvests. **Stalk teas: Kukicha and Karigane**: Made from the stems separated when sorting Sencha (Kukicha) or Gyokuro (Karigane). Mild, soft, lower in caffeine. **Kamairicha**: A rare Japanese speciality: pan-fired (not steamed) green tea. Reminiscent of Chinese green teas in flavour; today made only by a few producers in southern Japan. **Tama Ryokucha (Guricha)**: «Coiled green tea»: similar to Sencha, but the leaves are not straightened at the end of rolling and remain curled. Can be steamed or panned. ## Preparation Green tea calls for gentle water. Water that is too hot draws bitter compounds and tannins out of the leaf and makes the infusion astringent. As a rule of thumb: • Chinese green tea: 70 - 80 °C, 2–3 minutes • Japanese Sencha: 70 °C, 1.5minutes • Gyokuro / Kabuse: 50–60 °C, 2 minutes • Matcha: 70–80 °C, whisked For every variety: use finely filtered water, freshly heated, never re-boiled. And patience. Green tea rewards those who give it time. Browse our full [green tea selection](/categories/green-tea).