Green Tea
Fresh, grassy and lightly sweet. The leaves are not oxidized, and are steamed or pan-fired to keep their bright colour and delicate flavour.
Green tea is made from leaves that are heated soon after picking, which stops them from oxidising. This keeps the colour fresh and gives a light, grassy and lightly sweet cup. Use water that has cooled a little, so it does not turn bitter.
- Water: 70-80°C
- Steep time: 2-3 min
- Caffeine: Low-Medium
- Flavour notes: Grassy, Fresh, Sweet
- Goes well with: Sushi, Steamed fish, Light salads
Best known green teas
- Gyokuro Supreme (Kyoto, Japan)
- Matcha Ceremonial Grade (Uji, Japan)
- Dragon Well (Longjing) (Hangzhou, China)
- Sencha Fukamushi (Shizuoka, Japan)
- Jasmine Pearl (Fujian, China)
- Hojicha Roasted (Kyoto, Japan)
- Genmaicha (Japan)
- Gunpowder Green (Zhejiang, China)
- Sencha Classic (Shizuoka, Japan)
- Kabusecha (Uji, Kyoto, Japan)
- Shincha (First Flush Sencha) (Kagoshima, Japan)
- Kukicha (Twig Tea) (Shizuoka, Japan)
- Bancha (Shizuoka, Japan)
- Tamaryokucha (Guricha) (Kyushu, Japan)
- Konacha (Shizuoka, Japan)
- Mecha (Shizuoka, Japan)
- Kamairicha (Kyushu, Japan)
- Sayama Sencha (Saitama, Japan)
- Kagoshima Sencha (Kagoshima, Japan)
- Matcha Everyday Grade (Aichi, Japan)
- Matcha Culinary Grade (Kagoshima, Japan)
- Bi Luo Chun (Jiangsu, China)
- Huangshan Mao Feng (Anhui, China)
- Xinyang Mao Jian (Henan, China)
- Lu Shan Yun Wu (Jiangxi, China)
- Taiping Hou Kui (Anhui, China)
- Liu An Gua Pian (Anhui, China)
- Emei Zhu Ye Qing (Sichuan, China)
- Mengding Ganlu (Sichuan, China)
- Enshi Yulu (Hubei, China)
- Anji Bai Cha (Zhejiang, China)
- Jasmine Green Tea (Fujian, China)
- Yunnan Green (Dian Lu) (Yunnan, China)
- Chun Mee (Zhen Mei) (Zhejiang, China)
- Korean Sejak (Boseong, South Korea)
- Korean Jungjak (Hadong, South Korea)
- Darjeeling Green (West Bengal, India)
- Nilgiri Green (Tamil Nadu, India)
- Moroccan Mint Tea (Morocco)
- Vietnamese Lotus Tea (Hanoi, Vietnam)
Brewing guides
- How to brew gongfu tea: step by step
- How to prepare matcha: a simple guide
- How to brew green tea without bitterness
- How much caffeine is in tea?
- How to store tea so it stays fresh
- How to cold brew tea