Intro to Green Tea

Green tea is the original tea made from the camellia sinensis plant. Thousands of years ago the Chinese were the first people to drink tea, and they initially consumed it for the medicinal qualities. From China, tea was introduced to Japan by monks in the 9th century and later to Europe and the USA. Unlike black tea, green tea is not oxidized and the goal of processing the tea leaves is to preserve the green color.

Chinese green tea is usually pan fried or air fired to lock in the green color. Most people find Chinese green tea to have toasty and sometimes smoky flavors. Examples of Chinese green tea we carry are:

• Dragonwell
• Mao Feng Green Tip
• Jasmine Pearls

• Genmaicha
• Sencha Fukamushi
• Hojicha

Due to the processing techniques, green teas have a higher level of chlorophyll, polyphenols and antioxidants than other teas.

Remember to pay close attention to the temperature of the water and steeping time when making green tea. Higher temperatures and longer steep times tend to bring out bitterness in green teas. We recommend following the water temperature and steeping time on the tea package (and never using boiling water on green tea). Enjoy!