Exquisite green tea from Japan
Tea spread to Japan after it was brought to the island from China by Buddhist monks in the 8th century. The first tea garden was planted on Japan's largest lake, the Biwa-ko. The most important tea-growing district is Shizuoka, picturesquely situated at the foot of the sacred Mount Fuji.
Almost half of Japan's production is harvested there, especially Sencha. Also of great importance are Kagoshima on Kyushu and Kyoto with the Uji district, which supplied the famous imperial tea centuries ago and today supplies the world market with the most precious green Japanese tea, Gyokuro, and the best Senchas.
Variants of Japanese leaf art
Sencha
Kukicha
Green tea variety at its finest
Japan produces almost exclusively green tea. A wide variety of qualities are produced at a wide variety of prices. Not all Sencha is the same, and a good Sencha can match the quality and price of a poor Gyokuro. Only one rule applies: the darker green the tea leaves, the higher the quality. This applies to bancha, sencha and gyokuro.
Gyokuro and Kabuse-cha
Shade teas are a speciality among the steamed teas. The tea bushes are covered with straw mats or tarpaulins a few weeks before harvesting. This is because the ratio of sweet-tasting amino acids such as theanine to bitter-tasting tannins and catechins is decisive for the flavour of the tea. The stronger the sunlight, the more theanine is broken down and catechin is built up. Therefore, covering the tea plants in the shade strengthens their sweet character by preserving a higher theanine content.
Matcha
Powdered tea traditionally used for the Chanoyu tea ceremony. Very intense flavour, incredibly invigorating.
There is a lot to tell about matcha, so why not take a look at our matcha page!
Valuable ingredients in green tea
Green tea contains vitamins and traces of important minerals. The tein content has a more direct and stimulating effect than black tea. However, the method of preparation determines whether the health-balancing effect of the high tannin content predominates.
Our Top3 Japanese Green Teas
Our Green Teas from Japan
Discover our variety of top-quality Japanese green teas. Japan is the land of green tea: the rich product range of vitamin-rich varieties in every quality and price category enjoys immense popularity. A rule of thumb: the darker green the tea leaves, the higher their quality.