Types and Varieties of Green Tea Around the World

Green tea, black tea, and oolong tea all come from the same tea plant.

Originating in China, tea has spread through its long history to Mongolia, Japan, and Europe, fostering unique cultures in each region.

Japanese tea is savored through its deep history and traditional tea ceremony, Chinese tea offers a delicate aroma and rich flavor, and Moroccan mint tea is known for its warmth and hospitality.

Tea has been nurtured and developed uniquely by each culture.

Today, tea is enjoyed in many different countries and has become a favorite beverage worldwide.

Japanese Green Tea

Japanese tea, as the name implies, is a generic term for green tea produced in Japan.

Green tea is characterized by the process of heating fresh leaves immediately after plucking to stop the enzymes from working.

Tea leaves begin fermenting immediately after plucking, but green tea is called “unfermented tea” because fermentation is halted by heating.

Green tea, black tea, and oolong tea are all made from the same plant called “cha,” but black tea is considered “fermented tea” when fermentation is maximized, and oolong tea is “semi-fermented tea” when fermentation is stopped at a certain point.

Green tea retains its bright green color and distinctive flavor by being heated to stop oxidation.

The cultivation of Japanese tea was introduced from China in the 9th century, leading to the development of unique manufacturing methods and culture.

There are many varieties of Japanese tea, including sencha, matcha, hojicha, and genmaicha.

These varieties arise from differences in the way tea leaves are grown, how enzymes are stopped, and how the leaves are processed.

These differences affect the color, aroma, flavor, and nutritional value of the tea, making it a pleasure to find the right tea for your purposes and preferences.

Japanese tea is rich in nutrients such as catechins, vitamin C, and amino acids, which are believed to have health benefits.

In addition, Japanese tea is a popular part of the tea ceremony and daily relaxation, with its history and culture deeply rooted in the Japanese climate and lifestyle.

Sencha Green Tea

Sencha is one of the most popular Japanese teas—so much so that when people think of tea, they think of sencha.

Fresh tea leaves are plucked and immediately steamed to stop the enzymes from working, preserving the bright green color and refreshing flavor.

The leaves are then rubbed, shaped, and dried to complete the process.

Sencha has a refreshing aroma and a subtle sweetness that pairs well with any meal.

With its crisp bitterness and mild sweetness, sencha is perfect as a morning wake-up drink or as a refreshing accompaniment, thanks to its caffeine content.

Additionally, by adjusting the temperature of the hot water, you can bring out the sweetness and umami, allowing you to enjoy the flavor to your liking.

To enhance sweetness and umami, use a lower temperature, and to emphasize astringency, use a higher temperature.

Matcha Green Tea

With its refreshing jade green color, mellow aroma, and pleasant astringency, matcha has become popular around the world.

Matcha is made from specially cultivated “tencha” tea leaves.

By covering the tea plants for several weeks before harvesting, the leaves grow slowly, increasing their sweetness and umami.

After harvesting, the steamed tea leaves are dried without rubbing, and the stems and veins are removed before being ground into a fine powder using a stone mill.

Matcha is gaining popularity for its wide range of health and beauty benefits, such as improving immunity, anti-aging, and promoting fat burning, as it provides essential nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin E, and dietary fiber.

In the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, the ritual and etiquette of serving matcha to guests are highly valued, and its recent use in many sweets, such as chocolate, ice cream, and cakes, has further expanded its popularity.

Genmaicha Green Tea

Genmaicha is a blend of sencha or bancha tea and fragrant roasted brown rice.

The basic blend is a one-to-one mixture of tea leaves and brown rice, but there are many variations, such as those with matcha or gyokuro.

The appeal of genmaicha lies in its fragrant aroma.

When boiling water is poured, the aroma rises, maximizing its appeal.

The fragrance relaxes the mind and body, providing a moment of calm.

If you enjoy the aroma, you can adjust the flavor of genmaicha to your liking by increasing the amount of brown rice in the tea.

The aroma of tea with freshly roasted brown rice is exceptional.

In addition, genmaicha pairs well with Japanese food and can be enjoyed with meals.

Furthermore, it contains less caffeine than other teas, making it safe to drink before bed.

It is also favored by health-conscious individuals and is believed to have detoxifying effects.

Hojicha Green Tea

Hojicha is a tea made by roasting tea leaves.

It is characterized by its roasted aroma, clear brown color, and refreshing taste with little astringency or bitterness.

Roasting tea leaves such as sencha, bancha, and stem tea at high temperatures reduces the caffeine and tannin content, the components responsible for bitterness.

As a result, it is less stimulating than matcha or sencha and can be enjoyed by adults, children, and people with sensitive stomachs.

It is also perfect for relaxing before bedtime.

Originally, hojicha was made by roasting stale tea at home, but it has become popular as an everyday tea, partly due to its relatively affordable price.

Gyokuro Green Tea

Gyokuro, with its strong sweetness and umami flavor, is considered one of the finest teas.

Gyokuro tea leaves are grown under cover, meaning that the tea plantation is shaded about 20 days before harvest and kept out of direct sunlight.

This allows the tea leaves to grow slowly and enhances the umami component, theanine.

The tea leaves are bright green in color and produce a mild flavor with little astringency.

Gyokuro is characterized by a unique aroma called "ooika," often described as “seaweed-like,” and a mild sweet taste in the mouth.

It is not a tea to be consumed as a daily rehydration drink but rather to be savored in small quantities at special times of the day.

Even today, the tea is produced in small quantities and is extremely precious, making it ideal for special occasions and as a gift.

Bancha

There are various theories as to the origin of the name “bancha.”

One theory is that the name was derived from tea picked between the first and second harvests, another from “late tea,” meaning tea picked later in the season, and a third that the kanji for “bancha” means “ordinary,” indicating that it is not a luxury item.

Bancha is a lower-grade tea made from hard or older leaves, typically those picked too late in the season when the shoots have grown too long and hard.

Tea leaves harvested after summer (sambancha and yobancha), tea leaves from branches trimmed in autumn and winter (autumn and winter bancha), and large leaves removed during sencha production are also used.

There are various types of bancha, such as Kyo Bancha and Mimasaka Bancha, depending on the picking time, quality, and region.

Bancha is classified as a lower-grade tea, but it is suitable for pregnant women and children because it is refreshing, has low bitterness, and contains little caffeine.

Bancha is widely popular as a common, easy-to-drink tea.

Fukamushi (Steamed) Sencha Green Tea

Mild-tasting deep-steamed sencha is made by steaming fresh leaves for a longer time than regular sencha.

It is believed to have originated in Makinohara, Shizuoka Prefecture, one of Japan’s leading tea-producing regions, and has now become a tea produced throughout Japan, including Kagoshima and Mie prefectures.

Deep steaming softens the tea leaves and makes them crumble easily, giving the finished tea leaves a fine, powdery appearance.

It is characterized by its rich dark green color with a slightly cloudy appearance.

Because of the longer steaming time, the aroma is a bit weaker, but the tea is less astringent and has a mellow flavor, making it easy to drink even for those not accustomed to green tea.

The tea made with an even longer steaming time is called “Tokumushicha.”

Tencha

The tea used to make matcha is called tencha.

The Japanese kanji character for “tencha” means “to grind to a powder.”

Like gyokuro, tencha is made by covering the tea plants to shade them from the sun, plucking the sprouts, steaming them, drying them without rubbing, and removing the stems and veins.

This painstaking process produces beautiful matcha with a bright color and mellow aroma.

Uji in Kyoto and Nishio in Aichi are the top producers of tencha, but the global boom in matcha in recent years has increased demand for this tea, and its production is rapidly increasing in Kagoshima and Shizuoka prefectures, which have large tea plantations.

Kabusecha

Kabusecha is produced by covering the tea fields with shade before harvest.

While gyokuro tea is covered for about 20 days, kabusecha is usually covered 7 to 10 days before harvest and then processed like regular sencha.

This method allows the tea leaves to retain their bright green color and increases their sweetness and richness.

The tea leaves are exposed to less sunlight and therefore contain more theanine, which gives the tea a mellow and delicious flavor.

Kabusecha strikes a balance between the fresh aroma of sencha and the rich flavor of gyokuro.

Like gyokuro and matcha, kabusecha requires a time-consuming and labor-intensive production process, but because it is more reasonably priced than gyokuro, it is ideal for everyday enjoyment or special occasions.

The rich flavor is enhanced when the water temperature is low and the tea is brewed slowly.

It is also popular as a gift, and its quality and taste will make you rediscover the charm of Japanese tea.

Kamairicha

Kamairicha is made by roasting fresh leaves in a kettle without steaming.

Kettle-frying stops the enzymes from working and gives the tea its characteristic savory aroma.

Because the leaves are not subjected to a shaping process known as “Seiju” (kneading), as is the case with sencha, the leaves are not straight but curled up into a ball shape.

The color of kamairicha is a clear pale yellow, and the taste is light.

Kamairicha has a long history and is based on a production method introduced from China.

It is mainly produced in the Kyushu region, including Miyazaki and Saga prefectures, and its production is small and precious, accounting for only a few percent of all Japanese tea.

Konacha / Funmatsucha

Powdered tea is a familiar tea at sushi restaurants in Japan.

This tea is made by collecting the fine tea leaves produced during the manufacturing process of sencha and gyokuro and is characterized by its murky, deep green color and strong bitterness.

Because it is finely powdered, it dissolves easily in hot water, allowing you to enjoy its rich flavor quickly.

It refreshes the palate, making it the perfect tea to enjoy with sushi or during meals featuring Japanese cuisine.

While more affordable than high-end sencha and gyokuro teas, it is ideal for daily enjoyment because of its robust flavor and richness.

It is also easy to brew, requiring only a quick pour of boiling water to immediately enjoy the richness of the tea.

Kukicha

Stem tea is made by collecting the stems and leaf stalks during the process of making gyokuro and sencha teas.

It is characterized by its refreshing aroma and light, distinct flavor unique to stems.

It is popular as an everyday tea because of its relatively affordable price and rich taste.

The savory aroma of stem tea pairs well with meals, making it an easy tea to enjoy with both Western and Japanese cuisine.

The fact that it is made from stems does not make it inferior in quality, and it remains popular alongside sencha.

In particular, stem tea made from gyokuro is called “karigane” and is highly prized.

Chinese Green Tea

Although China is most often associated with oolong tea, there are a great many varieties of Chinese tea, ranging from hundreds to thousands.

Among them, green tea (lucha), which is the root of Japanese tea, is the most widely produced and consumed in China.

Historically, it is said that green tea has been consumed as far back as the Spring and Autumn period in B.C.

Green tea is an unfermented tea made by immediately heat-treating the picked leaves to stop fermentation.

While Japanese green tea is made by steaming, Chinese green tea is made by kettle-frying.

This gives it a savory flavor not found in Japanese green teas.

Chinese tea is classified into six types according to the degree of fermentation and water color: green, white, yellow, blue, black, and red.

In addition, green tea is classified into roasted green tea, baked green tea, bleached green tea, and steamed green tea, depending on the process of bleaching and drying.

Japanese green tea tends to emphasize flavor, while Chinese green tea tends to emphasize aroma.

Even among Chinese teas, different regions and varieties have different tastes, making it enjoyable to try various types.

We hope you will find your favorite Chinese green tea and enjoy its rich flavor.

Dragon Well (Long Jing) Green Tea

Long jing tea is a representative Chinese green tea.

It is well known by the name West Lake Long jing due to its production area around West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.

The leaves are flat in shape, light green in color, and have a distinctive luster.

The tea leaves are handpicked and roasted at high temperatures by skilled artisans.

The tea has a fragrant, sweet, and slightly astringent taste.

Long jing tea is known as the “Four Best” because of its exquisite “shape,” “color,” “aroma,” and “taste.”

According to an old story, when the 6th Emperor Qianlong visited Lion’s Peak Mountain in Zhejiang Province, he was treated to Long jing tea, and Qianlong was impressed by the beautiful tea leaves, mellow aroma, and deep flavor.

Even today, long jing tea is the most popular tea in China and is enjoyed by many people.

Biluochun Green Tea

Biluochun is a green tea produced in Jiangsu Province, known for Suzhou Nocturne.

The tea leaves are shaped like spirals and are plucked in spring, hence the name.

The leaves are very delicate, and the surface is covered with white hairs.

It is said that 60,000 to 80,000 sprouts are needed to produce just 500 grams of Biluochun tea, making it a rare tea.

Despite its delicate and fragile appearance, it is characterized by a fruity citrus aroma, robust flavor, and gentle sweetness.

Biluochun is loved by many tea enthusiasts for its rarity and rich flavor.

Jasmine (Moli Hua) Green Tea

Hua cha (flower tea) is a type of Chinese tea in which the fragrance of flowers is infused into the tea leaves, offering various flavors and aromas depending on the type of flowers and the production method.

Although it differs from the six major types of tea—green, white, yellow, blue, black, and red—it has a long history, dating back to the Southern Song dynasty (960-1279), and has been enjoyed for more than 800 years.

There are various types of flower tea, such as guihua tea (Chinese cinnamon tea) and chrysanthemum tea, but the most popular type is jasmine tea.

Jasmine tea is made by infusing green tea with the fragrance of jasmine flowers and is the most popular flower tea, accounting for about 80% of flower tea production.

Not only is jasmine tea consumed daily in China, but it is also gaining popularity in Japan, with the jasmine tea market expanding.

Gunpowder Green Tea

Gunpowder green tea is a type of green tea produced in China.

This distinctive name is derived from the tea leaves, which are rolled into small, round spheres resembling gunpowder in appearance.

Gunpowder green tea is also known as the tea commonly used to make Moroccan mint tea.

The unique leaf shape helps the tea retain its flavor and aroma for a long time, giving Moroccan mint tea its characteristic depth.

When brewed in a pot, it has a robust, intense flavor and a subtle smokiness that complements the mint.

Tea brewed with gunpowder green tea has a distinctive sweet aroma and pairs well with mint, as well as spices and citrus fruits.

Moroccan Green Tea

The custom of drinking green tea is deeply rooted in Morocco.

In particular, the tea known as “mint tea” is an integral part of Moroccan culture.

Known as “atay,” this drink is cheaper and more popular than coffee.

Originally, herbal teas using only mint were common in Morocco, but in the 19th century, British merchants brought Chinese green tea to the country, which popularized mint tea as we know it today.

This mint tea is made by adding fresh mint and sugar to a base of Chinese green tea.

Morocco is one of the world’s leading tea importers, importing more than 60,000 tons of tea each year.

Ninety-nine percent of this tea comes from China, and Morocco’s annual per capita tea consumption is among the highest in the world.

The Moroccan people’s love of tea is valued both for its hospitality to visitors and for gatherings with family and friends.

Moroccan Mint Green Tea

Mint tea, the national drink of Morocco, is a traditional combination of Chinese green tea, fresh Moroccan mint, and sugar. This unique culture emerged in the 19th century through trade with England.

Moroccans love mint tea and enjoy it several times a day with family and friends, making it an essential part of entertaining guests.

To make mint tea, fill a metal pot with green tea and pour boiling water into the pot, then pour off the hot water immediately.

Add fresh mint leaves and sugar to the pot, then pour in hot water and let it simmer for a few minutes.

The process of adding sugar to green tea and boiling the tea leaves is quite different from the Japanese way of brewing green tea, highlighting cultural differences.

When pouring the tea into a cup, pouring it from a height helps to create froth and enhances the aroma.

More sugar is usually added, but the drink can be adjusted to taste.

Mint tea, which combines the freshness of mint, the sweetness of sugar, and the flavor of Chinese green tea, has fostered a unique Moroccan tea culture that quenches thirst in the arid desert climate.

Decaf Green Tea

Green tea contains caffeine, which has been shown to have stimulant, fatigue-relieving, and fat-burning effects that can aid in weight loss.

In moderate amounts, caffeine is safe and offers many positive benefits for the mind and body.

However, pregnant women, nursing mothers, small children, and those with health concerns should be especially mindful of their daily caffeine intake.

For those who want to enjoy the flavor of green tea but are concerned about caffeine, there is “decaffeinated green tea,” which is green tea with the caffeine removed.

This allows those who wish to avoid caffeine intake to enjoy drinking green tea.

Decaffeinated green tea does not taste inferior to regular green tea, and the health benefits of green tea, such as its antioxidant properties, vitamins, and minerals, are retained.

There are various types of decaf green tea, including gyokuro, sencha, deep-steamed sencha, and matcha.

By finding the decaf green tea that suits your taste, you can enjoy green tea without worrying about caffeine.

What is the Difference Between Green Tea and Black Tea

Green tea and black tea are made from the same tea leaves (Camellia sinensis), but the manufacturing processes and degrees of fermentation differ, resulting in distinct flavors and health benefits.

Black tea is called “black tea” in English because of the appearance of the tea leaves.

Originally, “tea” referred to green tea, and before black tea was introduced, people in England drank green tea.

When black tea was later developed, it was named “black tea” because the color of its leaves is darker than that of green tea.

The term “black tea” was coined to distinguish it from “green tea,” which is made from unfermented leaves, while black tea is made from fully fermented leaves, resulting in a darker brown color.