Green Tea

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Grey's Teas Store | Green Tea

Darjeeling Green Tea

Darjeeling produces some of the most distinctive and delicate green tea yet retaining the characteristic muscatel aroma of black "Champagne of Teas". It deserves more widespread recognition for these excellent teas for which China and Japan are more generally reknown.

China Green Tea

Green tea is a national drink in China. We offer several green teas from China with quite different characteristics from Jasmine to Pinhead Gunpowder and Lu Mu Dan to the wonderful teas of Yunnan and Anhui Provinces, otherwise better known for their black teas. Zhejiang Province is generally considered most famous for its green teas.

Japanese Green Tea

Tea in Japan is a world of its own with a great deal of tradition. All Japanese teas are green. Bancha has characteristically straight, course leaves. Others, such as Sencha, are more refined and have a more delicate taste. The best teas are picked by hand, steamed and then dried over a charcoal fire. Matcha and Gyokuro are especially prized teas in Japan.

Royal Tea of Kenya, Rift Valley Green

A rare and wonderful orthodox tea from Kenya... Now aged 111 Arthur Njuguna Komo planted his tea estate in Gatundu District, amongst the foothills of Mount Kenya, over fifty years ago ...

A little about: Green Tea

Green tea is fresh in taste and should be drunk not too strong and without milk. China makes many of its finest green tea by hand.

Green tea is a healthy alternative to the more traditional black tea. Research has indicated that green tea can greatly lower risk to heart disease as well as many cancers. Grey’s Teas offers a wide variety of high quality green tea from Darjeeling to Chinese and Japanese green teas. We also have a rare green orthodox tea from Kenya shown above.

Green tea leaves generally remain whole and are therefore bulky - many of our green teas are therefore despatched in packets twice the normal size! The leaves are often beautifully rolled by hand, a skill taken to a high art form in China and Japan where a special green tea, Matcha, forms the basis of the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

Sencha is a popular and particularly distinctive tea from Japan, having a mild taste and needle like appearance. Having a courser, more wiry leaf Bancha has a milder taste and Bancha Houghi Cha, uniquely, is a roasted tea having nutty flavour. China's Gunpowder is a distinctive looking and famous tea is rolled into characteristic grey balls. It has a delicate, refined flavour.

How to make a cup of green tea

All green teas should be made with water which has come off the boil and allowed to cool slightly. They should never be drunk with milk. One teaspoon or two to three grams of tea should be used per cup. Ensure that they are not brewed too strong or too long otherwise green teas can become bitter: Around two to three minutes is recommended. Green teas can be brewed more than once, so don't hurry to throw out the leaves! This means that really good green teas need not be an expensive luxury.

What makes green teas different?

Green teas, unlike black teas, are not fermented (oxidised in air). They have very little tannin and are low in caffeine - about one third of that found in black teas. White teas have especially low caffeine levels. Green teas are especially popular in China and Japan.

The health properties of green teas

Green teas are considered to be very healthy for they are high in antioxidants. The Tea Council publishes the latest research findings on the health properties of green teas. The healthy nature of green teas has been known to the Chinese for 4,000 -5,000 years. As well as being thought to reduce the chance of cancers green teas are considered to reduce cholesterol levels and even to fight bacteria that create plaque and can cause dental decay.

How do I keep green teas?

To store green teas we recommend that they be kept away from heat, light, moisture and air. Many green teas have a very subtle taste and this should not be tainted by other foods. Green teas should not be kept too long for they can loose their distinctive characters: we would suggest six months maximum.