Japanese green teas

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Green tea (緑茶; ryokucha) is so ubiquitous in Japan that it is more commonly known simply as "tea" (お茶; ocha) and even as "Japanese tea" (日本茶; nihoncha) although it was first used in China during the Song Dynasty, and brought to Japan by Myōan Eisai, a Japanese Buddhist priest who also introduced the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism. Types of tea are commonly graded depending on the quality and the parts of the plant used as well as how they are processed. There are large variations in both price and quality within these broad categories, and there are many specialty green teas that fall outside this spectrum. The best Japanese green tea is said to be that from the Yame region of Fukuoka Prefecture and the Uji region of Kyoto. Shizuoka Prefecture ((静岡県) crops 40% of raw tea leaf.


番茶 Bancha (common tea)
Sencha harvested as a third or fourth flush tea between summer and autumn. Aki-Bancha (autumn Bancha) is not made from entire leaves, but from the trimmed unnecessary twigs of the tea plant.
玄米茶 Genmaicha (brown-rice tea)
Bancha (sometimes Sencha) and roasted genmai (brown rice) blend. It is often mixed with a small amount of Matcha to make the color better.
玉露 Gyokuro (Jade Dew)
The highest grade Japanese green tea cultivated in special way. Gyokuro's name refers to the pale green color of the infusion. The leaves are grown in the shade before harvest, which alters their flavor. Gyokuro has a high caffeine content (Generally 0.16% in infusion[2]), but the significant L-Theanine content of Gyokuro slows down and counteracts the caffeine assimilation, and also the amount ingested is very small (Generally 10ml - 60ml).


焙じ茶 Hōjicha (roasted tea)
A green tea roasted over charcoal.
冠茶 Kabusecha (covered tea)
Kabusecha is sencha tea, the leaves of which have grown in the shade prior to harvest, although not for as long as Gyokuro. It has a more delicate flavor than Sencha.
窯煎茶 Kamairicha tea (pan-fried tea)
Kamairicha is a pan fried green tea that does not undergo the usual steam treatments of Japanese tea and does not have the characteristic bitter taste of most Japanese tea.
茎茶 Kukicha (stalk tea)
A tea made from stalks produced by harvesting one bud and three leaves.
かりがね Karigane
A tea made from stalks produced of sencha and gyokuro.
抹茶 Matcha (rubbed tea)
A fine ground tea (碾茶 Ten-cha). It has a very similar cultivation process as Gyokuro. It is used primarily in the tea ceremony. Matcha is also a popular flavor of ice cream and other sweets in Japan.
芽茶 Mecha tea (buds and tips tea)
Mecha is green tea derived from a collection of leaf buds and tips of the early crops. Mecha is harvested in spring and made as rolled leaf teas that are graded somewhere between Gyokuro and Sencha in quality.
麦茶 Mugicha (roasted barley tea)
Mugicha is a roasted barley tea. It is generally regarded as a cooling summer beverage in Japan.
煎茶 Sencha (broiled tea)
The first and second flush of green tea, which is the most common green tea in Japan made from leaves that are exposed directly to sunlight. The first flush is also called shincha (新茶: a new tea) and specially long steamed leaves mushicha (蒸し茶)


玉緑茶 Tamaryokucha
A tea that has a tangy, berry-like taste, with a long almondy aftertaste and a deep aroma with tones of citrus, grass, and berries.


Chinese green teas

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Zhejiang Province
Zhejiang is home to the most famous of all teas, Xi Hu Longjing, as well as many other high-quality green teas.
龙井 Longjing
The most well-known of famous Chinese teas from Hangzhou, its name in Chinese means dragon well. It is pan-fried and has a distinctive flat appearance. Falsification of Longjing is very common, and most of the tea on the market is in fact produced in Sichuan Province[citation needed] and hence not authentic Longjing.
Hui Ming
Named after a temple in Zhejiang.
Long Ding
A tea from Kaihua County known as Dragon Mountain.
Hua Ding
A tea from Tiantai County and named after a peak in the Tiantai mountain range.
Qing Ding
A tea from Tian Mu, also known as Green Top.
Gunpowder
A popular tea also known as zhuchá. It originated in Zhejiang but is now grown elsewhere in China.


Jiangsu Province



碧螺春 Bi Luo Chun
A Chinese famous tea also known as Green Snail Spring, from Dong Ting. As with Longjing, falsification is common and most of the tea marketed under this name may, in fact, be grown in Sichuan.
Rain Flower
A tea from Nanjing.
Shui Xi Cui Bo

Hubei Province
Yu Lu
A steamed tea known as Gyokuro (Jade Dew) made in the Japanese style.

[edit] Henan Province

An example of a slightly higher grade of Chinese green tea, called Mao Jian.
信阳毛尖 Xin Yang Mao Jian
A Chinese famous tea also known as Green Tip, or Tippy Green.

[edit] Jiangxi Province
Chun Mee
Name means "precious eyebrows"; from Jiangxi, it is now grown elsewhere.
Gou Gu Nao
A well-known tea within China and recipient of numerous national awards.
Yun Wu
A tea also known as Cloud and Mist.

[edit] Anhui Province
Anhui Province is home to several varieties of tea, including three Chinese famous teas. These are:
大方 Da Fang
A tea from Mount Huangshan also known as Big Square.
黄山毛峰 Huangshan Maofeng
A Chinese famous tea from Mount Huang.
六安瓜片 Lu'An Guapian
A Chinese famous tea also known as Melon Seed.
猴魁 Hou Kui
A Chinese famous tea also known as Monkey tea.
屯绿 Tun Lu
A tea from Tunxi District.
火青 Huo Qing
A tea from Jing County, also known as Fire Green.
Hyson
A medium-quality tea from many provinces, an early-harvested tea

tea

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For the 2003 Chinese film, see Green Tea (film).
Green tea is a type of tea made solely with the leaves of Camellia sinensis, that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures in Asia from Japan to the Middle East. Recently, it has become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally consumed. Many varieties of green tea have been created in countries where it is grown. These varieties can differ substantially due to variable growing conditions, processing and harvesting time. Over the last few decades green tea has been subjected to many scientific and medical studies to determine the extent of its long-purported health benefits, with some evidence suggesting regular green tea drinkers may have lower chances of heart disease and developing certain types of cancer. The tea has also been useful for weight loss management