Dark green - dark green sencha leaves will indicate strong steaming and a very pronounced vegetal flavour. Bright green - sencha with brighter leaves will have been lightly steamed and will be less herbal. Grey-green - teas with a dark grey-green leaf colour are likely to have a bitter taste with a strong astringency.
The ideal (the most premium quality) is to have leaves that are tightly rolled in a narrow, needle shape. All the leaves should look uniform, if there are big leaves mixed in with small leaves it isn't as good. There should be very little tea dust. Also, stems and stalks shouldn't be present.
Matcha green tea is considered one of the healthiest green tea because the entire leaf is consumed by tea drinkers. The beverage is commonly brewed as a matcha latte or traditionally according to principles of the Japanese tea ceremony.
The highest grade, is Gyokuro (“Pearl Dew”). This tea is very labor-intensive, and is shade-grown, with the tea bushes shaded from direct sunlight 20 days before harvest.
That depends on the tea, but higher grade greens tend to be far less bitter and much more sweet and aromatic. Their flavors are more balanced, making for a smoother, rounder sip.
Loose-leaf teas provide far superior tea quality than tea bags and are the primary reason to prefer loose leaf tea to tea bags. Even low-quality leaves have a better flavor and aroma, as well as more nutrients than any standard tea bag. If you're used to drinking tea from a bag, you'll be blown away by the difference.
Fine Quality Green Tea Leaves Before and After Brewing
So, when you brew a fine quality green tea, the tea in your cup will be still green. It is olive green in most cases. Moreover, if you see the brewed tea leaves carefully, you will see all of them will turn back to the original green color after brewing.
Rishi Tea Sencha Tea
Certified organic, non-GMO, and 100% green tea, Rishi Sencha Green Tea tops our list. Sencha tea has a delicate flavor profile with sweet and bright earthy notes, making it an easily drinkable beverage. Rishi sources their sencha tea from Kyushu Island in southern Japan.
Lipton Green Tea Products
Our green tea selection has a variety of blends and fruit infusions for all green tea lovers. Lipton's green tea is 100% natural and the tea leaves used in our blend add and enhance the natural non-bitter taste of Lipton green tea.
Green tea can cause side effects due to caffeine. These can include anxiety, tremors, irritability, and sleeping problems. This is more likely if you're sensitive to caffeine or take large doses. Side effects are less common with green tea than with other drinks that have caffeine.
To be safe, drink less than 8 cups of green tea daily. This is because drinking green tea in excess could lead to consuming too much caffeine. Because green tea contains caffeine, if you are pregnant, limit your consumption to 6 cups a day, so you stay within the 200 mg recommended limit.
“That's it.” High-quality tea goes a long way ― you get around 200 cups of tea from each pound. “For a few extra dollars you can have a high-quality tea experience, and enjoy the true craftsmanship and care that goes into it. It's 100% worth that experience,” he concluded.
The color of tea should generally be in the lighter end of the spectrum. A well-brewed cup of green tea would have a light brown, green, or light yellow color depending on the type of green tea used.
One of the best ways to judge a tea, of course, is by the taste. Green tea should taste fresh, not stale, and should not be too astringent. Black tea should be full bodied and fresh. In general, good tea has a sweet aftertaste and should feel very slippery going down the throat.
Health Benefits: Japanese Green Tea Has More Antioxidants
One of the primary health benefits attributed to green tea is its high concentration of immune-enhancing antioxidants. Japanese green tea contains more antioxidants than Chinese green tea, with 60% antioxidants compared with Chinese green tea's 12-16 percent.
Dilmah's teas and infusions do not include any artificial ingredients and are 100% natural and plant based. Our Green teas are great for detoxing and weight loss, when coupled with a healthy diet and exercise.
Best for overall health: green tea
When it comes to tea, green tea gets the gold. “Green tea is the champ when it comes to offering health benefits,” says Czerwony. “It's the Swiss Army knife of teas. It covers a lot of territory.”
Compared to other green teas (leaves, bags), Matcha tea is characterized by the highest antioxidant potential (FRAP, DPPH) [9,11].
Out of these, China was the dominant player, as it produced a whopping 3 million tons of tea in 2021, almost half of the global production of 6.45 million tons.
Drinking a cup of green tea in the morning 1-2 hours after breakfast or in the afternoon 1 to 2 hours after lunch is the optimal time to drink green tea to boost your antioxidant dose. Antioxidants surround and neutralize free radicals preventing them from causing damage and cancer development.
For best flavor, bring spring or freshly drawn filtered water to 185℉. Without a thermometer, this can be achieved by letting boiling water cool for about 2 minutes. Allow the tea to steep for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, remove the sachet and enjoy.