Guide to Indian Black Teas

Indian black teas are known for their strong aromatic liquor and a full-bodied flavor. The leaves used to make Indian tea come from the assamica variety of camellia sinensis (which give the tea that stronger flavor). Tea in India dates back to 500 BC and only black tea was produced until the recent decades. Here are the major types

Assam

Comes from the Assam region in North Eastern India, where it is grown near sea level in very humid conditions and high temperature. The tea has a strong malty flavor and amber color. It is often used in creating blends like English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast. Collected in two flushes – First flush in late March, while the second flush is collected later and considered superior due to containing golden tips.

Darjeeling

This tea comes from India’s cool and wet Darjeeling region. Produced from harvests from 3 flushes – where the first is most sought after while the 3rd (aka. Autumnal) is of lesser quality. Its leaves yield in a thin-bodied, floral liquor of light color with a distinct muscatel flavor. Although classified as black tea, Darjeeling undergoes an incomplete oxidation process (<90%) in most cases.

Nilgiri

Grown in the southern part of the Western Ghats mountains in Southern India, between 1000 -2500 meters above sea level. A lot of the tea undergoes the CTC process, resulting in dust for tea bags, but the full-leaf version is rather sought after and expensive. Nilgiri is a brisk and flavorful tea with an especially intense aroma and a dark-amber liquor.

Munnar

Produced in the city of Munnar, in Kerala state located in southern India.

Kangra

Also known as Himachal tea, grown in the city of Kangra in Northern India 3500 – 5500 meters above sea level. Its leaves have a reddish-brown color and the liquor has a floral character.

Guides – Chinese White | Chinese Yellow | Chinese Red | Japanese Tea

Guide to Taiwanese Oolong Teas

Oolong tea from Taiwan is also known as (Imperial) Formosa Oolong. Thanks to the ideal growing conditions, Taiwan porduces some of the best oolongs in the world. Sweetness and floral notes is something that most of these oolong teas have in common, where as some have a more ‘baked’ aroma then others.

Pouchong – (also known as Baozhong or Qing Cha) a light floral oolong that undergoes a low oxidation and withering process (8% – 18%). It is lightly rolled with leaves of long, slightly twisted shape and with the most green color of all oolong teas. It is often placed somewhere between green and oolong teas. It originated in Pinglin where it is still produced. There are three main varieties of Pouchong – Wenshan, Nangang and Lanyang.

Dong Ding – (“Ice Peak” also known as Tung Ting) medium oxidized oolong tea (15% – 25%) that grows 600 to 1200 meters above sea level in Dong Ding Mountain. This tea is rolled slightly more then Pouchong, the leaves resemble a ball-shape. Its flavor has hints of honey and a long aftertaste resembling honeydew melon. It is believed that the first plants of Dong Ding Oolong tea were taken from Wu Yi, China.

Gao Shan – (High Mountain Tea) high mountain tea which  is also medium oxidized with characteristic semi-ball shape. It grows at high altitudes of 1000 meters or more. This is more of a general term for high mountain tea variations like Alishan, Lishan, Wushe, Yushan and Meishan fall into this category, where Alishan is the top-priced one. They commonly have a sweet, nectar-like fragrance and a light taste. Da Yu Ling is a high mountain tea that comes mostly from plantations located between 2300 – 2600 meters above sea level, which are the one of the highest tea regions in the world.

Tie Guan Yin – (“Iron Goddess”) this tea is heavily rolled into ball-shapes and can come in different roasting levels. The more roasted kind will have a strong baked aroma and a brown color, where as the lightly-roasted types and more green. It is mainly produced in China where the most famous An Xi Tie Guan Yin comes from, however the Taiwanese variation from Nantou uses a different variation of plant, but uses the same production technique.

Dong Fang Mei Ren – (“Oriental Beauty” also known as Bai Hao Oolong or Peng Feng) one of the Champagne Formosa Oolongs, it has leaves reminiscent of autumn foliage or even fire, with its brown, red and yellow colors. It consists of mature leaves picked with its best grades picked during the summer. The leaves are heavily oxidized (50% – 70%) and undergo a heavy withering process. This tea has a sweet, smooth taste with baked, ripe-peach aroma. In order to accentuate it’s flavor it is customary to add a few drops of champagne. Origin of it’s name dates back to early 20th century when Queen Elizabeth II was presented with a sample was inspired  to call it “Oriental Beauty”.

Jin Xuan – (Milk Oolong, Silk Oolong) perhaps one of the more special oolongs, as it has a distinct milk/creamy aroma, which develops due to the growing climate and conditions. It is a completely natural aroma and it does not occur as a result of any artificial flavoring. This tea has a very sweet and creamy aroma and a light, smooth finish. The leaves are heavily curled and have a dark green appearance.

Cui Yu – (Jade Oolong) semi-oxidized oolong tea, also referred to a ‘green oolong’ because of its green appearance. It has a floral character and tightly curled leaves. It gives of a sweet scent, very similar to Jasmine and is a great entry point to Taiwanese Oolong teas.

Si Ji Chun – (Four Season Oolong) is also a High Mountain Tea, that was developed in the 1980s. It is semi-oxidized  with ball-shaped leaves and a smooth, sweet, light flavor. Most of Si Ji Chun comes from low altitude plantations, which makes this tea both economic and widely available. The reason why it’s grown in low altitudes is because the flavor and quality of this tea remains the same regardless of how high the plants are grown.

Guides – Chinese White | Chinese Yellow | Chinese Red | Japanese Tea

Guide to Chinese Green Teas

This is a guide to Chinese Green Teas. China produces various tea types, unlike Japan where we primarly find green teas. In this article I will focus on green teas only.

Chinese green teas can be quite confusing, as you’ll find maybe different names and spelling variants. A good thing to know is that the full tea names often consist of their growing location name and the tea variation name, so if we take Xi Hu Long Jing for example – Xi Hu – is the name of the place the tea is grown and Long Jing is the tea variation. There is many Long Jing teas from different places and provinces like Qian Tang Long Jing or Shi Feng Long Jing. Let’s take up some of the more common Chinese Greens.

Long Jing – “Dragon Well” aka. Lung Ching – often regarded as the Chinese national tea, a favorite of govenrment leaders, has flat shaped leaves of fresh yellow-green color, picking of the leaves is done by hand, the most famous and rare Dragon Well tea is Xi Hu Long Jing grown on a 168 square km area in West Lake region. There is much to say about this particular tea as it has an imperial history and a rigorous harvesting tradition. Dragonwell has seven grades Superior, Special and 1-5.

Bi Luo Chun – “Green Spring Snail” – this tea can vary in appearance, sometimes the leaves are semi-curled, other times they are twisted and wavy with a lot of small white hairs. It comes from Dong TIng mountain in Jiangsu Province and is one of the most fameous Chinese teas. “Scary Fregrance” (Xia Sha Ren Xiang) was it’s first name, but it was later changed by Emperor Kangxi, because it didn’t give justice to its quality. The taste is floral, fruity and light.

Chun Mee “Precious Eyebrows” – has a dusty, curved and curled appearance and a slightly smoky, plum aroma. The taste is full-bodied and refreshing. The rolled leaves are thick and broad. Originally produced in Jiangxi Province. Its name comes from the shape of the leaves, which is to resemble an eyebrow.

Zhu Cha – “Gunpowder”- this tea is tightly rolled into small pellets (which resemble gunpowder pellets) and it has a distinctive smoky aroma comparable to tobacco. This form aloowes the tea to retain more flavor and aroma. The shine on the pellets indicates good quality and freshness. Gunpowder is produced in Zhejiang Province of China.

Zhu Ye Qing – “Green Bamboo Leaf” – a tea from mount Emei in Sichuan Province, grown at an elevation of 1300 meters (4000 ft). The leaves look like bamboo leaves – they have a slightly flat and plump appearance and a dark emerald color. The liquor has nutty hints and a fresh taste. It’s a new tea, created by a monk in the early 1960s.

Hou Kui “Monkey King” – tea of two leaves and a large bud covered with white hairs with a flat appearance and waffle-like pattern, best known as Tai Ping Hou Kui. It comes from Taiping County in Anhui Province. It is recoginzed as one of China’s famous teas and it also received the title of King of Tea in 2004. It has a sweet, complex taste, with less bitterness then other greens.

Liu An Gua Pian – “Melon Seed” – from Liu An County in Anhui Province. This tea is produced using only the two top leaves without the bud, which makes is very unique. The leaves are appear uniform and have a deep green color. It dates back to the Tang Dynasty and has a sweet, floral flavor.

Mao Feng – “Fur Peak” – one of the famous teas, harvested from Huang Shan Mountain in Anhui Province. It is listed 3rd after Long Jing and Bi Luo Chun as Chinas most celebrated teas. Consists of two leaves and a bud. The first crop is harvested around March.

Song Zhen – “Pine Needle” – has leaves of a long and thin shape, and a silver-grey color, reminiscent of pine needles. This tea is harvested in early spring and consists mainly of tender buds.

Da Fang – “Big Square” – grown in Xi County in Anhui Province, its flavor is often compared to the one of Long Jing

Jing Ting Lue Xue – “Green Snow”

Mao Feng – “Fur Peak” – one of the famous teas, harvested from Huang Shan Mountain in Anhui Province. It is listed 3rd after Long Jing and Bi Luo Chun as Chinas most celebrated teas. Consists of two leaves and a bud. The first crop is harvested around March.

Yu Hua (from Nan Jing) – “Rain Flower”

Xian Ren Zhang Cha – “Cactus Tea”

Xin Yang Mao Jian – “Fur Tip”

Yun Wu – “Cloud and Fog”

Tian Shan Lu Ya

Chun Lu

Gou Gu Nao

Hua Ding

Hui Ming

Huo Qing

Hyson

Qing Ding

Shui Xi Cui Bo

Tun Lu

Yu Lu

Guides – Chinese White | Chinese Yellow | Chinese Red | Japanese Tea

Guide to Chinese Red Teas

Chinese Red Tea (Hong Cha) is known as Black Tea in the western world, but is also referred to as Congou by the international tea trade business. It’s easy to get confused, because Red Tea for us means Rooibos Tea from Africa and black tea in China is Pu-erh. To get around this problem it’s easiest to call Red Tea ‘Chinese Red Tea’, 

Qi Men Hong (Keemun) – “Red tea from Qi Men” a tea from Qimen County of Huangshan City, in Anhui province. Considered the elite of Chinese Red Teas. Appears in various grades for example Gongfu, Mao Feng, Hao Ya, Ji Hong. This tea has winey and fruity taste with hints of pine and plum and cheaper grades can be bitter. It was first produced in 1875 and was the first red tea that came from Anhui. It became popular in England as an ingredient of the English Breakfast blend.

Dian Hong (Yunnan) – “South Cloud” is sometimes considered a gourmet tea, because higher grades contain ‘golden tips’ the fine tea buds. It comes in three grades Broken Yunnan – a cheap tea used for blending with fewest amount of buds, has a strong flavor. Yunnan Gold has a milder flavor, with some brassiness and a red liquor. Yunnan Pure Gold is considered the best of Dian Hong and consists only of golden tips covered with fine hairs, which are much lighter in color then the previous grades and produce a finer, sweeter liquor. Produced of course in Yunnan province.

Lapsang Souchong – “Smoky Sub-variety” very different from other black teas, refered to as smoked tea because it’s leaves are smoke-dried over pinewood fires. Initially the leaves were dried over fire when tea damand was high, as it would speed up the drying process. It’s has a strong and smoky flavor and aroma characteristic to campfires or tobacco. This tea comes from the Wuyi region of Fujian province.

Jin Hou – “Golden Monkey” from Fujian province. A celebrated tea of higher status, as consists of buds, but also has a specific appearace – tea leaves are part yellow part brown. According to a legend this tea would grow in inaccessible places, so monks trained monkeys to pick the leaves. The flavor of this tea is considered light, with honey notes and no astringency. Golden Monkey is the equivalent of Silver Needle among white teas.

Ying De Hong – “Red tea from Ying De” a tea from Guangdong province, with a cocoa-like aroma. Its best grade is called Ying Hong NO.9. This tea was first introduced in 1959. The rolled leaves sometimes resemble oolong teas, as they have a clumpy, curled appearance.

Ju Qiu Mei Hong  – produced in Hang Zhou in Zhejiang province, is a rare gong fu tea created during the 50s, has tight, thin and long leaves. has a dark color and a deep, rich and sweet aroma.

Ching Wo – a tea from Southern China, Fujian. It’s a deep, full-bodied tea with coppery infusion and light flavor and aroma.

Ping Suey – “Ice Water” a tea from Zhejiang province

Zao Bei Jian – from Sichuan province with a reddish liquor and mellow, clean flavor

 

Guides – Chinese White | Chinese Yellow | Chinese Oolong | Japanese Tea

Guide to Chinese Oolong Teas

Oolong teas is categorized between black and green tea and often referred to as Blue teas in China. Oolong Teas undergo an oxidation process between 10 – 70% and they are more roasty and defined in flavor rather then delicate like green and white teas.

Tie Guan Yin – “Iron Guan Yin” (Goddess of Mercy) a famous Chinese tea from An Xi in the Fujian province. It’s very close to green tea, as it undergoes little oxidation, but lacks the green tea astringency. The flavor and aroma also differs greatly depending of if the leaves have been lightly or heavily roasted. There are many varieties of which the nest ones are called Guan Yin Wang, meaning Guan Yin King.

Da Hong Pao – “Big Red Robe” famous and legendary tea from Wu Yi Mountain, said to have cured the mother of a Ming Dynasty emperor from illness, who ordered the bushes from which the tea came to be clothed in red robes 0 thus the name Big Red Robe or Scarlet Robe. The brown-color leaves have a curled and twisted, non-uniform appearance. It has a rich and deep flavor with a floral note.

Dan Cong – “Single Bush” as the name implies the tea is made of leaves from a single tree. The Dan Cong trees have a single trunk and they grow tall (about 1,8 meters) and straight up. This tea is sweet and peachy.

Shui Xian – “Water Fairy” is a very dark tea with a honey fragrance, originally it’s grown on Mount Wu Yi, the cheaper varieties grown elsewhere in Fujian province have more of a burnt taste. Also referred to as Shiu Hsien or Water Sprite

Fo Shou – “Buddha’s Hand” a tea first introduced during the Song Dynasty, the leaves are tightly rolled and the tea has delicate fruity flavor

Shui Jin Gui – “Golden Water Turtle” has a bright green color after steeping and is one of the famous Wu Yi Rock Oolong Teas.

Tie Luo Han – “Iron Arhat” is one of the famous Wu Yi Rock teas. It’s a strong tea with slightly curled appearance. Also occurs under the name Iron Warrior Monk

Bai Ji Guan – “White Cockscomb” a very light Wuji tea with yellowish leaves. The name came from a story about a rooster who gave up his life protecting his child from an eagle.

Rou Gui – “Cinnamon” – tea with a sweet aroma reminiscent of cinnamon developed during Qing Dynasty. When processed in traditional ways the leaves of this tea have a dark brown color. This tea is also known as Cassia Bark Oolong tea.

Guides – Chinese White | Chinese Yellow | Chinese Red | Japanese Tea

Guide to Chinese Yellow Tea

The yellow teas are processed like green teas, but have a longer withering phase. Making yellow tea is an art, unfortunatly many techniques of processing it have been lost, because it’s a complicated and tedious process.

Jun Shan Yin Zhen – “Silver Needle” is a rare and famous tea from Jun Shan island – also called the king of yellow teas. This is the yellow variation of Silver Needle not to be confused with Bai Hao Yin Zhen. Picked only once a year – the day before Qing Ming festival.

Huo Shan Huang Ya– imperial tribute tea that dates back to the Ming dynasty. In dry form it has a shiny appearance and the liquer – a peppery and fresh taste. It is harvested at Mt. Huo. and consists of mostly buds.

Meng Ding Huang Ya – “Mt. Meng Yellow Sprout” is an imperial tribute tea that comes from the peak of Mount Meng, grassy with hint of nutty and sweet fregrance

Song Yang Ying Hou Cha -“Silver Monkey’s Paw” a rare, hihg quality tea from Zhejiang province produced in limited quantaties. The flavor is subtle, flowery and slightly nutty. It consists of carefully selected and hand-rolled tips.

Da Ye Qing –“Big Leaf Green” processed like green tea, but with a slower drying phase (just like most yellow teas), from Guangdong province

Huang Tang – “Yellow Soup” a tea from Zhejiang province

Guides – Chinese Oolong | Chinese White | Chinese Red | Japanese Tea

Guide to Chinese White Tea

White tea is an unoxidised type of tea, that consists of youg leaves and buds. This type of tea is specific to the Fujian province in China (except for a few other variations like assam white, darjeeling white and ceylon white teas). Below are the five types of Chinese White tea.

Bai Hao Yin Zhen “Silver Needle” – highest grade Chinese white tea. It consists only of buds that have long, needle-like shape, pale green and covered with small white hairs. Overall the tea has a uniform appearance, with no twigs or leaves. The liquor is very delicate and smooth with light and fresh fragrance, slightly sweet.

Pai Mu Tan “White Peony” – usually considered as one grade lower then Bai Hao Yin Zhen, for this tea the bud and two top leaves are picked. The tea is picked between March and April on non-rainy and non-humid days. The brew is clear and shimmering, with a golden color and a floral fragrance. The liquor is devoid of astringency or grassy flavor. leaves are naturally withered and dried in the sun

Gong Mei “Tribute Eyebrow” – this tea is more processed then the two previous white teas and is also a lower grade (3rd grade tea). The leaves are this tea come from Xiao Bai trees – small withe tea trees. Consists of young leaves and no buds. It has a dark and full taste and is often served with Dim Sum. The name ‘eyebrow’ comes from the curved shape of leaves used.

Shou Mei “Longevity Eyebrow” – along with Gong Mei is a lower grade tea, more oxidised the first two, picked after Yin Zhen and Pai Mu Tan. Consists of upper leaves and tips collected between April-June. The leaves are large and bold Flavor and appearance-wise is often compared to oolong teas.

Fujian New Craft White Tea – a new white tea, its production process was developed in the 60s to increase overall white tea production. This process consists of three steps – withering, slight rolling and drying. The leaves have a long, curled appearance and a dark green/brownish color and the tea liquor was a weak fragrance, but strong taste. This tea is made of leaves less tender then the ones used in White Peony or Longevity Eyebrow.

Guides – Chinese Oolong | Chinese Yellow | Chinese Red | Japanese Tea

A Guide to Japanese Teas

Tea first came to Japan from China in the late 9th century. After the first seeds were brought to Japan by a priest, tea quickly became the drink of religious classes as well as wealthy and cultured people. Tea became an important element of passing time while socializing and enjoying arts or music. Later, over a few centuries the modern tea ceremony was adopted and developed. Today Japanese green tea it a national drink available to everyone. Below is a list of most common teas produced in Japan.

Matcha

“Rubbed tea” – Powdered tea, with a vivid green color and very grassy flavour. Generally it’s made of Gyokuro tea which is stone ground into fine powder. Matcha is the characteristic tea used in the Japanese Tea Ceremony, it is also used in preparation of food, desserts and drinks. Since we consume the powdered tea leaves while drinking matcha, we consume more of it’s nutrients then by drinking just the infusion from the leaves, but it also has higher caffeine levels. You can easily tell the quality of matcha by it’s color – the more vivid and green the better quality of the tea.

Sencha

“Broiled tea” – Most common, everyday tea in Japan. This tea has almost a needle-shaped appearance and a dark green color. Sencha is first steam-pressed, then hot-air dried and lastly pan fired. It makes up about 3/4 of overall green tea production in Japan. The first flush of sencha is called Shincha meaning “new tea”. It’s hand-picked on the 43rd day of spring, thus is rare and enjoyed for only a brief period each year. Another variety of Sencha is Matcha-iri Sencha which is a mix of Matcha and Sencha.

Genmaicha

“Brown Rice tea” – Sometimes also called ‘popcorn tea’ is a blend of sencha and roasted brown rice (you can also find rice grains that have popped, which resemble popcorn). It gives a very aromatic and delicate light yellow color liquer. Originally it was a tea of the poor Japanese and the rice served as a filler for tea leaves, so the tea would be cheaper, but today it’s a widely popular tea. You might also come across Matcha-iri Genmaicha which is a blend of Genmaicha and Matcha and has both a stronger color and flavor then regular Genmaicha.

Gyokuro

“Jade Dew” – This is a shaded tea, which means that the tea plants are covered from the sun for a few weeks before harvest. This gives the final product a vivid and intense green color. Gyokuro is the highest grade of Japanese tea. It contains highest amounts of minerals and vitamins after Matcha.

Kabusecha

“Covered tea” – Similar to Gyokuro, but is only semi-shaded as it’s grown in about 45% shade and for a shorter period of time – 20 days before harvest. Has a more delicate flavor and is sweeter then Sencha.

Fukamushicha

“Deep Steamed tea” – Popular sencha, that undergoes a two or three times longer steaming process, which gives its leaves coarser shape and a less bitter taste. The infusion can be slightly misty. Sometimes called Hukamushi, but can be also marked as ‘Extra steamed Sencha’. This tea is rather unknown outside Japan.

Tamaryokucha

“Curly tea” – Tea with a berry-like, grassy, sweet taste and low in caffeine. It is processed in the same way as regular sencha, but at the last stage the leaves are rolled, which gives them the curly appearance. Comes from southern parts of Japan and is suitable for festive occasions. Another name for this tea is Guricha.

Hojicha

“Roasted tea” – Consists of pan-fired or oven roasted Bancha or Sencha tea leaves, has a strong flavor and has little caffeine. Due to the low caffeine content it’s often served to hospital patients and children. This tea holds very little bitterness.

Kukicha

“Stalk tea” – Tea composed of tea plant stalks and twigs left from the production of Gyokuro and Sencha. The infusion is fresh and light. This tea is very similar to Hojicha, but it’s not roasted.

Bancha

“Common tea” – A lower grade of tea harvested in late summer beginning of autumn as a 3rd or 4th flush, with yellow color liqueur and deep, full flavor. Bancha is usually made of larger leaves, growing further down on the tea plant bush. Once very popular, but is now often replaced by Sencha. It also lacks the sweetness that Sencha has.

Kamairicha

“Pan-fried tea” – This tea does not undergo the regular steaming process, it has a short withering period and afterwards it’s fired in a hot iron pan in up to 300°C. They way Kamairicha is processed gives it’s leaves a flat appearance. Can also be referred to as ‘Chinese green tea’, because the pan-frying process in which the tea is processed came from China.

Mugicha

“Roasted Barley tea” – This is not a green tea and contains no camellia sinesis leaves. Corn is often added to the roasted barley to make this tea, which is quite popular in Japanese restaurants. Also called Boricha in Korean.

Mecha

“Buds and Tips tea” – As the translation implies this tea is made of buds and tips collected very early in the spring when the drops are still young. Has a deep flavor and a bitter aftertaste. Usually it’s graded between Gyokuro and Sencha. Mecha can be thought of as a high quality Sencha.

Samples of Matcha-iri Sencha and Matcha-iri Genmaicha

Less common teas

Aracha – This is raw tea. After harvest is is initially steamed or roasted and the moisture content is reduced to prevent oxidation. From here it will be sorted into Sencha, Kukicha etc. and further processed. Aracha is sold for consumption also but not readily available outside of Japan.

Asamushicha – Low-steamed leaves treated by soft steaming less than 30 seconds

Awabancha – During the summer, the tea leaves are picked, then boiled. After boiling the tea leaves, they are rubbed and placed in a barrel to ferment. They are then dried under the sun. The tea is made in Tokushima. It has a stale aroma

Dancha – Brick Tea that is steamed, mold-pressed & dried

Funsaicha – Pulverized yellowish green super-fine tea-powder made from ordinary non-shaded tea

Gabarancha – GamaAminoButyricAcid increased tea – fresh raw tea-leaves incubated in nitrogen gas (anaerobically treated) before ordinary manufacture for better hypotensive effect.

Goishicha – A post heating fermented tea made in Tosa. After fermenting and drying it is cut into small compressed cubes. It is used to drink and to make a tea porridge by some.

Hachijuhachiyacha – “88th-night”- after ‘Risshun’ day is a tea picked around May 2. Provides great flavour and minimal bitterness for a high content of amino-acids.

Kancha – Cold-season tea that is steamed, non-rolled, sun-dried mature big leaves plucked in January.

Kenkoocha – Healthy Tea – processed tea leaves mixed with herbs.

Konbucha – Again, this is a beverage made not from tea leaves but from soaking konbu (seaweed kelp) in hot water. Often konbucha is brewed and reconstituted into a powder which can be mixed with hot water. Sometimes it is flavored with shiso leaves. It has a rather salty taste and is considered to be healthful.

Kokeicha – are pine needle-like shaped leaves with a soft, aromatic typical green tea taste. Manufactured according to a special process where the green tea is crushed into powder, apparently blended with rice starch, kneaded, extruded and finally dried.

Kuradashi-Sincha – Spring tea (best leaves)stored in temperature controlled warehouses after processing till Autumn.

Mizudashicha – This tea consists of Gyokuro or Sencha leaves broken in a way so that they can be infused in cold water, This is a tea for hot summer days.

Tencha – is a very special tea, that is quite rare even in Japan. Tencha is the base tea for making powdered Matcha. The color is dark green and the flakes of tea are unique. Tencha is made in the same way as gyokuro, but by drying without rolling. The brew is sweet and ethereal.

Tokumushicha – Specially deep-steamed leaf fragments, dispersed by extra-long (120sec) stir-steaming.

Ujicha – tea from a small town called Uji located in the Kyoto region

Guides – Chinese Oolong | Chinese White | Chinese Red | Chinese Yellow