Japan concentrates it's production largely on green tea, most of which is consumed by the Japanese themselves. What little escapes the island varies and is at its best exquisitely sweet with a fresh flavour, strong aroma and umami quality.
Japanese teas are steamed immediately after picking, this in part produces the intense flavour, a darker coloured leaf and leads to it's distinctive, slightly rough-looking finished appearance, which is sacrificed to flavour and capture of the all-important catechins, one of the many healthy compounds in green tea. It also allows the teas to be brewed in low-temperature water.
There are a great number of different growing areas in Japan as might be expected from the country that refined tea drinking into a ceremonial art form, with production split mainly into 3 different types, shade-grown Gyokuro, Sencha and Matcha.
-
As low as £13.00This unusual roasted leaf is sometimes known as 'Twig' tea. It starts out life as a green tea but the roasting gives it a very different, smooth, toasted, nutty, slightly caramel-like flavour. It is slow roasted in a porcelain pot over charcoal. It is lower in caffeine than most teas and believed to have a higher iron content.
-
As low as £9.00The many alleged health benefits of drinking high-quality green teas are well documented. This Sencha tea also offers benefits to maintaining beautiful, healthy skin. This is due to the high levels of chlorophyll peculiar to Sencha green tea and the fact that it is scented with mandarin and rose oil. This delicious tea offers beauty from within and you might even make a fragrant face mask from the brewed leaves!
-
As low as £14.00This very high-quality tea is grown in the volcanic soil on the island Kyushu in an area called Kirishima which means island of fog. It has a lustrous green leaf, rich fragrance and sweet, almost umami flavour. It is one of, if not the most distinctive of all Japanese Sencha teas and whilst not cheap I believe it offers the same quality as teas four times its price. Super high in antioxidants.
-
As low as £14.00A blend of finest Fog Island Sencha and rose petals, scented with mandarin and rose oils, a blend believed to maintain beautiful skin from within. This is due to the high levels of chlorophyll and the fact that it is scented with mandarin and rose oil. The tea itself has a rich fragrance and sweet flavour, complemented by the sweet, zesty character of mandarin and the complex fragrance of rose oil.
-
As low as £13.00This speciality is made from Bancha tea, to which approximately 50 percent roasted or popped rice grains have been added. The incomparable taste is characterized by the mildness of the Bancha tea and is ideally complemented by the pleasant, slightly sweet and nutty, caramel note.
-
As low as £17.50This tea, Takeru from a garden of Kirishima, is one of Japan's very best Gyokuro teas. The tea bushes from which Gyokuro is made are shaded for a month before picking. This has the effect of increasing the Chlorophyll levels in the tea and gives Gyokuro its distinctive character. It is an organically produced tea, which is very rare in Japan. It has fine, feathery leaves of an emerald green hue. It has a rich, sweet, velvety infusion and beautiful, lemon green colour. The tea is so full of essential tea oils that the infusion is cloudy, as the oils emulsify in the water.
-
As low as £19.00The flavour is intense, full of honey and floral notes with some cool, mentholated, mineral tones. The leaf has a flatly worked, rough, deep green appearance, a cloudy yellow cup colour and the taste profile presents a full body with sweetness and a nuance of ripe plums as an aftertaste. The tea is extremely high in methylated catechin content, up to 100 times higher than other types, which is claimed to help combat hay fever, eczema and other seasonal allergies.
-
As low as £15.00This tea is made with the stems and precisely cut leaves of the famous 'Gyokuro' tea, which remain after the production of the first flush tea leaf used to make the prized Gyokuro. The result is a tea both low in caffeine and mild in character. It is mildly nutty and has a slightly creamy, sweet flavour with some notes of fruit and flowers.
-
As low as £14.00"If you like Pi�a Colada..."� then you'll love this alcohol free variation! We don't really need to describe this classic flavour but we loved the idea of recreating a longstanding classic of the cocktail world with the energy kick of the famous powdered green tea matcha, used in the Japanese tea ceremony. Sweet, juicy pineapple pieces make the perfect foil to the soft, creamy coconut chips and delicate coconut shreds that combined make this perfect summer creation.
-
As low as £14.00Blended to evoke the flavour of the famous Peach Melba dessert with the energy kick off the famous powdered green tea matcha, used in the Japanese tea ceremony. Who can resist sun-ripened peaches, the slight sharpness of raspberries and the sweet hit of vanilla ice-cream? Reddish golden peach crunchy, shining carrot flakes and merry flowers reflect the summer feeling. The brilliant green of the tea adds a unique appearance to the infusion as well as lots of antioxidants. A delight to drink when a pudding is pushing the calorie counter!
-
£11.00Matcha is a superpower amongst teas. This special green tea is derived from Gyokuro tea, whose name translates as ‘Precious Dew’ and is shaded with reed screens for twenty days prior to harvesting to block out the sun. This serves to increase the chlorophyll and amino acid content. It is this amino acid, called theanine, and a special processing technique that give Gyokuro its unique sweet flavour and intense aroma. The greater quantities of these ingredients also increase its health-giving properties over other green teas. Gyokuro teas are then used to make the ceremonial tea Matcha, which is painstakingly ground in a special mill to a fine powder for whisking. Packets sold at a 40g weight.
-
As low as £19.00This is the highest quality Sencha from Kagoshima Prefecture, made from 'Shincha', or first flush tea which is the most highly prized plucking in Japan. It has sweet, smooth liquor which has a rich, 'umami' quality in the cup with very little astringency with notes of citrus, green muscat, flowers, creaminess, fresh greens, melon, fresh grass fragrance and nettle flower nectar. It is grown in pure, natural land.
-
As low as £12.00Despite its remarkable properties, Kombucha cultivation proved too much trouble for most of us. Luckily it can now be bought in powdered form to which we have added the benefits of green tea and some subtle fruit oils to create a delicious, simple health drink. This fine quality tea is produced in Japan. The very fruity scent of plum and mirabelle is a pleasure, especially in spring and summer time.
-
As low as £14.00Potent ginseng root is blended with rich, sweet Sencha tea then flavoured with lemon oil. These two superfood ingredients make a happy pairing.
-
As low as £19.00This is a First Flush, or 'Shincha' Sencha from the slopes of Ryokuchi, Shimizu in the mountains of Shizuoka. The farm is on the island of Honshu. Shincha teas are the cream of the crop. The farmer, Yamamoto Kengo through the use of environmentally friendly techniques produces superb quality tea, which has a rich flavour and a strong fragrance. It is sweet and slightly floral with some creamy notes, a hint of toasted almond, sweet melon, a refreshing menthol tone and a cleansing grapefruit finish.
-
As low as £18.00This Japanese green tea is grown in the rich, volcanic soil of Fog Island. The tea gets its special flavour by being pan-roasted. It is tangy, berry-like, with an almond aftertaste and a deep aroma with tones of citrus, grass and dark berries.
