Green tea is not the darling of America’s tea culture. Most Western tea drinkers prefer black tea, a shift rooted in the history of the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution. Before the Revolution, colonists favored green tea, but the rebellion transformed their tea habits, switching to black tea and patriotic ‘liberty teas’ brewed from local herbs.
The transition from green tea to black tea in America resulted from political resistance to British imports, practical considerations in trade and storage, and evolving cultural preferences. By the 19th century, black tea had become the dominant choice for American tea drinkers.
What is green tea?
Green tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The Camellia sinensis plant produces white, yellow, oolong, green, black, and Puerh teas. How the tea leaves are processed determines the type of tea they will become.
China and Japan produce the most green tea, with over 1,500 varieties. The complexity and uniqueness of green tea are as boundless as the tea producers themselves, making the choices quite plentiful.
China is tea's historical birthplace and is famed for its green teas. Although China produces excellent black tea, 70% of its tea production is green tea.
There are so many tea artisans making green tea in these countries that it becomes challenging to describe it in any way. The best way to learn about green tea is to drink it. Because truthfully, tea is a culinary art. It helps if you taste it to appreciate it.
Black tea is usually preferred in Western countries, but as green tea becomes more popular, so do the opportunities to try different types. The quest to drink green tea every day becomes more accessible and effortless.
If you don’t like green tea, try a different variety. Not all green teas are the same. If you are new to green tea, read on for some recommendations to get you started.
And please, for a truly good green tea experience, stay away from mass-marketed, commodity green teas packaged in supermarket tea bags. Green tea has a short shelf life, and boxes sitting in warehouses for months and months will not offer the best. Opt for specialty teas instead. I promise you it will change your mind about drinking green tea.
How is green tea made?
Once the tea leaves are harvested, they are spread out to air-dry, a process known as withering. This withering reduces the leaf's moisture content and prevents oxidation.
Green tea is not oxidized. The leaves are harvested, withered, and then heated to “fix” the leaf. The heat prevents oxidation by deactivating the enzymes in the leaf that produce oxidization. This is why green tea is high in the polyphenol catechin called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).
(I’ll write about the benefits of EGCG in green tea in another post, as there are many).
The primary types of heat used in the manufacture of green tea vary. Artisanal methods include pan-firing or charcoal firing the sun-dried leaf. Modern methods heat the leaves by either tumbling or steaming the oven-dried leaf.
Chinese and Japanese green teas are processed differently, resulting in distinct flavors. Chinese green teas are typically oven-dried, which imparts a nutty flavor. In contrast, Japanese green teas are steam-dried, giving them a more vegetal taste.
One of the oldest types of green tea, Chinese Gunpowder green tea, is processed through tumble-drying. Meanwhile, steamed green tea is most commonly associated with Japanese-style green teas such as Sencha, where the leaves are often mechanically harvested rather than hand-plucked.
What are the best green teas?
As I mentioned, if you want to genuinely enjoy green tea and not drink it simply for health, stay away from bagged supermarket tea. Instead, purchase from merchants whose specialty is procuring gourmet loose teas sourced fresh and directly from their origin. The best green teas are from China and Japan.
Although other countries traditionally known for making black tea are also beginning to produce green teas, the most famous and historically proven ones are listed here.
Seven famous Chinese green teas:
There’s no mistaking the buttery yellow liqueur of Dragon Well tea. You don’t have to settle for bad green tea. As a lifelong black tea drinker, it took me a long time to like green tea. It wasn’t until I discovered some of the best green tea that changed all that.
Dragon Well or Long Jing — One of China's best known of all China green teas. It is praised for its jade color, vegetative aroma, mellow chestnut-like flavor, and singular shape. (This is one of my favorites.)
Green Snail Spring or Bi Luo Chun — Also known as Pi Lo Chun, meaning "Green Spring Spiral" from the Jiangsu province. A delicate leaf-to-brew leaf is added to the glass rather than pouring hot water over the leaves.
Gunpowder or Zhu Cha—Chinese gunpowder green tea is an even-rolled, pellet-shaped leaf with a smooth, nutty flavor. It is the most common tea used for the famous Moroccan Mint Tea. (I have an excellent mint tea recipe for a 2025 post.)
Jasmine Pearl — One of the finest quality Chinese jasmine. High-quality green tea is scented with fresh Jasmine. (Quality jasmine tea is not artificially perfumed —you’ll know the difference immediately.)
Fur Tip or Xin Yang Mao Jian — From Henan province. It is seldom available outside of China, although it is considered one of their most famous teas—slender, tightly rolled leaf.
Mountain Cloud Mist or Lu Shan Yun Wu—From Jiangxi province. Lu Shan Cloud Mist Green Tea is a legendary tea throughout China. Its taste is sweet.
White Monkey or Bai Mao Hou grows along the slopes of the Taimu Mountains in the Fujian province of China. The tea is intricately woven with beautiful white tips that resemble white-haired monkeys. It has a warm-colored liquor with a fresh, almost wildflower-sweet scent.
READ: Are You Curious About Matcha Green Tea?
Seven famous Japanese green teas:
Japanese green tea is revered worldwide as some of the best. It is quite different from Chinese green tea.
Hojicha — Roasted Bancha or Sencha with a savory nutty flavor.
Genmaicha—"Brown Rice Tea"—is medium-grade Sencha combined with well-roasted and popped brown rice. The rice adds a nutty taste. (This is another favorite of mine; it tastes like rice crispies.)
Gyokuro — "Pearl Dew" is Japan's best and one of the world's costliest teas. The tea bushes are shaded for the first three weeks in May, providing an intense and complex taste.
Kukicha—"Stalk Tea"—consists of stems and stalks blended with sencha or Gyokuro, providing a clean taste and light fragrance.
Matcha— Powdered tea stone ground from the tea leaf after removing stems and veins. Matcha completely dissolves in water, so you drink the entire leaf. The tea shrubs are shaded for three weeks before harvesting, increasing the chlorophyll and the sweetness.
Sencha — Japan's most popular tea refers to the first pickings of the tea bush in the spring. Delicately sweet to mildly astringent.
Tencha — The pre-cursor to matcha is made once a year and saved under refrigeration until powdered into matcha.
Tips for drinking and buying green tea
I recommend buying from a local specialty tea store to taste the tea. It’s hard to know what you like otherwise. When learning how to brew green tea, I find that most people's two biggest mistakes are using water that is too hot and steeping it too long.
Buy as fresh as possible. Green tea has a short shelf life. Adagio Teas has a wide variety of quality selections, including premium teas, in their Masters Collection. I buy from many tea shops and frequently buy from Adagio —it’s a good place to start with specialty tea.)
Read the country and region of origin.
Always buy Chinese teas of Chinese origin and Japanese teas of Japanese origin.
Do not over-steep – use short steep times as recommended.
Use water below boiling point between 165 - 190° F (74 - 88° C), depending on the tea.
Always use quality, freshly drawn water. Filtered is best.
Steep loose in a teapot, Gawain, or teacup with or without an infuser.
Most quality green teas can infuse for multiple infusions.
Caffeine in green tea
Green tea has approximately 35 - 70 mg of caffeine per 8 ounces cup. The amount of caffeine varies depending on the steeping time and the amount of tea leaves used per cup.
Tea contains zero calories. Considering all the studies showing the many benefits of drinking green tea daily, which may increase bone strength or decrease blood pressure across an entire population, these small changes make a big difference.
It's the power of compounded benefits over time. Simple habits, like enjoying a daily cup of green tea, can lead to remarkable health improvements.
❤️ ❤️ Please note this information is intended for educational purposes only and is not designed to diagnose or prescribe. Always consult your own healthcare provider before starting any new supplements (EGCG from green tea is available in supplements), particularly if you take medication.
❤️ ❤️ Please consider a paid subscription to Steeped Stories to help enlighten hearts and minds on the abundance of nature’s healing. Thousands of people are touched by Steeped Stories daily - but it takes time, money, and resources. Every bit helps - so consider gifting or becoming a paid subscriber. I am grateful for your support. 🙂
Thank you for this very informative article! I am especially fond of Dragon Pearl tea, but have yet to try many of the others you mentioned, Totally agree about supermarket tea.
I'm not a fan of green tea. I don't think I'll ever be. But your write-ups are excellent and interesting/fun to read.