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Japanese green tea is one of the best things to bring home: light to pack, long-lasting, and a daily reminder of your trip. But “green tea” covers a lot of styles. Here’s a simple guide to the main types and how to buy good ones.
The main types
- Sencha — the everyday green tea; fresh, grassy, slightly sweet. Start here.
- Gyokuro — shade-grown and premium; rich, sweet, and umami-heavy. A treat.
- Matcha — stone-ground powder whisked into water; vivid and full-bodied, also great in lattes and baking.
- Hojicha — roasted green tea; toasty, low in caffeine, lovely in the evening.
- Genmaicha — green tea with roasted brown rice; nutty and comforting.
How to choose good tea
- Look for origin — Uji (Kyoto), Shizuoka, and Kagoshima are famous regions.
- Buy recent harvest and reseal well; green tea fades with time and air.
- For matcha, “ceremonial grade” is for drinking; “culinary grade” is for lattes and baking — don’t overpay for baking.
Brewing basics
- Sencha: cooler water (about 70–80°C) for ~1 minute — boiling water makes it bitter.
- Gyokuro: even cooler (~50–60°C), longer steep.
- Matcha: sift, add a little near-boiling water, and whisk to a froth.
Where to buy
Good Japanese tea is available on Amazon and specialty tea retailers that ship worldwide; look for named regions and recent harvest dates. Buying in Japan? Department-store food halls (depachika) and specialist tea shops in Kyoto are ideal, and a nice tin makes a great gift.
Pair your tea habit with other Japanese treats, or learn to order Japan-only items via a proxy service.