Green Tea Questions

[jglazer75]

I'll throw down a second (or is it fourth or fifth by now) for the green teas. I'm not a tea person, I just gots to have my coffee in the morning. Black teas, while pleasant enough, just don't do it for me. It's not that I don't like them, but I often feel that if I'm going to drink a straight up black tea, I'll just brew the pot o' coffee or pull out the french press. On the other hand, I like to have a hot drink at night as I'm watching the Daily Show trying to ignore the rest of the day and I find green tea perfect for this non-activity.

[fiftydollars]

My favorite is the favorite in the article as well.........the Genmai Cha. I think its the toasted rice in it.

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Genmai means brown rice, i.e., unmilled rice. It is toasted and mixed with green tea.

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I love this tea!

The Republic of Tea sells this as "Tea of Inquiry" and I fell in love with my first sip.

I never knew the real name until now, but I have been drinking this for a few years. Can someone recommend a favorite I should try?

[waves2ya]

I can see there have a few discussions on 'green tea' (like this one) - but I can't seem to get the search tool to divine the answer to these tea q's...

Is tea like coffee in that it should be consumed within a period (?) after roasting/prepping for market? Is fresher tea (whatever that is) better for you than tea that's in bags (and boxes)?

Here's why I ask - I, like the folks on this thread advocate, have green tea during the day. I prefer Eden's Bancha (boxed & bagged tea) because it tastes best (lots of tasting went on; learned about various roasts) and the package/their other product lines gives me faith that this is a quality product.

However... I received this rather ornate box about 6 mo's ago from a friend who went to China. In it was a bag (ziploc, after digging thru more fancy packing) of 'green tea'. Really dark green tea. Prolly been in the box, like, forever. I can imagine this will taste strong. Chinatown herb shops are full of these nice boxes with somewhat strange products with undocumented authenticity & efficacy - tea aside.

Anyhow - tea pro's, green tea experts - would you drink the gift? Can you guide on q's...?

Many thanks.

[jpr54_]

describe the leaves-

are they rolled into balls? are leaves short/long, wide/thin?

does tea have an aroma?

my suggestion is to try some of the tea-take 2tsp of tea and try it with 6-8 oz. of water at 190 degrees

[waves2ya]

describe the leaves-...

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Yes. Balls. Leaves are kind of large, maybe on the wider side... Smells like common tea...

That's one of the things that got me thinking (beside gullet timeliness) as a podmate was espousing his ideas about green tea (is kind of a 'hot' topic 'round the 'cooler) and he opined that green tea, rolled into little balls can have ginseng in it (my box doesn't say anything in english) and is *really good for ya*. I dunno...

But he was describing the tea in this fancy box under my desk...

[jpr54_]

describe the leaves-...

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Yes. Balls. Leaves are kind of large, maybe on the wider side... Smells like common tea...

That's one of the things that got me thinking (beside gullet timeliness) as a podmate was espousing his ideas about green tea (is kind of a 'hot' topic 'round the 'cooler) and he opined that green tea, rolled into little balls can have ginseng in it (my box doesn't say anything in english) and is *really good for ya*. I dunno...

But he was describing the tea in this fancy box under my desk...

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try some of the tea-

u won't know if u like it if u don't prepare it and taste it-

[waves2ya]

try some of the tea-

u won't know if u like it if u don't prepare it and taste it-

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I did. It was god awful wretched.

But my q's stand (freshness, etc.). In fact, I found a thread where Owen asked just the same to no reply...

[James Kendal]

If you are really in to tea check out this link for an awesome tea supplier in Vancouver

www.tealeaves.com

[jpr54_]

is tea like coffee in that it should be consumed within a period (?) after roasting/prepping for market? Is fresher tea (whatever that is) better for you than tea that's in bags (and boxes)?

yes, tea should be consumed within 6 mos. of purchase

but alot depends on how tea was stored/pacaged when purchased and how it was stored/packed at home after opening and using.

i personally purchase sample sizes of teas when available so i can use them fairly quickly-

i store my teas in cannisters i purchased from www.imperialteacourt.com

i also place some teas in original packing in ziploc containers-not bags

i would not purchase teas from company that sells tea from glass jars-

most of my teas come in sealed aluminum(?) sealed pkgs.

i also purchase teas from reliable online dealers, etc.

joanne

[waves2ya]

i store my teas in cannisters i purchased from www.imperialteacourt.com

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Thank you for the ideas; here's url for Imperial Tea, a very nice site...

[kguetzow]

My sister in law always brings me green tea from Japan. It is always in a vaccum packed tube and very finely ground/crumbled. That seems to me to be exactly what tea shouldn't look like. Is there a reason for the texture or is this just cheap tea? I buy a lot of tea from Ten Ren and its always whole leaf.

[memesuze]

I'd suspect this is matcha - an entirely different form of the brewing ingredient. I believe it's "frothed" by twirling a bamboo whisk in the water with tea. I'll let those who are more expert in Japanese greens chime in.

[kguetzow]

It's not Matcha it's definitely Sencha. I'm probably being stupid, it just seems the leaves should be more intact, but I see a lot of sencha's online that look like this. I guess it's probably normal for it to have such tiny bits.

[Shel_B]

When I buy green, or other, tea, I usually loose teal from a few local tea shops, such as http://www.teance.com , that import directly from growers and small businesses in China and Japan, althoughI sometimes buy loose green tea from Peets.

[DickL]

While I don't usually drink green tea, from time to time I'll make a pot of Chinese gunpowder tea, which the package says is a green tea. I've only ever seen one brand, labeled Temple of Heaven "China Green Tea" "Special Gunpowder", so I guess you could say it's my favorite. Sometimes I'll add a little black tea like an Assam to the pot to darken the brew a bit. Temple of Heaven is frequently available in oriental markets.

[Hassouni]

Ito En's pricier offerings are still reasonably priced and are a pretty good product, that's mostly what I have

[redclover]

Anyone know of any good green tea blends? I've heard that jasmine and green tea go well together.

[Naftal]

Hello- My favorite green tea , when price is a consideration) is the Alwaza brand. I love to observe the unfolding-"agony"-of the tightly rolled leaves.

[egalicontrarian]

Like Naftal, I'll mention what I take to be a cost-effective choice, which is one of Upton's Chinese greens, "Young Hyson." You can read about and order it here. I find that it satisfies my desire for green tea quite nicely, and so I try to keep some around, whatever other greens I may have.

(Of course it is not as cost-effective as a box of Alwazah!)

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I'm very partial to fresh green tea from the Sangay plantations here in Ecuador.....

[donaldosborne78]

I'm very partial to fresh green tea from the Sangay plantations here in Ecuador.....

Why? Is there any particular reason?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Simply that it's the freshest tea I can get my hands on. Other greens are available here in Ecuador, but they're generally imported and so agéd as to have lost all but the most brutish flavours.

[donaldosborne78]

Simply that it's the freshest tea I can get my hands on. Other greens are available here in Ecuador, but they're generally imported and so agéd as to have lost all but the most brutish flavours.

I don't know that. Thanks for explanation, every day I learning something.

[CleanMe]

Some great green tea recommendations here - can't wait to try some of them

[social@naturestealeaf.com]

Just a quick question: is there any green tea that a pregnant woman can drink? It seems I can only find caffeinated teas in my markets. Thank you, Kimo (20 weeks pregnant)

It's very smart to avoid caffeinated tea while pregnant. And yes, there many naturally caffeine free choices out there that are not made from the tea leaf. There are some really great herbal choices that come with a ton of flavor and will also provide nutritional benefit. You want to be sure to use loose leaf product and not pre-packaged teabags. This is the only way to ensure you are getting the most benefit both in flavor and nutrition. Some of the best include: Hibiscus, Jasmine, Ginger Root, and even Licorice Root. But if you are set on green tea you can significantly reduce the caffeine level by doing a 20-30 second steep that you will pour out. The 2nd steep will have a much reduced level of caffeine and you will still have a great tasting cup. But again you want to use loose leaf tea. If you use a prepackaged bag that 2nd steep is not going to taste like much of anything. Some good green teas to try would be a nice Dragon Well, Tai Ping, or Sencha.