Japan tea
94 Japan teas from 10 independent UK tea merchants, from £2.68.
Japan makes almost exclusively green tea, and it does so with unmatched precision. Nearly all of it is steamed rather than pan-fired, locking in a fresh, marine, umami-rich character quite unlike Chinese greens. The famous names are Sencha (everyday, grassy and bright), Gyokuro (shade-grown, intensely sweet and savoury) and Matcha (stone-ground shade-grown leaf, whisked whole). Most comes from Uji near Kyoto, Shizuoka and Kagoshima, with the celebrated first harvest (shincha) picked in late April and May. For UK buyers, Japanese tea wants cooler water and shorter steeps than black tea — get that right and a good Sencha or ceremonial matcha is grassy, sweet and vivid. Freshness matters: buy from merchants who state a recent harvest date.
What Cha
Japan Obubu Natural Gyokuro Green Tea
£11.40
Northern Tea
Matcha
£24.00
Brew Tea Company
Hojicha
£22.00
What Cha
Japan Kagoshima 'Okumidori' Matcha
£4.50
Brew Tea Company
Matcha
£22.00
Porterhill
Yoko Traditional Matcha Set
£39.95
Teahouse Emporium
‘Organic Matcha Hisui
£11.50
Teahouse Emporium
Formosa GABA Oolong
£5.95
Teahouse Emporium
‘Organic Matcha Asagiri
£20.99
Teahouse Emporium
Japanese Houjicha
£6.90
Rare Tea Company
First Flush Hojicha
£21.00
Teahouse Emporium
Japanese Genmaicha
£9.90
Teahouse Emporium
Organic Gyokuro Yutaka
£6.00
Teahouse Emporium
Organic Korean Woojeon
£3.99
Teahouse Emporium
Green Tea Bags
£4.50
Teahouse Emporium
Japanese Bancha Arashiyama
£8.50
Teahouse Emporium
Japanese Sencha Satsuma
£10.90
Teahouse Emporium
Green Tea Selection Pack
£10.50
Teahouse Emporium
China Sencha
£5.95
What Cha
Japan Obubu Light Roast Houjicha Green Tea
£3.25
Porterhill
Japanese Green Tea Adventure Box
£25.00
What Cha
Japan Yame Kuma 'Saemidori' Matcha
£4.20
Drink Marna
Hojicha (250g)
£40.00
Drink Marna
Hojicha
£23.99