Green tea, a popular success for millennia
Green tea has been drunk in Asia for millennia. Having conquered the world (tea is the second most consumed drink after water), green tea continues to ride the trend. And with good reason: it appeals for its image as a healthy drink with many benefits.
How is green tea made?
Japan, India, China, Sri Lanka… Wherever it is produced in the world, green tea is a tea whose natural oxidation is stopped after picking. Tea leaves are dried to interrupt the natural fermentation process. After withering and rolling to extract their juices, the leaves are exposed to heat to be “fired” and retain their properties intact. The tea leaves are then sifted to remove stems and dust before being packed into tins or tea bags. They are then ready to be infused.
What is the difference between Chinese and Japanese green tea?
The method used to dry tea leaves is not the same. In Japan, the leaves are exposed to moist heat: they undergo steam treatment. In China, the birthplace of tea and the world's leading exporter, they are exposed to dry heat: they are “fired” for a few minutes in large copper basins placed directly over the heat.
What are the benefits of green tea?
For a long time, traditional Japanese medicine has recognised the benefits of green tea. While the country has the highest life expectancy in the world, regular green tea consumption is said to be one of the many factors put forward to explain it. Green tea, whose oxidation is stopped quickly, is the tea with the highest antioxidant content. Its high polyphenol content (also called catechins) is said to help strengthen the immune system, combat ageing and support weight loss. In addition, the presence of theanine may help reduce stress, providing a relaxing effect.
What is the best green tea?
Japanese green tea is particularly prized, for several reasons. First, because the Japanese method, which stops oxidation with steam, is thought to preserve more of the tea leaves’ properties and flavour. Next, because the entire country has elevated tea drinking to a true art form, with the tea ceremony lending it prestige. Finally, as domestic demand is high and the country is occupied more by vast metropolises than tea plantations, exports remain limited. This makes Japanese green tea rare and therefore more expensive on average than Chinese or Indian tea.
Which green teas are the most renowned?
In every tea-producing country, there are everyday teas as well as exceptional teas enjoyed on special occasions. In Japan, this is the case with “Gyokuro” green tea (“Dew Pearl”). Its distinctive feature? It is a “shade-grown tea”. Covers are placed over the tea plants a few weeks before harvesting, increasing their chlorophyll content. The result is a very mild seaweed flavour, much appreciated by the Japanese. Another highly renowned green tea in Japan is Matcha, the focus of grand ceremonies. This emerald-green powder is whisked in a bowl until it forms a froth. In China, two green teas stand out. Organic Long Jing, also known as “Dragon Well”. Harvested in spring, its light hazelnut and chestnut notes make it highly prized by tea lovers. Finally, Jade Pearls green tea is made from silvery buds scented with jasmine petals. A symbol of refinement, Jade Pearls are surprising: they can be infused not once, not twice… but up to 5 or 6 times in a row.
How to prepare green tea properly?
Which teapot should you choose for green tea?
If you drink not only green tea, but also white or black tea, choose a teapot with “no memory”, as is the case with the vast majority of them (glass, cast-iron and ceramic teapots, etc.). Only unglazed earthenware teapots retain aromas from one infusion to the next. They are recommended only if you always drink the same tea, as the tannins from black tea embedded in their walls could overpower the delicacy of green tea. For more information, please consult our teapot guide.
How long should green tea steep for?
Experts recommend an infusion time of 5 to 8 minutes. Not infused long enough? Green teas can be bland and lack flavour. Infused for too long? They release excessive astringency and bitterness. Steep the tea in hot, but not boiling, water: between 70 and 80 degrees. A higher infusion temperature could damage the tea leaves and reduce the intensity of the aromas and the vitamin content. As not all green teas are the same, and some are blended with other flavours, the simplest thing is to follow the recommendations on the tea tin carefully.
What time of day should you drink green tea?
Green tea can accompany you at any time of day. From breakfast in the morning, to brunch, afternoon tea, or to give you a boost and help you refocus at the end of the day. Enjoy it in summer and winter, hot or as iced tea. To make it, steep it in hot water, then cool it with ice cubes and add peach wedges, lemon slices or mint leaves to suit your taste.
Does green tea keep you awake?
Yes and no – above all, “it depends”. Just like the effect of caffeine, the effect of theine varies from person to person. Some will say they cannot get to sleep if they have had green tea after 5 pm, while others will sleep like babies. If you are sensitive to theine, we recommend choosing white tea, which contains less theine, or herbal infusions at the end of the day. Some may even help you fall asleep…
Which organic Kusmi green tea is right for me?
Fancy being surprised by an unfamiliar green tea? Here are the different green tea blends offered by Kusmi. The good news is that they are all organic, flavoured and packaged in France, and eco-responsibly wrapped.
Green tea is always organic at Kusmi Tea
Kusmi has chosen organic. Whether tea, plants or spices, all ingredients come from organic farming and are certified according to strict specifications established by the European Union. Checks and analyses are carried out regularly to ensure quality standards are met. This enables us to be certified by Ecocert, an independent body that carries out an annual audit of our production facilities. All these steps allow our tea tins to display the AB logo for France and the Euro-leaf logo for the European Union. The aim: to provide consumers with the best possible information about the quality of our products.
Green teas packaged and flavoured in France
Like all our other teas and infusions, Kusmi Tea green teas are rooted in French expertise. While the name Kusmi comes from Russia, it is in Normandy that our brand (which became French in 2003) develops, creates, blends, flavours and packages tea. More precisely, in Saint-Vigor d’Ymonville, near Le Havre in Seine-Maritime. Our metal tins are also made in France. Because fewer miles mean less pollution and more jobs in our regions. If supporting the French economy matters to you, you have come to the right place!
Eco-responsibly packaged green teas
Kusmi Tea is committed to recycling and reducing waste, for both our loose-leaf and tea bag teas. Our organic loose-leaf teas are packaged in metal tins, a material that can be recycled endlessly. Our tea bags are made in France from polylactic acid (PLA), a bio-based and 100% biodegradable material, before being placed in recyclable cardboard boxes.
Organic green teas selected by Kusmi Tea
While Kusmi Tea offers around ten scented green tea blends (fruity, exotic, floral, spiced, etc.), here we present plain green teas, which form the basis of all our recipes. The good news is that they are available loose-leaf (because it is good for the planet!) and in tea bags to go wherever you go.
Green tea Organic Gunpowder
Originating from the Chinese province of Zhejiang, Gunpowder is traditionally used to prepare mint tea. Its leaves are dried after harvesting to prevent fermentation, then rolled into small pellets – hence the name “gunpowder” (Gunpowder).
Green tea Darjeeling organic
Grown in India, in the mountainous region of Darjeeling for over 150 years, tea plants thrive thanks to alternating rain and sunshine, as well as the moisture in the mist. As this region produces extremely small volumes each year, Darjeeling tea is a true luxury product.
Green tea Organic Genmaicha
Discover organic Genmaicha tea, an unusual blend combining Japanese Sencha green tea with roasted puffed rice grains. The freshness of green tea combined with the pronounced flavour of the rice grains, which bring a subtle hazelnut note, makes this blend the ideal companion for a relaxing, indulgent break.
Green tea Organic Sencha
This is the everyday green tea, a staple in the Land of the Rising Sun, where it was born nearly 300 years ago. In your cup, Organic Sencha Green Tea takes on a light hue and offers refreshing iodised notes. A subtle fragrance with vegetal notes, evoking the scent of freshly cut grass.
Green tea Organic Long Jing
Also known as “Dragon Well”, this green tea is harvested in spring near the city of Hangzhou, China. Legend has it that in the village where this tea originated, there was a well that always provided water, even during periods of drought. Its secret? The dragon said to live there. Very different from the Western dragon, the dragon is a powerful symbol in Chinese mythology: it lives in water and represents strength, happiness and benevolence.
Green tea Hojicha organic
Grown on the island of Kyushu (“the island of volcanoes”) in south-western Japan, this tea thrives in a tropical climate that gives it its distinctive character. Roasted at a very high temperature, the tea leaves take on a lovely brown hue and, once infused, reveal a woody opening with roasted notes. A pure delight!
Organic green tea Jade Pearls
In south-eastern China, a craft has been passed down for over a hundred years: the meticulous shaping of Chinese green tea into delicate little pearls, ready to be infused. The silvery buds of this plain organic green tea are scented with freshly picked jasmine petals. They are then rolled shoot by shoot, pearl by pearl. A true artist’s work!
Green tea Premium organic Matcha
Originating from Japan, organic Matcha green tea is rare and unique. Only its finest leaves are picked, with the greatest care. They are then dried flat before being delicately ground into a fine powder between two granite blocks. A true goldsmith’s craft! Its emerald-green colour is equally inimitable. What you need to know is that it is the only tea whose leaf is fully absorbed by the water. So you drink its very essence, not just its infusion! With an incomparable mouthfeel!
Want to discover the criteria for recognising quality green tea? Click here.