Green Tea
WHAT IS GREEN TEA? Green tea hails from China where it’s been cultivated since the Han Dynasty (206-220), though it was used primarily for medicinal purposes at that time, it wasn’t until China’s early Tang Dynasty (600-900) that green tea started being consumed as a sipping tea. While many people assume that green tea is a variety all on its own, it is in fact, made from leaves of the very same plant as Black, Oolong, and English Breakfast teas, Camellia sinensis. Read more >
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Green Tea With Eleuthero from Celebration Herbal is a unique take on a Chinese classic. This Green Tea comes from the Fujian region of China where the tender young leaves are at their most flavourful. The leaves are then gently washed, steamed, rolled and dried to retain their delicate flavour and aroma. Eleuthero, also known as ‘Siberian Ginseng’, is a well known medicinal herb with a long his...
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Gunpowder Green Tea from Celebration Herbals is a light, sweet, classic green tea. A traditional green tea from China, high quality Gunpowder Green Tea brews into a yellow-green colour and is referred to as "Pearl Tea" by the Chinese. Made from full, tender young green tea leaves that are made into smaller pieces so that you can enjoy the full flavour and quality of a whole leaf tea with the co...
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Japanese Sencha Green Tea from Celebration Herbals tastes of green leaves with a medium vegetable flavour with a somewhat complex finish. A truly Japanese style tea, Sencha Green Tea is very different from “ordinary” green teas. It is the higher grade cousin of “Bancha” green tea which is the market leader of Japanese style teas. Sencha tea is a far superior tea, but is lesser known due to seld...
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Celebration Herbals presents loose Green Matcha tea which is an organic full-bodied tea that liquors to a rich green colour. Matcha offers a classic deep flavour and aroma much like Japanese style teas. The entire tea leaf is used when making Matcha and made into a fine powder. What's left is a hot cup of strong flavoured, antioxidant-rich tea that's high in caffeine. Matcha is enjoyed hot and ...
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Triple Green Matcha Tea by Celebration Herbals blends match, sencha and chunmee to make this flavourful brew. Matcha has a strong, full-bodied flavour, Sencha is robust and settles to a beautiful dark green colour, and Chnumee is mellow and sweet with floral and smoky undertones. Blended together, you get a high-quality organic brew that's not only rich in colour, but in flavour too. This blend...
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Green Tea with Cranberries by Celebration Herbals is an uplifting blend of mild-tasting, medium strength green tea with fresh-picked cranberries that offer a fruity top note. This blend offers a full-bodied cup of tea with a slightly sour taste of cranberry. Brew it hot or cold, either way, you'll appreciate the high quality, organic ingredients in each cup. [TEA]
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From Celebration Herbals, this is a classic Chinese green tea that offers a full-bodied flavour of medium strength. The addition of the purplish-black Elderberries combine nicely with this gentle green tea and provide a rich colour once steeped. This tea can be enjoyed hot during winter months to support immune health or cold with a touch of honey for sweetener during the summer months for a re...
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Oolong & Green Jasmine Tea from Celebration Herbal is a full bodied tea with a flowery, astringent and fruity flavour. This Chinese style tea is made by harvesting fresh jasmine flowers and storing them in a cool place. The blossoms are then layered amongst the tea leaves and as the jasmine flowers open, the tea takes on their beautiful scent and fresh, floral aroma; offering a delicate and sub...
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New Roots organic and non-GMO matcha is shade-grown and hand harvested. Unlike traditional green tea, matcha offers a vibrant green colour and creamy taste and texture. The matcha leaves are subtly steamed and then stone-ground into a fine powder. New Roots matcha has an exquisite and savoury taste. It can be prepared by adding 1/2-1 tsp to a cup of hot water or can be added to shakes, lattes, ...
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New Roots organic and non-GMO matcha is shade-grown and hand harvested. Unlike traditional green tea, matcha offers a vibrant green colour and creamy taste and texture. The matcha leaves are subtly steamed and then stone-ground into a fine powder. New Roots matcha has an exquisite and savoury taste. It can be prepared by adding 1/2-1 tsp to a cup of hot water or can be added to shakes, lattes, ...
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Green Tea from Celebration Herbal is a Classic Chinese Favourite! Mellow, smooth and serene tasting, this Green Tea comes from the Fujian region of China where the tender young leaves are at their most flavourful. The leaves are then gently washed, steamed, rolled and dried to retain their delicate flavour and aroma. Considered as a gentle, full bodied, satisfying, medium strength tea, Green te...
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Gunpowder Green Tea from Celebration Herbals is a light, sweet, classic green tea. A traditional green tea from China, high quality Gunpowder Green Tea brews into a yellow-green colour and is referred to as "Pearl Tea" by the Chinese. Made from full, tender young green tea leave that are rolled into pellets while drying, Gunpowder Green Tea leaves explode into full green tea leaves when brewed....
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Japanese Bancha Green Tea from Celebration Herbals tastes of green leaves with a medium vegetable flavour with a somewhat complex finish. Bancha tea is the market leader of Japanese style tea and is considered to be an everyday tea, because it is low in caffeine yet high in vitamins and minerals. Unlike many other green teas from around the world, Bancha tea brews into a beautiful dark green te...
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Premium Jasmine Green Tea from Celebration Herbal is a mild tea with a balanced taste and a rich, delicate fragrance of fresh jasmine. This Chinese style tea is made by harvesting fresh jasmine flowers and storing them in a cool place. The blossoms are then layered amongst the tea leaves and as the jasmine flowers open, the tea takes on their beautiful scent and fresh, floral aroma; offering a ...
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This White & Green tea blend from Celebration Herbals is a perfect balance. The mild taste of white tea meets the elegant aroma of this Chinese style green tea. White tea is known for its cooling properties, making it a great tea for a hot summer's day. It offers a sweet flavour with a mild smoky undertone, while the green tea in this blend is soft and smooth with a floral, herbal aroma. En...
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What is Green Tea?
What is Green Tea?Green tea hails from China where it’s been cultivated since the Han Dynasty (206-220), though it was used primarily for medicinal purposes at that time, it wasn’t until China’s early Tang Dynasty (600-900) that green tea started being consumed as a sipping tea. While many people assume that green tea is a variety all on its own, it is in fact, made from leaves of the very same plant as Black, Oolong, and English Breakfast teas, Camellia sinensis.
To make green tea, the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant are plucked, slightly withered, then immediately cooked to preserve the full nutritional content and prevent oxidization. Unlike Chinese green teas, Japanese teas are not withered and the leaves are steamed to preserve the colour, flavour, and nutrients.
Today, there is a wide variety of different green tea that is grown and harvested in many different regions of China and Japan, each with its own distinct flavour profile as a result of things like the growing method, timing of the leaves harvest, and processing method. Some of the most common green tea varieties include:
- Sencha – By far the most commonly known and consumed of green teas. Processed using common processing methods (steaming and rolling leaves)
- Fukamushi Sencha – Green tea that has been steamed approximately twice as long as regular Sencha – has a stronger taste and darker green colour
- Gyokuro – Made with tea leaves from a covered culture that suppresses catechins, resulting in a tea that is less astringent and has a richer flavour
- Kabusesha – From tea leaves shielded from sunlight one week prior to harvesting, giving the tea a darker green colour, full-bodied flavour, and lower astringency
- Tencha – Primarily used to make Matcha. Similar to Gyokuro, grown according to the covered culture method
- Genmaicha – Features soaked & steamed, then roasted & popped brown rice mixed with Sencha or another green tea variety in a 50:50 ratio
- Hojicha – Made by roasting Sencha or other types of green tea, which gives it a distinct roasted aroma
- Shincha – Or "new tea" – made the first picking of the season. Refreshing and invigorating, low catechin and caffeine content, and less bitter and astringent
- Matcha – Tencha which has been stone ground.
Green Tea - taste, texture, aroma
Given the wide variety of green teas, it's important to understand that the flavour of individual green teas will depend on terroir – i.e. the unique set of environmental and climate conditions in which it was grown. Generally speaking, a high-quality green tea, when brewed appropriately, delivers a fresh, slightly astringent, vegetal flavour with bright grassy after notes. Of course, depending on the variety of tea, it can also be sweeter or more bitter, nutty, grassy, smoky, or can have a bit of a seaweed flavour.
Brewing a Perfect Cup of Green Tea
Making the perfect cup of green tea is no easy feat, and is highly dependent on the temperature of the water you use. An optimal water temperature for brewing green tea is between 158 °F and 176 °F – this will allow optimal extraction of key compounds from catechins and tannins to amino acids and volatiles. But be sure not to boil the water as this will ruin the flavour entirely. You also want to make sure not to over-brew the tea, as this will draw out too much bitterness. An optimal brew time is usually 1 to 2 minutes.
Green tea is also delicious cold-brewed since this method extracts different amounts of the leaves' compounds, providing far less bitter and astringent compounds, and caffeine are extracted, which yields a pleasant refreshing flavour. To make cold brew green tea, add 1-2 spoonfuls of tea leaves to a large glass pitcher, add lukewarm or cold water, cover with a lid, and put in a fridge for at least 3-5 hours. Enjoy!
Active Compounds in Green Tea
Green tea is a nutrient powerhouse and has a much higher concentration of nutrients, most notably, chlorophyll, polyphenols, and antioxidants than other tea types. In fact, roughly 30% of green tea's dry weight is made up of antioxidants. The active components in green tea include:
- Caffeine – This is what is in large part responsible for green tea’s bitterness component. Caffeine is well-known to increase mental alertness and enhance memory.
- EGCG – Epigallocatechin gallate is a polyphenol that acts as an antioxidant, so offers protection against free radicals. Additionally, EGCG can support heart health and healthy blood sugar balance. EGCH contributes to the bitter quality of green tea. Other polyphenols in green tea include epicatechin gallate and epicatechin.
- Kaempferol, Quercetin, and Myricetin – Three unique flavonoids increase the body's antioxidant defence. There is also clinical evidence that they support a healthy inflammatory response and optimal immune function.
- Saponins – Saponins are natural foaming agents (responsible for the frothing we see in certain teas). Green tea leaves contain around 0.1% saponins, which imparts the tea with a strong bitterness and astringency. Saponins have many functions in the body, with a very important one being supporting healthy cholesterol levels.
- Theanine – This is an amino acid found in tea leaves, and is responsible for providing the full-bodied flavour profile of green tea. Theanine impacts nerve impulses in the brain and the release of neurotransmitters. It has a natural calming effect on the body and mind without causing drowsiness.
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