Japanese Tea

Japanese Tea for sale online

Discover the varieties of Japanese Tea from the Terza Luna online shop

At Terza Luna, you can purchase the best varieties of Japanese tea for sale online. Our passion for Japanese teas has led us to discover and learn about the most famous Japanese tea plantations. In this way, we have created an online shop for Japanese teas among the most well-stocked in Italy, aimed at all experts and enthusiasts in the sector.

Each Japanese loose leaf tea for sale on Terza Luna has been carefully chosen with care, attention, and passion.

We are in fact one of the most well-stocked online tea shops in Italy with over 600 different products, carefully selected from the best tea, herbal tea, and spice producers in the world, like our Japanese teas, directly from the most important producer and consumer of this beverage, Japan.

Japanese Green Teas

History and origins of the most prized varieties of Japanese tea

In the island, Japanese green tea is the only type of tea produced. But where does the tea culture in Japan originate from? The first Japanese teas were imported from China about 900 years ago, during the Song dynasty by a Buddhist monk. The cultivation of tea plants in Japan quickly spread to what are still the main production areas today. Japanese green tea has become over time one of the most prized and appreciated varieties and origins in the world.

It is estimated that over eighty thousand tons of Japanese tea are produced in Japan each year, always and only green.

There are many varieties that have emerged over time thanks to their quality. Varieties of Japanese teas that we will discuss in the next paragraph.

Best Japanese Green Teas

Let's discover all the varieties and types of Japanese green teas

The fact that only green tea is cultivated in Japan makes this a unique and highly sought-after product in the world, and the selections of this Japanese tea are absolutely top-notch. Over time, many varieties of Japanese green teas have emerged that are now known to many of you. Below, we will look at some, from the most famous like Japanese matcha teas and sencha teas to the lesser-known but highly prized Japanese teas Gyokuro and Fukamushi.

Let's discover their characteristics, properties, and methods of using Japanese green tea.

Sencha Tea

Sencha Tea in Japan is by far the most cultivated and consumed variety. The production of Sencha accounts for about three-quarters of the entire tea production in Japan. From this variety of tea, extremely prized qualities can be obtained, up to medium-low qualities intended for mass consumption. The leaves of Japanese Sencha are harvested in spring, steamed, and finally dried. Here they take on the traditional pine needle shape. In taste, this Japanese tea is harmonious in a perfect balance between sweet and astringent. The infusion colors range from golden yellow to dark green.

Like most green teas, Sencha should be infused for no more than 3 minutes at a temperature not exceeding 70°C, in order to get the most out of this famous Japanese Tea.

Matcha Tea

The Matcha Tea that everyone talks about is one of the most traditional Japanese teas. It is a tea unique in its kind, very rich in beneficial properties for our body. Unlike all other Japanese green teas, Matcha is ground into a very fine powder after drying.

The Japanese Matcha tea is considered one of the superfoods precisely because even the solid part of the tea leaf is ingested along with the infused liquid.

Matcha is used in the Japanese tea ceremony and prepared with traditional accessories to enhance its value and taste.

In recent years, matcha tea has been classified among superfoods and functional foods because of its properties, becoming one of the most appreciated and celebrated Japanese teas.

To start, our organic matcha tea is definitely the most recommended.

Bancha Tea

Bancha tea has become famous for its low caffeine concentration and draining properties. It is also a widely consumed Japanese green tea both in Japan and abroad.

There are two variants of this tea: hojicha tea made from tea leaves and kukicha tea made from twigs of the plant.

Japanese bancha tea also promotes digestion and accelerates metabolism, is rich in vitamin A and iron.

Is bancha tea caffeine-free? Let's find out

For those who prefer a low-caffeine tea, Bancha is the Japanese tea recommended for this purpose. It is a type of Japanese green tea with a very low content of this stimulating substance and is also important for those looking for a draining and purifying drink, properties that characterize bancha tea and all Japanese green teas.

There are two variants of this tea: hojicha tea made from tea leaves and kukicha tea made from twigs. These two variants of bancha tea differ despite belonging to the same plant.

Hojicha Tea

Hojicha tea is obtained from the drying of bancha leaves, and has a very peculiar and unusual color and flavor. The preparation of the leaves for the drink is unique: the hojicha leaves are not naturally dried but roasted at high temperatures and then quickly cooled. The color of the hojicha green tea leaves thus takes on a dark color that is not due to the normal oxidation of other green teas. This process ensures that hojicha tea does not contain caffeine, giving it a more bitter taste.

Kukicha Tea

Kukicha tea is obtained from the twigs of Bancha, as the original Japanese name of the tea suggests. It is derived from pruning the small twigs and stems of the bancha plant aged for 3 years. Subsequently, the kukicha twigs are roasted - so much so that it is often called roasted tea - like the leaves used to make hojicha tea. The variety of Japanese kukicha tea contains one-tenth of the normal caffeine found in classic Japanese green teas.

Genmaicha Tea

Genmaicha Tea is prepared by combining sencha leaves with bancha leaves to which puffed rice is added. In some cases, toasted corn is even added. Genmaicha tea is characterized by its toasted flavor that sets it apart from all other Japanese teas.

The rice inside genmaicha was used to extend the life of this Japanese tea, although legend has it that a servant named Genmai of a famous samurai poured rice into his master's tea cup, which in a fit of anger killed him. Repenting, he drank the tea with rice, calling it Genmaicha in honor of the servant.

Gyokuro

The Gyokuro tea is one of the most precious varieties among Japanese green teas. Unlike most teas, it is grown covered with bamboo shades in the final stage of the plant's life. Despite having a high concentration of caffeine, Gyokuro does not have a stimulating effect different from others, due to its equally high concentration of L-Theanine.

Furthermore, this precious Japanese tea is much less known than other more famous varieties, making it a rare tea aimed at true tea enthusiasts.

Green Tea: Why are Japanese ones famous?

Japanese green tea is a variety of tea obtained from the leaves of Camellia Sinensis, a plant from which buds and leaves are used to produce tea. The characteristic green color is obtained during processing: in fact, during this phase, the leaves of green tea undergo minimal oxidation (much lower than black tea). This explains how this bright color invades the view of a package of green tea from Japan, just like our products available online at Terza Luna.

What does green tea contain?

Studies suggest that green tea leaves, in particular, are rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, which protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. The leaves of the tea plant concentrate large quantities of polyphenols such as flavonoids, natural antioxidant molecules typical of plants and especially green tea.

Furthermore, green tea retains these molecules more than other vegetables, thanks to its preparation method: boiling water, which does not eliminate nutrients itself and, being poured preliminarily on water and not on the tea itself, guarantees greater effectiveness.

Green tea: where are the best varieties produced?

Japan was a land colonized by Camellia Sinensis plantations only after China, thanks to the latter that the island and the entire archipelago can now benefit from this delicacy, green tea.

The main areas from which our Japanese green teas available on the Terza Luna shop come from:
• Kagoshima
• Shizuoka
• Nagasaki
• Ishikawa

But there are many areas where this exquisite plant is produced. Green tea has long been part of the millenary tradition of Japan, and from this, they also make a good profit, being among the top exporters in the world along with China, India, and many others. Each land that produces green tea carries with it secrets and peculiarities, making it difficult to find similar teas.

For years, Terza Luna has tried to discover everything surrounding this world and has gathered knowledge and experience about Japanese tea and more, which is why with passion, it has grouped together many varieties of tea, spices, and herbs from all over the East to spread knowledge and curiosity to all followers, tea lovers, and non-tea lovers.

How to prepare a good Japanese tea?

If you are wondering how to prepare Japanese tea, Terza Luna can satisfy this curiosity of yours. Many wonder how a Japanese tea can be prepared and served. The answer is simple: the numerous existing varieties of Japanese tea and their peculiarities make it so that to obtain the maximum explosion of taste - and the protection of the product - of each of these, a different procedure must be practiced based on the type of Japanese tea you want to prepare.