Consumed for centuries, appreciated by tea lovers around the world and lauded for its traditional use in Chinese herbal medicine, green tea offers a mellow, grassy flavour with a welcome hint of sweetness and astringency. Depending on the type you select, some green teas yield notes of nuttiness, while others contain floral and fruity undertones — and even a hint of umami!

Whether you’re an avid tea sipper or new to brewing this delicious herbal blend, there’s no better time to incorporate green tea into your daily diet.

Harvesting

The leaves are harvested by hand or machine in the early spring and summer months. Farmers tend to select young, tender leaves and buds as they offer the best flavour.

Withering

The leaves are spread out to wilt for several hours. This process helps to reduce the leaves’ moisture content and makes them more malleable.

Fixing

As one of the most crucial steps in the production process, applying heat to the fragile leaves removes the enzyme that catalyses the oxidation reaction, preserving the chlorophyll that gives green tea its unique hue. While fixing methods vary from region to region, dry heat leads to more floral, sweet and nutty notes, while wet heat gives green tea its depth and mineral-rich flavour profile. In Japan, they steam the green tea leaves, while in China, they pan-fire them.

Rolling

The green tea leaves are rolled and shaped to break open the cells and coat the exterior with its essential oils that give this tea its vegetal flavour profile and unique aroma. This step is usually performed by hand or by machine.

Drying

To avoid any chemical changes and remove all remaining moisture, the leaves are either air-dried or baked, which helps further stabilise and maintain consistency in flavour.

Sorting and packing

The last step in making green tea is to separate the leaves by size and quality. Some are rolled into tight balls, while others are twisted into long, thin strands. Different varieties of green tea may also be blended with other spices, herbs and fruits to create unique concoctions. They are then packaged and ready to be sold to tea lovers across the globe.

Enjoy the perfect cup within minutes

Whether you love it piping hot or packed with ice, brewing green tea is pretty simple. Warm your cup or teapot before brewing by swishing hot water in the cup or pot. Place your loose tea leaves into your infuser (1 tsp of leaves per 250 ml of water). Then put your infuser in the pot or cup and let the leaves steep for 1–4 minutes (depending on the tea you’ve chosen). Remove the infuser, and enjoy!

If you’re looking for an authentic experience, brew your tea in our beautiful teapot or our T2 teamaker or mugs — we have a variety of different teawares to fit your style and help make brewing easy for you!

Indulge in the highest-quality range of green tea at T2

At T2, we carry an exciting array of high-quality, organic green teas that are sustainably sourced and beautifully packaged to create a warming and evocative drinking experience. Choose from our delicious Japanese Sencha, Gyokuro or China Jasmine teas. Or consider our popular blends such as Green Rose, Gorgeous Geisha or Gunpowder Green and sample their nuanced flavours. These delicious teas come in loose-leaf and teabags to keep steeping simple for you.

One of our bestsellers, Buddhas Tears, has a healthy blend of green tea and jasmine and has a delicate, light taste, ideal for an afternoon pick-me-up. Our certified organic teas have a range of flavours, from fresh and delicate, to hearty and warm, to fruity and tropical, so everyone can enjoy the warming benefits of green tea!

Bring these amazing teas into your home by shopping our selection online or visiting one of our physical locations — we’d love to welcome you into one of our stores and the T2 family.