All tea comes from the same plant (camellia sinensis) and like most plants, its leaves are green. Green tea preserves that green color and freshness. China and Japan produce the highest quality green teas, though many other countries are now producing it as well. Green tea usually produces a light body with mild astringency and a vegetal/grassy character.
Traditional Japanese green teas are steam-fired (unlike the dry-firing of Chinese green tea) which makes them more rich, brothy, and grassy. Their appearance alone identifies them in their long, emerald needles or fine green particulate leaf. The most popular style is sencha tea with all other Japanese teas being defined in their differentiation from sencha.
