Looking for healthy and refreshing beverages? Here’s the best Japanese green tea brand offering amazing green tea bags and powder packed with nutrition and health benefits! It even aids in weight loss!
Savor the serene essence of Japan with our selection of the finest Japanese green tea brands. Each offers a unique bouquet of flavors, steeped in tradition and crafted with the utmost care, promising an exquisite blend of health benefits and cultural heritage in every soothing cup.
Which is the best Japanese Green Tea Brand?
One of the best Japanese green tea brands is Ippodo Tea. It's renowned for its high-quality teas sourced directly from farmers in the renowned Uji region of Kyoto. Ippodo Tea offers a rich, umami flavor profile and a long history of dedication to the art of Japanese tea.
| Best Japanese Green Tea Brand | Best For |
| Ito En | Ryokucha Green Tea Matcha Blend |
| Maeda-En | Gyokuro Green Tea |
| Kimikura | Tamaryokucha Curly Green Tea |
| Sugimoto Tea Company | Sencha Loose Leaf Green Tea |
| Hagiri | Sencha Ryokucha Green Tea |
| Ippodo | Sencha Hosen |
Top Japanese Green Tea Brand
Ito En
The first one on this list of best Japanese green tea brand is Ito En. This amazing Japanese green tea brand is one of the most popular Japanese Green Tea brands that bring forward wide varieties of green tea that are splendid in taste and flavor.
Thanks to its innovation, the brand is not only popular in Japan, but also worldwide. The brand aims at preserving the natural flavor of the green tea while adding a touch of enjoyment while you sit down to sip it.
You may want to try out the following:
Ryokucha Green Tea Matcha Blend
This is a premium green tea bag by the famous brand, Ito En. The tea comes in a high-quality triangular nylon tea bag.
The specialty of this green tea is that it is infused with matcha, a favorite ingredient amongst the Japanese. You can enjoy the flavor of this green tea quite easily and without any hassle.
You also do not have to worry about losing your tea bag inside your cup, as it happens with several other low-quality tea bags. The flavor is quite deep and it gives you a luxurious feel when you sit down to sip on it. The matcha adds a lovely scent.
Key Features:
- Premium green tea bag
- Comes in a high-quality triangular nylon tea bag
- Infused with matcha
- Lets you enjoy the delicious flavor without any hassle
- Deep flavor
- Gives you a luxurious feel
- Matcha adds a lovely scent
- Related: Types of Japanese Green Tea
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- Related: Top Japanese Green Tea for Weight Loss
Matcha Green Tea
The Matcha Green tea powder lets you enjoy a delicious cup of matcha latte or smoothie. The green tea powder is made using only the highest quality green tea leaves from Japan. This green tea is great for your health as it comes with a high content of antioxidants. Since it comes in a powder form, it is extremely easy to brew and enjoy.
Key Features:
- Lets you enjoy a latte or smoothie
- Comes in a powder form
- Made using high-quality green tea leaves
- Has a high content of antioxidants
- Easy to brew and enjoy
Maeda-En
The next one on this of best Japanese green tea brand is another popular brand in Japan called Maeda-En. This Japanese green tea brand has been striving to bring about innovative discoveries when it comes to green tea.
Over the years, the brand has really experimented with a lot of green tea flavors and has brought various variants to the world, including Green Tea Ice Cream and Green Tea Lattes. The tea is made using the highest quality green tea leaves and is made available at reasonable rates throughout the year.
You may want to try out the following:
Sencha Green Tea
Green tea is known to have excellent benefits for our health. It helps with weight loss, immune strength, pigmentation, and even bad breath. It is, therefore, advisable that you include green tea as a part of your everyday routine.
This green tea contains an antioxidant called Catechin, which is known to be 20 times more powerful than Vitamin E and at least 10 times as strong as Vitamin C. This sencha green tea is quite mild in flavor. It is, however, extremely flavorful. You can enjoy and pair a cup of this green tea with a variety of food items. You can also make a chilled cup of green tea with ice cubes.
Key Features:
- Helps with weight loss, immune strength, pigmentation
- Contains antioxidant, Catechin
- Mild, but flavorful
- Can be made into a chilled cup too
Gyokuro Green Tea
Gyokuro is an exceptionally luxurious form of green tea. Gyokuro, when translated in English, means jade dew. This is an apt name as the tea gives a lovely and rich green color when infused in water. It has a pretty sweet and strong flavor, thanks to the process with which it is made. The crushed blue-green Gyokuro leaves come in mesh pyramid bags that make steeping it in the water quite an easy job.
Key Features:
- Exceptionally luxurious form of green tea
- Gives a lovely and rich green color
- Has a sweet and strong flavor
- Made with crushed blue-green Gyokuro leaves
- Comes in mesh pyramid bags
- Easy to make
Kimikura
Kimikura is yet another famous green tea brand that is known for its pristine quality and delicious flavor of green tea. The green tea leaves are super fresh and of extremely high quality, ensuring that the green tea you get in your cup is nothing short of luxurious. The leaves are steamed and dried to preserve the beautiful green color of the tea. The leaves are then roasted and blended to perfection.
You may want to try out the following green teas from this best Japanese green tea brand:
Tamaryokucha Curly Green Tea
This green tea reaches your table directly from the farm, giving you an enhanced flavor that you will enjoy. The shape of the tea is round and curly, unlike usual green tea or sencha. It has the perfect balance of sweetness and astringency, making the tea a perfect companion for any kind of food.
Key Features:
- Enhanced flavor
- Round and curly tea leaves
- Perfect balance of sweetness and astringency
- Perfect companion for any kind of food
Sencha Loose Leaf Green Tea
This green tea has been made in a special style - the traditional deep-steamed leaves. It helps give us a sweet vegetal aroma and a delicious taste. It has a rich aroma that brings pleasure to your senses. The flavor is rich and creamy. The flavor lingers for long in your taste buds giving you a balanced sweet taste for long.
Key Features:
- Made using the traditional deep-steam style
- Gives a sweet vegetal aroma
- Delicious taste with a rich and creamy flavor
- Rich aroma
- Lingers for long in your taste buds
Genmai Cha Loose Leaf Green Tea
The Genmai Cha green tea is a perfect blend of roasted rice and matcha. It has a very savory taste that feels very smooth when you take a sip. It has a sweet finish that lingers on your mouth for a long time. The aroma is also brilliant and invigorating.
Key Features:
- Perfect blend of roasted rice and match
- Savory and smooth taste
- Sweet finish that lingers on the mouth for a long time
- Brilliant and invigorating aroma
Hagiri
Hagiri is yet another best Japanese green tea brand that you can check out if you love the taste of high-quality Japanese green tea. This brand brings out wonderful and luxurious flavors of green tea that you must definitely try out.
You may want to try out the following:
Sencha Ryokucha Green Tea
This is a rich, full-bodied green tea. It gives you a creamy, deep, and sweet green tea with some extra amount of caffeine. There is a hint of nuttiness to the flavor as well as some vegetal notes because of the sencha in it. This brews really well and pairs up with almost any kind of meal.
Key Features:
- Rich, full-bodied green tea
- Creamy, deep, and sweet taste
- Extra amount of caffeine
- Hint of nuttiness
- Vegetal notes, thanks to sencha
- Brews well
- Pairs up with any kind of meal
Ippodo
Ippodo was founded almost three centuries ago. Today, the brand is one of the most respected manufacturers and considered one of the best Japanese green tea brand in the world. It has some of the best-known green teas that are loved and enjoyed by people all over.
You may want to try out the following:
Sencha Hosen
Sencha Hosen is the perfect option for those who love drinking sencha green tea. It has the perfect and refined balance of flavor. It gives you a subtle hint of sweetness. The fragrance is also mouth-watering and tingles the senses. This green tea will give you a rich and sweet green tea taste.
Key Features:
- Perfect for those who love sencha green tea
- Has a perfect and refined balance of flavor
- Subtle sweetness
- Excellent fragrance
- Rich and sweet taste
Yamasan Kyoto
This Japanese green tea brand should be awarded for being the best organic green tea brand. The green tea harvested by this brand comes from Kirishima in the Kagoshima region where farmers make and blend their own organic fertilizer.
Hence, you can ensure the green tea to be quite nutritious and free from any chemical components. The Kirishima region in Japan is very well known for its rich and fertile soil where the harvested green tea will retain its natural taste and color.
Yamasan Kyoto promises to deliver the best green tea with a highly delicate and unique flavor.
You may want to try the following:
Hojicha 100% Organic Japanese Green Tea
As previously said, they provide 100% organic Japanese green tea harvested during the autumn season. The teabags are packed with whole and loose tea leaves. My favorite feature of their teabags is their creativity. They have been designed well to make sure they don’t move around and fall in your cup while mixing the tea.
A cup of Hojicha premium roasted organic green tea is sufficient to make you active and energetic throughout the day.
The rich aroma of this green tea is everything you could ask for. The flavor is light and smooth and leaves a pleasant taste in your mouth. You could also add your favorite herbs and fruit like ginger or lemon to give you an extra kick flavor.
Key Features
- 100% organic Japanese green tea
- Loose tea leaves
- Creatively designed teabags
- Tea leaves harvested during the autumn season
- Premium roasted quality
- Complements well with any herb or fruit
Ocha and Co. Organic Sencha
Another organic Japanese green tea brand that ensures the tea leaves are grown using natural and chemical-free fertilizers. The green tea leaves are Sencha which is the most common green tea consumed by the Japanese people.
The Sencha leaves are grown under the sunshine which boosts the Vitamin C content in the tea leaves and you can make sure to have a healthy cup of tea. The tea leaves are grown in a mountainous estate in Shizuoka where climate conditions are perfect for green tea cultivation.
The flavor of the tea is quite mild and leaves a subtle finish on your palate and has a very earthy flavor. The color of this green tea is so heavenly which is a golden green color. The aroma of this organic sencha green tea is enough to wake you up and get you going for the day.
The organic green tea leaves are vacuum sealed to ensure the freshness and flavor are retained.
Key Features
- Organic Japanese green tea
- Sencha green tea
- Grown under direct sunlight which boosts the content of Vitamin C
- Has a golden green color
Factors Influencing Quality and Taste Of Japanese Green Tea
The quality and taste of Japanese green tea are influenced by a combination of factors, including cultivation practices, processing techniques, and terroir.
- Cultivation: Tea bushes are meticulously cared for, with factors such as soil quality, climate, and pruning affecting the tea's character.
- Processing: The steaming and drying methods employed determine the tea's final flavor and aroma.
- Terroir: The unique environmental conditions of each tea-growing region impart distinct characteristics to the tea.
Health Benefits of Japanese Green Tea
Beyond its exquisite flavors, Japanese green tea is revered for its numerous health benefits.
- Antioxidants: Rich in antioxidants, green tea helps protect cells from damage and may reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
- L-theanine: This amino acid promotes relaxation and mental clarity, without causing drowsiness.
- Catechins: These compounds may aid in weight management and support cardiovascular health.
Navigating the Landscape of Japanese Green Tea Brands
A multitude of Japanese green tea brands grace the market, each with its unique heritage and offerings.
Ito En: A pioneer in green tea innovation, Ito En offers a wide range of high-quality teas, including their signature Oi Ocha brand.
Lupicia: Renowned for their exquisite tea blends, Lupicia sources premium teas from around the world, including a selection of Japanese green teas.
Hibiki-an: Dedicated to traditional Japanese tea culture, Hibiki-an specializes in premium single-origin teas from Uji, Kyoto.
Harney & Sons: This renowned tea purveyor offers a curated selection of Japanese green teas, including Sencha, Gyokuro, and Matcha.
ITO EN Oi Ocha: A popular brand known for its refreshing and affordable green tea, ITO EN Oi Ocha is a great introduction to Japanese green tea.
There are several benefits of drinking Japanese green tea. Here are a few that may induce you into drinking it:
- Green tea contains antioxidants that are required for health benefits.
- It keeps your heart healthy
- It also takes care of your brain health
- It helps you relax
- It may also lower your risk of diabetes
- It is also known to have a positive effect on weight loss
Choosing the Right Japanese Green Tea Brand for You
Selecting the ideal Japanese green tea brand depends on personal preferences and desired experience.
- Taste Profile: Consider your preferred flavor profile, whether it's the grassy notes of Sencha, the umami depth of Gyokuro, or the intensity of Matcha.
- Quality: Look for brands that prioritize quality and source their teas from reputable tea-growing regions.
- Price: Determine your budget and consider the value offered by each brand.
- Availability: Choose a brand that is readily available in your area or easily accessible through online retailers.
What is the highest grade of Japanese green tea?
Gyokuro is the highest grade of Japanese green tea. It is made from the finest tender leaves, which are shaded from the sun for about 20 days before harvest. This process reduces the level of chlorophyll and increases the amount of caffeine and L-theanine. Gyokuro has a sweet, mellow flavor with a slight astringent aftertaste.
Which is better Sencha or genmaicha?
There are a few things to consider when deciding whether sencha or genmaicha is better for you. Sencha is more of a traditional green tea, while genmaicha is a bit more unique. They both have their own distinct flavors, so it really depends on what you're looking for. Here's a more detailed look at each tea.
Sencha has a grassy, slightly bitter flavor and is lower in caffeine then other teas. It is also rich in antioxidants. Genmaicha, on the other hand, has a toasty, nutty flavor from the roasted rice in it. It is higher in caffeine than sencha since it has roasted grains in it.
What happens if I drink green tea everyday?
There are numerous benefits of drinking green tea every day. For starters, green tea has been shown to boost metabolism and promote weight loss. Additionally, green tea can help reduce the risk of diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Green tea is also a great source of antioxidants, which are beneficial for overall health. Overall, there are many reasons to drink green tea on a daily basis!
Sip away!
These were my favorite Japanese green tea brands that I absolutely swear by. I recommend you to try out the green tea manufactured by these brands to get a mesmerizing feeling. I love the excellent aroma and the beautiful taste that these brands provide. So, did you fill up your cart yet?
