Frequently Asked Questions

What are some of the health benefits associated with green tea?

Is your green tea organic?

What's the difference between your powder and loose leaf? Which is right for me?

Can you brew and drink your loose leaf tea, just like any other loose leaf tea?

Can I eat the green tea from the tea bags I buy from my grocery store?

What's the difference between green, oolong and black tea?

What about white tea?

I thought green tea was green tea. What's all the hoopla around Sencha?

What about Matcha powder?

What about the caffeine content in tea?

Can you explain the types of Japanese green tea?

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What are some of the health benefits associated with green tea?

Too numerous to list here. Please visit our Health Benefits page for an overview. Research excerpts pertaining to specific conditions can be found on our Green Tea Studies page.

Is your green tea organic?

Yes! Both our powder and our loose leaf teas are certified organic. Our farm has been organic for more than 3 generations. There are absolutely no herbicides or chemicals allowed during the growing process and zero additives, color enhancers or preservatives added after harvest. We are proud to bring you some of the purest and most nutrient-dense green tea from Japan. Our selections ensure that you consume 100% of the finest green tea leaves on the planet.

Our green tea powder takes the amazing health benefits, gentle flavor and convenience to a whole new level. It's so easy to consume hot or cold in an instant, you'll wonder how something so good for you could possible be so easy. Blend for a quick beverage in water, rice, milk, soy milk or juice. Sprinkle on foods or salads. This precious tea is organically grown, sealed on site upon order and flown to the U.S. Ease of use and portability make a quick health-enriching experience just a scoop away.

Some whole-leaf green tea connoisseurs tend to select the organic sencha loose leaf to use in recipes and grind into smoothies on their own to limit the processing involved with the leaf itself. It's also an easy form to use when you want to sprinkle a pinch in this dish or that. Our tea is processed under strict organic standards, sealed then flow to the U.S. from the exclusive Uji province in Japan. The teas are placed in our latched and rubber lined tins based on customer demand.

You can't go wrong. Call us biased, but we think you should stock up on both!

Can you brew and drink your loose leaf tea, just like any other loose leaf tea?

Of course. We love to drink brewed hot tea around here. It's not often you find such a tasty beverage that's calorie-free and relatively effortless to make. A cup of hot tea is a perfect way to catch up with friends and laughter, or just cozy up to a good book. Of course we encourage you to find a way to consume the entire leaf so as not to toss out the valuable nutrition in our organic leaves. Sometimes, we throw fresh brewed leaves into a stir-fry when we're finished with our tea.

Can I eat the green tea from the tea bags I buy from my grocery store?

It's not recommended, for several reasons. Tea bags are made up of what is referred to as "tea fannings."  This is essentially what's left over after the best leaves are utilized for the higher grade teas. Fannings are typically harvested by big industrial tea mowers. You can consider the tea fannings the crumbs in the bottom of your cereal box.  And because they are typically older and more processed, significant oxidation may occur. Also if the fannings become old and stale they may be strongly flavored by less than natural ingredients.

What is the difference between green, oolong and black tea?

All true teas come from the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant. There are three main types of tea: Green, Oolong and Black Tea, categorized according to their oxidation levels (called the fermentation process). Green tea is steamed, baked, or pan heated to prevent oxidation and thus the leaves remain green. Oolong tea is partially fermented (oxidized), and Black tea is fully fermented (oxidized). So why is Green tea getting all the attention in the science world?

It's mainly because of the antioxidant epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the main catechin found in green tea that is preserved, but lost in oolong and black teas. Antioxidants are thought to prevent free radicals and offer a host of other health-protective benefits.

What about white tea?

White tea also comes from the camiellia sinensis plant and is actually the early buds and leaves that are so young they still contain small white hairs. White tea is even less processed than green tea and it imparts a gentle flavor. The jury is still our on how the nutrition compares to green tea. While the lack of fermentation makes the nutrients present in the buds more readily available, there is some question as to how many nutrients are present in new buds that have not had the benefit of photosynthesis from the sun; which increases many of the antioxidant compounds in green tea. Some say white tea has more caffeine than green tea, some say less, but when compared to the caffeine content of other beverages, both teas have minimal amounts.

Green tea in general is a great source of antioxidants and other nutrients. The reason Sencha gets particular attention at Emerald City Tea can be summed up in one word: Catechin.

Catechin is made up of four main substances, the most abundant of which is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is the very substance that most current worldwide studies source as a key biological and biochemical driver for the numerous health-enriching benefits. For more detail see "catechin" and "EGCG" in our glossary section as well as some exciting research excerpts in our list of health benefits.

What about Matcha powder?

Although Matcha is famous for tea ceremonies and is becoming more popular in the west, it is actually the Sencha leaves that store the most catechins (antioxidants), especially the prized EGCG. Our organic sencha green tea powder is also more mild, easier to mix and more flexible in recipes and beverages than matcha. Try some for yourself.

On average Sencha green tea has 30% more catechin (antioxidants) than its green tea cousin Matcha, more than 4 times as much vitamin C and 2.5 times more vitamin E.

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If you have caffeine sensitivity it is important to listen to your own body. However, the caffeine content in a cup of green tea is generally less than one third of a cup of coffee. Also, the bioavailability of caffeine is dependent on the level of oxidation to the caffeine-containing agent. Oxidation occurs during processing, exposure to light and air AND to the application of hot water to the tea leaves.  Another reason to Eat Your Tea in our morning smoothie, Function Fuel or as an instant iced-tea with our convenient green tea powder.

Can you explain the types of Japanese green tea?

There are many varieties of Japanese green tea. Japanese green tea can be divided into three grades: Gyokuro, Sencha, and Bancha. You can find some varieties in both leaf and powdered form.

Gyokuro - green tea - a variety grown in shade which provide a unique aroma and flavor when brewed. This is the leaf that is used for matcha powders, used in traditional tea ceremonies.

Sencha, green tea leaves - is grown under full sun, which is one of the reasons the nutrient density of key ingredients in sencha leaves is higher. Sencha has significantly higher levels of key antioxidants such as vitamin C, Vitamin E and catechins (which include the prized EGCG, which is at the center of many research studies.) Sencha is the most common Japanese green tea in Japan, accounting for 77% of all tea production.

Sencha, green tea powder - Finely ground from sencha tea leaves. The most nutrient-dense green tea, because the entire leaf is consumed. The mild flavor also makes it the most flexible powder. It is a mild and calming flavor in hot tea, but can also be consumed easily consumed as a cold beverage. Sencha powder as a dish additive and baking aide is also very popular. Its light herb flavor typically serves as a flavor enhancer in many recipes.

Matcha - Made from finely ground Gyokuro leaves. This is the type of tea used in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies.

Bancha - Japanese green tea - Late harvested green tea. Often used to make unusual types of green tea such as genmaicha, which includes puffed rice in the mixture.