Green Tea
Buying Green Tea
Green tea buying guide: where to buy, what to look for, harvest dates, grades, pricing, and recommended starter teas for exploring Chinese and Japanese greens.
Introduction
The green tea market is split between mass-market products of modest quality and specialty vendors offering exceptional teas at fair prices. Knowing what to look for helps you avoid disappointment and discover teas that justify the price of quality.
What to Look For
Harvest date: The single most important indicator. Quality vendors always display the year and often the season of harvest. Avoid green tea without a harvest date — it may be years old. Origin specificity: "Longjing from Shifeng Mountain" is better than "Chinese Green Tea." Specific provenance signals that the vendor cares about sourcing. Appearance: Whole, intact leaves with vibrant color. Broken, dusty, or yellowish leaves indicate poor processing or age.
Freshness Is Critical
Green tea is a seasonal product. Japanese shincha (first harvest) arrives in April-May; Chinese pre-Qingming teas in March-April. The best vendors sell current-year production and discount or remove previous year's stock. For Japanese greens, many vendors offer pre-order programs for new harvest deliveries.
Pricing Reality
Quality green tea costs $5-15 per 50g at specialty vendors — $0.25-0.75 per cup before re-steeping. Premium grades (gyokuro, pre-Qingming Longjing) range $15-50 per 50g. These prices are comparable to specialty coffee on a per-cup basis and dramatically better value when you factor in re-steeping.
Starter Recommendations
For Japanese green tea newcomers: A mid-grade fukamushi sencha from Kagoshima or Shizuoka. Forgiving to brew, approachable flavor, good value. For Chinese green tea newcomers: Pre-Guyu Longjing (not the extreme-premium pre-Qingming). Clean chestnut sweetness, easy to brew grandpa-style. For the adventurous: A small quantity of gyokuro — the umami intensity will redefine your understanding of what green tea can be.
Sample Before Committing
Most specialty vendors sell 10-25g sample sizes. Buy 4-5 samples from a vendor's range before committing to larger purchases. Your palate will develop rapidly once you start comparing different greens side by side.