OK, so this is not of the alcoholic kind and maybe it could even go into the Health section but I just wanted to get a few notes down on Japanese green tea as it is really nice and supposedly very good for you.

Don't confuse Japanese green tea to those that are packaged as Green Tea but from China. They are quite different things and definitely far apart with regards to their tastes. It is quite funny how as a British Born Chinese I absolutely love Japanese green tea and my Japanese friends always talk about drinking Chinese Oolong tea.

A nice cup of cha

Anyway, back to the Japanese Green Tea. I find it very light, clean tasting but also very flavoursome. Depending on the type and whether I can make it correctly, it can have a sweet but also hint of seaweed taste.

There are two places in the UK where I buy my teas from online and there are:

Mount Fuji - this is a bigger online store

Ocha Teas - this is run as a small operation by an enthusiast

There are many different grades of green tea, ranging from the entry level to the very expensive premium stuff.

Another type of green tea that initially I didn't take to is Genmai. This is tea with roasted brown rice mixed in. Sounds very dodgy doesn't it. It is also the cheaper of the teas. However, now it is my favourite.

My tip is to use a small seive over a cup, put the genmai tea there, boil the water and let it cool for three minutes and I usually leave the lid open on the kettle. Slowly pour the water and you will have a delicious cup of tea. I think if you make it with the tea in the cup, you end up with the brown "rice crispies" things on the top and you are forever spitting them out when you drink. That's what probably put me off first time round.

Genmai is very smooth tasting tea and that toastedness is very appealing. I did get some Genmai teabags from Sainsbury supermarket that were made by Clearspring. They were OK but not as nice as the stuff I got from Ocha Teas. However, looking at Clearspring's web site I like what they are trying to do. They seem absolutely committed to bringing the best Japanese products into the UK so I will try more of their range.

I have been told that it can be high in caffeine though, but the antioxidant capabilities most likely offset that. 

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