Best Japanese Green Tea UK: 3 Picks for 2026
Japanese green tea is not one taste. Sencha is steamed and rolled leaf, hojicha is that leaf roasted brown, and genmaicha is green tea mixed with roasted rice, so each brews and drinks differently. We sell three everyday tea bags from Otsuka Green Tea, a tea company in Kakegawa, Shizuoka. Here they are, from the reference point to the most distinctive.
| Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Otsuka Japanese Sencha Green Tea Bags 2g x 20 | The classic green tea, every day | £6.99 |
| Otsuka Japanese Shizuoka Hojicha Green Tea Bags 2g x 20 | A low-caffeine cup after dinner | £6.99 |
| Otsuka Japanese Shizuoka Genmaicha Green Tea Bags 2g x 15 | A toasty cup with food | £6.99 |
What is Japanese green tea?
Japanese green tea is tea whose leaf is heated straight after picking, almost always by steaming, so it never oxidises and stays green. Black tea and oolong come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, but are allowed to oxidise. Japan's farm ministry describes the taste as a balance of three things: umami from the amino acid theanine, astringency from catechins and bitterness from caffeine. For a kitchen, that balance is the point: green tea is drunk before, during and after meals in Japan, not only as a break.
Source: MAFF, "Japanese Green Tea" brochure and aff magazine, April 2022 (grade B); Shizuoka Prefecture, "Types of tea" (grade B). Facts extracted and reworded.
1. Otsuka Sencha Green Tea Bags: best for everyday drinking
Sencha is the green tea Japan makes most, and about 85% of the tea sold there is sencha. The leaf is grown in full sun, steamed, rolled in four stages and dried into fine needles. Expect a yellow-green cup with a balance of aroma, umami and gentle astringency, and a fresh green smell.
- What is in it: green tea, nothing else.
- Brew it: about 3g of leaf (one bag) with water cooled to 70 to 80°C, for 1 to 2 minutes. Cooler water and a longer steep suit better leaf.
- Chef's note: this is the tea to serve through a meal. Cooling the water is the single change that makes the biggest difference.
Source: MAFF aff April 2022 (production by prefecture, rolling stages); Shizuoka Prefecture (share of distribution); MAFF brochure (taste, brewing); SushiSushi label (ingredients). Grade A/B, facts reworded.
2. Otsuka Hojicha Green Tea Bags: best after dinner
Hojicha is sencha or bancha roasted over strong heat. Roasting lowers the caffeine and the astringent compounds, so the cup is brown, toasty and almost free of bitterness. Shizuoka Prefecture calls it a favourite after meals and gentle enough for children and older people.
- What is in it: green tea, roasted.
- Brew it: boiling water, straight onto the leaf. Unlike sencha, hojicha does not need cooled water.
- Chef's note: the one to offer at the end of a dinner, or iced in summer (brew with 1.5 times the leaf and chill at once over ice).
Source: MAFF brochure (roasting, caffeine, brewing, cold tea); Shizuoka Prefecture (after-meal use); MAFF aff April 2022. Grade B, facts reworded.
3. Otsuka Genmaicha Green Tea Bags: best with food
Genmaicha is green tea mixed with rice that has been soaked, steamed and roasted, so some grains pop white among the leaves. The rice gives a toasty aroma and the tea a clean finish, and MAFF notes it is low in caffeine.
- What is in it: green tea and brown rice.
- Brew it: boiling water, straight in, and pour promptly.
- Chef's note: a sturdy tea that stands up to fried and grilled food. This box holds 15 bags rather than 20.
Source: MAFF brochure (how the rice is prepared, caffeine, brewing); Shizuoka Prefecture (aroma); SushiSushi label (ingredients). Grade A/B, facts reworded.
Otsuka Japanese Sencha Green Tea Bags 2g x 20
The classic green tea, every day. Brew with water cooled to 70 to 80°C, for 1 to 2 minutes.
How do sencha, gyokuro, bancha, hojicha, genmaicha and matcha differ?
They all come from the same bush; growing and processing make the difference.
- Sencha: grown in sun, steamed, rolled. Deep-steamed sencha (fukamushi) is steamed more than twice as long for a deeper green, sweeter cup.
- Gyokuro: the bush is shaded for about 20 days before the spring pick, which raises theanine and lowers astringency. Brew at 50 to 60°C.
- Kabusecha: shaded for about a week, so it sits between sencha and gyokuro.
- Bancha: made like sencha from later, harder leaf; lighter and everyday.
- Hojicha: sencha or bancha, roasted.
- Genmaicha: sencha or bancha with roasted rice.
- Matcha: shaded leaf dried flat without rolling (tencha), then ground in a stone mill. Our matcha guide covers it in depth.
Source: MAFF aff April 2022 and brochure; Shizuoka Prefecture. Grade B, facts reworded. Matcha detail: SushiSushi Masterclass record on matcha.
How should I store Japanese green tea?
Keep it away from moisture, light, heat and smells, in an opaque sealed container somewhere cool and dark, and use it soon after opening. If it goes in the fridge, keep it away from strong-smelling food.
Source: MAFF brochure (storage). Grade B, reworded.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between sencha, hojicha and genmaicha?
Sencha is steamed, rolled green tea. Hojicha is sencha or bancha roasted until brown. Genmaicha is sencha or bancha mixed with roasted rice.
What temperature should I brew Japanese green tea at?
It depends on the tea. Japan's farm ministry gives 70 to 80°C for sencha, 50 to 60°C for gyokuro, and boiling water for bancha, hojicha and genmaicha.
Which Japanese green tea has the least caffeine?
Roasting lowers caffeine, so hojicha is the low-caffeine choice; MAFF also describes genmaicha as low in caffeine. We do not hold measured caffeine figures for these teas.
Is Japanese green tea good for you?
Japanese official sources say green tea contains compounds such as catechins and theanine that are linked with health benefits, but they cite no studies, so we make no health claim. Drink it because you like it.
Sources for this page: SushiSushi Masterclass record on Japanese green tea, drawing on the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, "Japanese Green Tea" (bilingual brochure) and aff magazine, April 2022, "Types of tea" (© MAFF; facts extracted and reworded); Shizuoka Prefecture, "お茶の種類と効用" (updated 11 January 2023); Otsuka Green Tea Co., Ltd. product certificate (1 July 2020); SushiSushi product labels.
