Green tea hub

Green Tea UK, Sencha, matcha, jasmine, decaf, every variety.

Everyday green tea bags

Tetley Pure Green, Twinings, Clipper, the supermarket-aisle classics

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Flavoured green tea

Lemon, mango, mint, jasmine, for when plain green is too austere

Matcha

Stone-ground Japanese matcha, Pukka organic, Teapigs, Twinings

Green tea is the second-biggest category we ship after British black, and it is also the category with the most variation. The everyday Sencha-style bagged green from Tetley or Twinings is a totally different drink to a stone-ground Japanese matcha, a jasmine-scented Chinese green, or a Pukka organic green-and-mint blend. This page sorts every green tea we stock by use case so you can pick the right one without reading 60 product descriptions. Brewing temperature matters more for green tea than any other category, 80°C, not boiling, or you scald the leaf and the cup turns bitter. Brew times sit at 1-3 minutes for bagged, 1-2 minutes for loose-leaf Sencha, 30 seconds for matcha whisked into a bowl.

Common questions

What is the best green tea for beginners?

A bagged Tetley Pure Green or Twinings Pure Green at 80°C for 90 seconds. Both are clean Chinese-style greens, low astringency, no bitterness if you respect the temperature. Once those become normal you can step up to Sencha, then a single-origin Japanese green, then matcha.

Is green tea less caffeinated than black tea?

Roughly 30-40mg per 200ml cup against 40-70mg for black. The difference is small enough that "I switched to green tea to avoid caffeine" is mostly placebo unless you were drinking a lot of strong black before.

What temperature should green tea be brewed at?

80°C, not boiling. Boil the kettle, then either let it sit for 2 minutes or pour into a cold cup before brewing, both drop you to the right temperature. Above 85°C the catechins (the bitter compounds) over-extract and the cup turns harsh.

Is matcha just powdered green tea?

Powdered green tea is "matcha" only if it is stone-ground Japanese tencha leaf. The cheaper "matcha" you find in supermarkets is often powdered Sencha or a Chinese equivalent, it tastes flatter and lacks the umami sweetness real matcha gives. Pukka Supreme Matcha and the Teapigs matcha sachets we stock are both real matcha.

Does green tea help with weight loss?

There is some evidence the catechins (notably EGCG) modestly increase metabolic rate and fat oxidation. The effect size is small, a few extra calories burned per cup. Drinking green tea instead of a sugary drink is a much bigger win than drinking it on top of one.

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