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Tea (ocha) is one of the most common beverages in Japan and is an important part of Japanese food culture. It is also the central element of the tea ceremony. The following is a list of some of the most popular kinds of tea in Japan: Gyokuro, Sencha, Bancha: These common Japanese green teas are made of dried tea leaves. The quality is listed in descending order. Houjicha: Another common tea, Houjicha is brown and made from roasted tea leaves. Matcha: Matcha is a bitter green tea made out of tea leaf powder. It is the tea used in the tea ceremony. Chinese Tea There are a wide variety of Chinese teas, some of the most popular kinds being Oolong and Jasmine. Kocha British black tea. Green tea is served everywhere and at any time of the day. Unlike English tea, Japanese green tea is served in cups without a handle and is never drunken with sugar or cream. The most polite way of drinking green tea is to hold the cup with one hand and support it from below with the other hand. Vending machines that can be found all over Japan, offer various kinds of cold and hot tea.

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English Links

About tea (Ippodo-Tea) Information on the various types of Japanese tea and how to prepare them. Online stores: O-Cha.com Green Tea Specializing in Japanese Green Tea & Accessories.

Product Links

The Book of Green Tea Book by Diana Rosen All About Green Tea Book by Victoria Dolby Toews The Book of Tea Book by Kakuzo Okakura

Japanese Links

Ippodo-Tea Lots of general Japanese tea information on this company web site.

Green Tea from O-Cha.com