Humans have enjoyed and been comforted by a cup of tea for about 4,000 years. Tea is second most consumed beverage in the world. Water is the number one drink.

There are three basic types of tea, all derived from the shrub Camellia sinensis. Black tea and green both come from the Camellia sinensis bush, what makes them different is the processing methods they are subjected to.
Black tea been fully fermented
Green tea is not fermented but steamed.
Oolong tea the leaves have been partially fermented
India produces the most black tea and China the most green tea.

A tea's name often indicates its geographic origin such as Ceylon tea comes from Sri Lanka. Darjeeling is a district at the foothills of the Himalayas and Assam is a province in Northern India, hence Darjeeling and Assam teas.
Most green tea comes from China but alot of green tea is grown in Japan. There are several kinds of green teas , listed are some of the most common

Dragonwell or Lungching:
This is of the finest of Chinese green teas, Dragonwell is named after a famous dragon shrine. The tea is light yellow- emerald color with a, herbaceous, sweet flavor.
Jasmine:
This Chinese green tea is produced by spreading fresh jasmine flowers over dried green tea leaves. As the jasmine flowers dry, the tea leaves absorbs the flowers perfume. This brew is floral, refreshing sweet and exotic.
Gunpowder:
The Chinese call the tightly rolled gray-green leaves of tea resemble gunpowder, the smaller the "pellets' the higher quality of the tea. The pellets unfold during the steeping time to release a sweet pungent flavor
Genmaicha: A Japanese green tea blend of toasted rice kernels and the finest sencha leaves. This recipe is said to have come from the monks of Tibet. The flavor is grassy, nutty , toasty, a very different taste.
Sencha: A premium Japanese tea with a delicate, grassy and refreshing flavor.This is the most popular tea in Japan
Young Hyson: Hyson teas are large leafed, pan-fired to cure the leaves. Young Hyson is one of the finest grades made from tender young leaves. This tea yields a golden brew with an herbal flavor.
Kukicha Twig: This Japanese teas is made up of the twigs of the tea bush . Some are lightly roasted.The tea produces a very light infusion and has the least amount of caffeine, with a rather smokey flavor

*What is in green tea? There are many healing nutrients plus antioxidants. Listed are some of the gifts green tea holds.
Catechins (Bitter Ingredients of Green Tea) Reduces risk of cancer, Restrains tumors, Reduces risk of mutations, Lowers blood cholesterol , Prevents high blood pressure , Prevents high blood sugar, Kills bacteria, Fights with flu virus , Prevents cavities Prevents bad breath
Caffeine
Keeps you awake , (Relieves fatigue or sleepiness), Works as diuretic, Has much lower amounts than coffee or colas
Vitamin C
Reduces stress, Prevents cold and flu
Vitamin B Complex
Promotes metabolism(helping with weight loss) Green tea is also has thermogentic properties. It burns fat!
Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid (GABA)
Lowers high blood pressure, Flavonoids, Strengthens the blood vessel wall, Prevents bad breath
Polysaccharides
Prevent high blood sugar, Fluoride
Prevents cavities Vitamin E
Works as antioxidant , Helps to maintain youthfulness
Theanine a kind of amino acid
Epigallocatechin-3-gallate
In recent testing this substance showed it killed cancer cells in samples of skin, lymph system, and prostate tissue taken from both humans and mice while leaving healthy cells unharmed, according to researchers from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
"It seems that somehow, through a cell-cell signaling pathway, it is communicated to the cancer cells that they better commit suicide or they'll be murdered," the researcher says. "So cells make a decision and undergo apoptosis but we don't know the signaling pathway."
According to an article at Msnbc.com using green tea extract on the skin may be just as effective against skin cancer as drinking 4 cups of green tea {1996 Green Tea Industry Handbook}**

We carry this fine line of green teas in our on-line tea shop.