Green tea has grown enormously in popularity in recent years, and it is hardly surprising. It seems that stories about the health benefits of green tea have hardly been out of the media lately.

What surprises some people is that green tea is not a modern fad. Green tea has always been overwhelmingly more popular in China than black tea, which is really only produced for export. And until the 19th century, a cup of tea in Britain probably meant a cup of green tea. So really the modern upstart is good old English Breakfast!

And as for health - well, in China they have never been in any doubt whatsoever about the benefits of drinking tea. It is just that Western medical orthodoxy has taken a couple of millenia longer to "discover" what traditional practice has known for a long long time.

So what is green tea? How does it differ from black tea?

There is only one type of tea plant, the Camellia Sinensis, and all teas come from this. The difference lies in the processing and specifically in the degree of oxidisation or exposure to air after gently crushing the leaves. Oxidisation is simply "rusting" of the leaves. Green tea is less oxidised than black tea. After passing though rollers it is left for a shorter period of time before oxidisation is halted by baking.

Because green tea is less processed than black, the natural colours and flavours are preserved. These tea bags have a grassy, straw-like flavour which is extremely refreshing and perfect for making ice tea in the summer. The brewed tea is a bright yellow-green colour in the cup.

To enjoy at its best use one bag per mug and pour on fresh water that has been allowed to cool a little off the boil. Brew for between one and two minutes according to taste - it needs long enough to infuse, but don't leave it too long or bitter flavours will begin to develop.

If you love our China Green Tea bags then why not branch out into some of the Japanese green teas? We suggest Japanese Bancha. This is a really delicious tea that is just as bright and fresh and which we think is even more exciting!