no more coffee!

I'm an addict.

And I'm currently addicted to...

Green Tea!

As I wean myself off coffee, I find myself getting hooked on this brew instead. Which isn't such bad thing `cause everybody knows it's got anti-oxidating properties.

Googling for which variety would suit me best, I learned that basically there are two types of green tea, Chinese and Japanese.

Of the Chinese variety there are (6) kinds:

1. Longjing ("dragon well"; also lung ching) is a famous tea from the town of Longjing, near Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. Longjing is further divided into 7 grades: Superior (qiqiang), Special (queshe) and then 1 down to 5.
2. Mao feng ("Mao Peak") is a famous tea from Mount Huangshan.
3. Gunpowder is a basic green tea from China's Anhui Province. The tea takes its name from the grey-green rolled-leaf balls. In Chinese it is called (zhūchá, "pearl tea" / "bead tea," not to be confused with Boba tea). This is the tea which is exported to the Maghreb and used in the preparation of traditional North African mint tea.
4. Zhenmei (zhēnméi chá, "precious eyebrow tea", also chun mee), the most common type in China, is named after the shape of the tea leaves.
5. Jasmine tea
6. Hyson is an early-harvested tea whose leaves are twisted in a long, thin style.

And of the Japanese kind there are eight (8)

1. Matcha ("rubbed tea") is the highest grade of green tea, used primarily in the tea ceremony. The tea bushes are shaded from sunlight for 3 weeks before harvesting, producing amino acids that sweeten the taste. The leaves are then ground to a fine powder, which is simply blended in lukewarm water for consumption.
2. Gyokuro ("jewel dew") is unground matcha leaf, prepared for consumption by infusion.
3. Sencha ("broiled tea") is the most common type of green tea in Japan, accounting for 75% of production. It is made from the young leaves of uncovered plants.
4. Shincha ("new tea") is newly harvested, lightly steamed sencha. It is aromatic but highly perishable, lasting for only about 3 months.
5. Genmaicha ("brown rice tea") is sencha mixed with roasted brown rice.
6. Bancha ("number tea") is from the last harvest of the season. It is milder, cheaper and contains less caffeine than other varieties.
7. Hojicha ("roasted tea") is prepared by roasting bancha leaves.
8. Kukicha ("stem tea") is made from tea twigs instead of leaves. It contains only a tenth of the caffeine of leaf tea and its flavor is commonly compared to oolong teas.

The brand I'm drinking doesn't say from which country, nor of which variety it is. It just says its authentic. *scratch head*

Mental note: Change tea brand.

Reference: wikipedia, green-tea.us