Japan Japanese Sencha ("steamed tea ") Even, dark-green leaf of selected quality. Tenderly sweet note with clear, light yellow cup. Bancha ("usual tea") Tea harvested in the late summer with rougher leaf than Sencha. More freshly, an easily harsh character with little caffeine. Matcha ("milled tea ") High-quality green tea milled down to fine powder which is used in the Japanese tea ceremony. Intensively green colour and lightly harsh taste. Kukicha ("stalk tea ") Consists predominantly of stalks and is almost free of caffeine. Strong, sweet taste. Gyokuro ("noble dew drop ") Top quality under the Japanese green teas with darkly green leaf. Gyokuro is a pure shadow tea. Specially planted trees keep the buds in the shadow so that the strong and at the same time fresh and very flowery flavour can develop. Light green cup. Genmaicha Fresh sencha, mixed with roasted full grain rice. Malty taste. Houjicha Roasted green tea with dark leaf and golden cup. Light roasting flavour Tamaryokucha Top quality with small, dark leaf and bright green cup. Moderate taste. Japan Kokeicha This speciality is made from a paste made from green tea powder and water which is then pressed by a special machine into needle-like leaves. Mild-aromatic taste with lightly green cloudy cup. China Chinese Sencha Large leaves, pleasantly finely harsh but not to bitter taste. Honey colour cup. Lung Ching ("dragon wells") Emerald green, even leaf. This speciality often is called royal tea and tastes fully aromatic and spicy sweet Chun Mee Crescent shaped leaf with strong spicy taste Gunpowder One of the best known green teas. Each leaf is rolled in such a way that its form reminds of gunpowder. Fresh and harsh taste. The best quality is the so called "Temple of Heaven". White tea White teas are produced very carefully so that the white tips are saved. Well known types of white tea are Pai Mu Tan with its very large leaves and Pi Lo Chun. The taste is flowery and aromatic. The cup is lightly golden yellow. Scented tea Partly fermented tea with rolled leaf to which fresh blossoms are added. The leaf starts fermenting and thereby receives the smell of the blossoms. Eventually leaves and the blossoms are dried. Bright cup with notable taste of the respective blossom. Examples: Jasmine tea, Sweet Osmanthus Taiwan (Formosa) Taiwan is well-known for its partly fermented Oolong teas; freshly spicy taste and dark-yellow cup India Beside green teas from Assam and Darjeeling India recently also offers Darjeeling Oolongs; characteristic taste with bright cup.