R-tea's single origin green tea comes from Yunnan province in China, the home of tea. Yunnan is the home of tea because the first tea leaves to be drunk were reported to have come Yunnan province as a medicinal drink during the Shang dynasty way back in the 16th century BC.

 

According to Chinese legend, the history of tea began in 2737 B.C.E. when the Emperor Shen Nong, accidentally discovered tea while boiling water in the garden, a leaf from an overhanging tea tree fell and floated down into his pot. The Emperor enjoyed the infused water so much that he was compelled to research the plant further and discovered tea's medicinal properties during his research.

 

Green tea come from unoxidised leaves of the camellia sinensis. As the leaves are kept in their natural form, the flavour of green tea tends to be more savoury and vegetal compared to black tea. Green tea also contains a higher concentration of catechins which has the antioxidant properties which makes the tea so renowned for its health benefits.  There is also a large variety of flavours, just like the effect on grapes for wine,varied growing conditions such as the amount of heat, humidity, sunlight, rainfall, terroir and altitude all play factors on the flavour. Greens teas can also be rolled, steamed, fired, pan fried and roasted, which again can affect the end flavour

 

When brewing green tea you should use water warmed to around eighty degrees. If you use boiling water you will “burn” the leaves and it will taste bitter, although what actually happens is that the hot water causes the leaves to over-extract and bringing out the undesired flavours from the leaf too quickly. So if you don't like the flavour of green tea, it's probably because you have been making it wrong. The easiest way to get the temperature right is to use a temperature control kettle, or let the water cool for 2 minutes after boiling, or after you have poured the boiling water add a splash of cold water to your cup.

 

R-tea’s yunnan green loose leaf tea is a large flowery orange pekoe leaf with a delicate sweet flavour with a nutty aftertaste. It is delicious on its own but we have also combined it with other components to create healthy natural tea blends. Most tea companies like to cheat by using syrups and powdered flavourings to achieve certain flavours, we only use real natural ingredients. Whether that is real lemon and orange peel,or ginger and liqourice root, or elderflowers or cornflowers, we only use real pieces of fruit, nut, seeds, leaves or flowers to create our blends.

 

Our first green tea blend is vanilla green, made using real vanilla pods cut and blended by hand for an authentic taste. It is sweet and delicious,for every day drinking. Our next green tea blend is invigorating green which is an enriching blend of fiery ginger root, zesty lemon peel and fragrant elderflower. This drink is perfect for waking up your senses and kick starting your day.