Community Poll
Japan
After China, Japan has the oldest tea culture of the world. Sometime in between the 6th and the 9th century, buddhist monks have brought tea from China to the islands. Tea became available to the people only in the 16th century, as prior to that, it was reserved for the imperial court. Japan started to export its teas only around the middle of the 18th century. In Japan tea is not fermented. Right after the arrival in the factory, the tea leaves are steamed in order to stop oxidation by natural enzymes present in the leaves and to fix the green color. According to the quality the leaves are either hand or machine rolled afterwards. On the main island Hunshu, as well as on the smaller islands Shikoku and Kyushue, almost all plantations traditionally grow green tea; these teas vary widely, but all of them present a fresh, clear character.
