Thanks Nyororin! That is very interesting and it explains why I have never been able to talk about "green tea" all that successfully with people from other countries. :)

The American green tea looks horrible! In the Uk 'green tea' is usually anything that isn't herbal tea, or black tea. So all Chinese tea, white teas, Japanese tea, 麦茶、ほうじ茶、煎茶、玄米茶 etc can sometimes be called "green tea". 抹茶 is pretty rare to come across.

But it usually comes as a tea bag at least, and not sweetened!

Edit: Have to say actually, when I went to the states this summer, I ended up drinking nothing but water and coffee after the first week. Everything tasted of artificial sweetener!

Ok what exatcly would you call now greentea? I thought Matcha, Sencha and so is greentea?
I understand that this sweet stuff in bottles with green tea taste isn`t really green tea.

And there`s also chinese green tea.

I agree with you drinking tea will reduce cholesterol in your blood and refreshes you. Even I give some of the brands in green tea.
- Exotic Darjeeling tea
- Nilgiri rare handmade silver tips tea
- Certified 100% organic Darjeeling green tea
Hope you will like it.

Here it gives also Arizona and Lipton Icea Tea. But I won`t count that as greentea, it`s more some drink with maybe tea inside.
What`s about Oishii Green Tea? Would you count it als Green Tea?

I don't like green tea...
I love coffee

I love green tea too.
Especially I'm addicted to the icecream of green tea taste.

I love iced genmaicha, but any other green tea seems unpleasant from the start and worsens rather quickly. Even the genmai depends depends on the ratio of rice in the blend.... those with a bit more rice seem to work with cold better.

I was taught the chinese classification of teas and I haven't seen any other explanation that is consistent. It is based on how long the plant's leaves are cured. White teas - almost not at all; green teas - cured for less than a year (? not sure about the time frame - its been too long), and then black or red teas are aged anytime over a year. Some plants are better for one type of aging than others and thus have become the best known for that type of tea.

Matcha and Sencha are green teas (or at least I have never seen them as anything else), but I have one brand of Sencha that seems almost in the category of a black tea. I have found Jasmine as both a black tea and green tea, though I prefer it as green.

Not sure what boricha would be classed as, but given that the barley is roasted and the resulting taste, I would consider it a black tea.

I love green tea ,I will try that way