I know its green tea because I ask them, but it has a distinct flavor that is much different than the green teas that I have at home. I've been to a couple different places and the tea is the same, any suggestions?
Go to a Japanese food market and look for green tea. The most common brand you will see is Yama Moto Yama. If they do not carry that then ask one of the clerks to help you. READ THE LABEL. I CANNOT SAY THAT ENOUGH BUT READ THE LABEL. BE SURE IT READS PRODUCT OF JAPAN. You DO NOT want green tea coming from China. No body knows how much 'other' substances they use when producing items such as green tea. Be Careful.
Ocha= Japanese Green Tea
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It is usually jasmine flavored green tea.
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Green tea (緑茶, ryokucha?) is so ubiquitous in Japan that it is more commonly known as "tea" (ocha (お茶, ocha?)) and even "Japanese tea" (nihoncha (日本茶, nihoncha?))，although it was invented in China during the Song Dynasty, and brought to Japan by Myōan Eisai, a Japanese Buddhist priest who also introduced the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism.
Types of tea are commonly graded depending on the quality and the parts of the plant used as well as how they are processed. There are large variations in both price and quality within these broad categories, and there are many specialty green teas that fall outside this spectrum. The best Japanese green tea is said to be that from the Yame region of Fukuoka Prefecture and the Uji region of Kyoto. Shizuoka Prefecture（静岡県） crops 40% of raw tea leaf.
玉露 Gyokuro (Jade Dew)
Selected from a grade of green tea known as Ten-cha (碾茶), Gyokuro's name refers to the pale green color of the infusion. The leaves are grown in the shade before harvest, which alters their flavor.
抹茶 Matcha (rubbed tea)
A high-quality powdered green tea used primarily in the tea ceremony. Matcha is also a popular flavor of ice cream and other sweets in Japan.
煎茶 Sencha (broiled tea)
A common green tea in Japan made from leaves that are exposed directly to sunlight.
玄米茶 Genmaicha (Brown-Rice tea)
maicha and roasted genmai (brown rice) blend.
冠茶 Kabusecha (covered tea)
kabusecha is sencha tea, the leaves of which have grown in the shade prior to harvest, although not for as long as Gyokuro. It has a more delicate flavor than Sencha.
番茶 Bancha (common tea)
Sencha harvested as a second-flush tea between summer and autumn. The leaves are larger than Sencha and the flavor is less full.
焙じ茶 Hōjicha (pan fried tea) A roasted green tea.
茎茶 Kukicha (stalk tea)
A tea made from stalks produced by harvesting one bud and three leaves.
玉緑茶 Tamaryokucha
A tea that has a tangy, berry-like taste, with a long almondy aftertaste and a deep aroma with tones of citrus, grass, and berries.
Okinawan Tea
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Go to a Japanese food market and look for green tea. The most common brand you will see is Yama Moto Yama. If they do not carry that then ask one of the clerks to help you. READ THE LABEL. I CANNOT SAY THAT ENOUGH BUT READ THE LABEL. BE SURE IT READS PRODUCT OF JAPAN. You DO NOT want green tea coming from China. No body knows how much 'other' substances they use when producing items such as green tea. Be Careful.
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sencha tea – the tea that tastes like toasted rice
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