Kettle Nook

The Best Green Tea

Eight green teas from about 7 to 67 cents a cup: everyday bags, loose leaf, organic, jasmine and decaf, and how to keep any of them from turning bitter.

By Nora Pell · Updated Oct 30, 202624 green teas compared

I earn a commission when you buy through my links, at no extra cost to you. How that worksAmazon prices as of Nov 12, 10:17 AM ET, subject to change. Details

If you want one green tea to keep in the cupboard and drink every day, buy the Ito En bags. They hold Japanese sencha, the everyday green tea of Japan, with a little matcha powder mixed in, which gives the cup more color and more body than a plain bag. A box of 50 is about $9, so about 18 cents a cup, and nothing's added to the leaf.

If you'd rather have plain green tea, get Stash, grassy and a little nutty. If taste is all that matters and you don't mind paying 67 cents a cup, get Rishi Sencha. And whichever box you buy, take the water off the boil before you pour. Bitter green tea usually means the water was too hot, or the bag stayed in the mug too long.

Top picks

Best overallIto En Matcha Green TeaCheck price on Amazon
Best plain bagStash Premium Green TeaCheck price on Amazon
Best tastingRishi SenchaCheck price on Amazon
Best organicUncle Lee's Organic Green TeaCheck price on Amazon
Best loose leafHarney & Sons Japanese SenchaCheck price on Amazon
Best flavoredNumi Organic Jasmine Green TeaCheck price on Amazon
Best decafStash Premium Green Decaf TeaCheck price on Amazon

At a glance

  1. 1.Ito En Matcha Green Teaabout $9
    Best for
    Drinking every day
    Style
    Sencha with matcha
    In the box
    50 bags
    Per cup
    About 18 cents
  2. 2.Stash Premium Green Teaabout $22
    Best for
    A plain, easy bag
    Style
    Japanese-style green
    In the box
    100 bags
    Per cup
    About 22 cents
  3. 3.Rishi Senchaabout $10
    Best for
    The best cup you can get from a bag
    Style
    Japanese sencha
    In the box
    15 sachets
    Per cup
    About 67 cents
  4. 4.Uncle Lee's Organic Green Teaabout $18
    Best for
    Organic on a budget
    Style
    Organic green
    In the box
    212 bags
    Per cup
    About 8.5 cents
  5. 5.Harney & Sons Japanese Senchaabout $15
    Best for
    A first loose leaf tea
    Style
    Japanese sencha, loose
    In the box
    4 oz tin
    Per cup
    About 27 cents
  6. 6.Davidson's Organics Senchaabout $17
    Best for
    Organic loose leaf by the pound
    Style
    Sencha, loose
    In the box
    16 oz bag
    Per cup
    About 7 cents
  7. 7.Numi Organic Jasmine Green Teaabout $6
    Best for
    A floral cup
    Style
    Green, jasmine
    In the box
    18 bags
    Per cup
    About 32 cents
  8. 8.Stash Premium Green Decaf Teaabout $33
    Best for
    Green tea in the evening
    Style
    Decaf green
    In the box
    100 bags
    Per cup
    About 33 cents

The best green tea brands, ranked

1 · Best overall
Ito En Matcha Green Tea

Ito En Matcha Green Tea

Japanese sencha with a little matcha mixed in, nothing else added, from the company behind Oi Ocha. More body than a plain bag, at about 18 cents a cup.

$8.98
Check price on Amazon
Buy it if
You want a green tea you can drink every day, in a bag, hot in winter and cold-brewed in summer.
Skip it if
You want real whisked matcha: a bag can't do that, and my matcha whisk guide is the place to start.

The best brand of green tea to drink every day

Ito En is the Japanese company behind Oi Ocha, the bottled green tea, and green tea is what it does for a living. I'd rather buy my everyday box from that company than from a brand where green is one flavor out of forty. Its page says there's no added color or flavor in these bags, and you can brew them hot or cold.

Sencha tends to taste fresh and grassy, slightly savory. The matcha gives the cup a deeper green and a rounder feel.

For a stronger cup, use two bags. For iced tea, drop a few bags in a pitcher of cold water and leave it in the fridge overnight. At about 28 mg of caffeine in an 8-ounce cup of brewed green tea, by USDA numbers, you can have a second one after lunch.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • Amazon's ingredient line is wrong for a tea bag (it lists water and vitamin C). Ito En's own page has the right one.
  • Ito En's page gives no water temperature, so use the rule further down this page.
  • Not as nuanced as a good loose sencha. Harney's sencha is the next step.
Sencha with matchaNo added color or flavorHot or cold brewingFrom the maker of Oi Ocha
2
Stash Premium Green Tea
Best plain bag

Stash Premium Green Tea

A grassy, nutty cup from a Portland company that grows this tea in its own garden and processes it the Japanese way. Each bag is sealed in foil.

$21.99Check price on Amazon
Buy it if
You like green tea on its own, with no matcha and no flowers, and you want a box of 100 that'll last.
Skip it if
You want a bigger, greener cup: Ito En has more body and costs less per bag.
Read the full write-up

The best green tea bags

Stash started in Portland in 1972, and it says it grows this tea in its own garden and processes it the way Japanese green tea is processed. The cup comes out a bright golden green. Tasters call it grassy and nutty, and one panel of food writers went further and called it complex, almost savory, close to Korean barley tea.

The bag itself is one of the better ones. It holds a single ingredient, it's plastic-free, and every bag is sealed in its own foil wrapper, which protects it from air. One to three minutes is plenty. A cup has about 41 mg of caffeine, which is more than the USDA's average for brewed green tea, so it won't feel like nothing at 3 in the afternoon.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • It's not as flavorful as loose leaf, and it can leave your mouth a little dry.
  • Sold here as a 100-count box, which is a lot of green tea if you're only trying it out.
One ingredientFoil-sealed bagsPlastic-free bagsSteep 1 to 3 minutes
3
Rishi Sencha
Best tasting

Rishi Sencha

Organic Japanese sencha in a sachet, savory and sweet, with a bright green color. It costs the most per cup here.

$9.99Check price on Amazon
Buy it if
You drink green tea for the taste, and you'd rather have one very good cup than three ordinary ones.
Skip it if
You drink several cups a day: at about 67 cents each, Uncle Lee's costs an eighth as much.
Read the full write-up

The best tasting green tea

This took first place in that same ranking of ten green teas, for its delicious, savory taste. Rishi describes it as a traditional Japanese tea with a savory-sweet flavor and a bright green cup, and that savoriness is what separates a good sencha from a grassy one. If the green tea you remember tasted like hot lawn clippings, this is the one to try.

A sachet is roomier than a paper bag, so the leaf can open as it steeps. The only ingredient is organic green tea, and it's good iced too.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • The most expensive cup here, about nine times Davidson's sencha.
  • Fifteen sachets go quickly if you drink it every day.
USDA organicSavory-sweetBright green cupHot or iced
4
Uncle Lee's Organic Green Tea
Best organic

Uncle Lee's Organic Green Tea

Two packs make 212 wrapped organic bags at under 9 cents each, with a nutty, smooth cup that also makes good iced tea.

$18.99Check price on Amazon
Buy it if
You want organic green tea at a price that lets you drink it all day, or you make iced tea by the pitcher.
Skip it if
You don't have room for two big packs of tea, or you'd like to know where your leaf is grown. The listing doesn't say.
Read the full write-up

The best organic green tea

Two packs of 106 wrapped bags come to about $18, or about 8.5 cents a bag, and the leaf is organic. A panel of tasters called it very nutty, smooth and balanced, with little bitterness and a crispness they thought would make a good iced tea. Uncle Lee's says the same thing about the crispness, and calls it good hot or cold.

Each bag has its own wrapper, so it's easy to take a few to the office or on a camping trip. If you're choosing between this and Stash, it's a question of nutty against grassy, and of 8.5 cents against 22.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • Two packs of 106 is a real commitment for one person.
  • The listing talks a lot about refreshment and little about the tea: no origin, no caffeine number and no brewing directions.
OrganicIndividually wrappedHot or icedNutty and crisp
5
Harney & Sons Japanese Sencha
Best loose leaf

Harney & Sons Japanese Sencha

Sencha from Shizuoka in a 4-ounce tin, medium-bodied and vegetal. A good first loose tea if you already own a strainer.

$15.00Check price on Amazon
Buy it if
You own a strainer or an infuser and you're ready to see what green tea tastes like outside a bag.
Skip it if
You don't want to measure anything: the same sencha comes in bags, though at about 26 cents I'd choose Ito En instead.
Read the full write-up

The best loose leaf green tea

Loose leaf is generally the better-quality form of green tea, because whole leaves have room to open. Harney's sencha comes from Shizuoka, Japan's biggest tea region, in a 4-ounce tin, and it describes the cup as medium-bodied and vegetal. People who like it say it tastes freshly harvested. People who don't call it too grassy, so if that word worries you, start with Rishi Sencha.

Four ounces is about 113 grams. At 2 grams a cup, a common measure, the tin makes about 56 cups, or about 27 cents each. Water at about 175°F and a minute or so in the pot is where to start, and you can usually steep the same leaves again.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • You'll need a strainer, an infuser or a small teapot.
  • It's vegetal, and some people find it too grassy or too strong.
Grown in ShizuokaMedium body4-ounce tinKosher certified
6
Davidson's Organics Sencha
Organic loose leaf by the pound

Davidson's Organics Sencha

A full pound of light, sweet and slightly astringent loose sencha from an organic grower, at about 7 cents a cup. The cheapest cup of my eight.

$15.99Check price on Amazon
Buy it if
You drink a lot of green tea, you already brew loose leaf, and you want organic for the lowest price per cup.
Skip it if
You want a true Japanese sencha: Harney's sencha says where it's from.
Read the full write-up

The best organic loose leaf green tea

A pound of loose tea for about $16.50 sounds like too much tea, until you do the math. At 2 grams a mug, the measure Davidson's gives for its English Breakfast, a pound makes about 227 mugs, or about 7 cents each.

Davidson's says this sencha brews light, sweet and a little astringent, with needle-shaped leaves. It's been selling organic tea since 1976, and it says all of it is USDA certified. Because the cup is light, you can use a bit more leaf without much worry about the cost.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • The listing doesn't say where this sencha grows, and Davidson's own farms are in India, so don't expect it to taste like Shizuoka.
  • It comes in a bag, not a tin, so you'll want an airtight jar for it.
USDA organic, per Davidson'sNeedle-shaped leafBrews lightOne-pound bag
7
Numi Organic Jasmine Green Tea
Best flavored

Numi Organic Jasmine Green Tea

Green tea scented three times with real jasmine flowers, with no artificial flavoring. One taster called it deep and earthy.

$5.89Check price on Amazon
Buy it if
You like a floral cup, or plain green tea has always seemed a bit dull to you.
Skip it if
You don't want flowers in your tea, or you tend to forget the bag in the mug. This one turns bitter when it steeps too long.
Read the full write-up

The best flavored green tea

Numi layers green tea with fresh jasmine blossoms and repeats the scenting three times, until the leaf has taken up the smell. There's no artificial flavoring. The flowers come first, and the tea underneath is deeper than you'd guess: one taster called it rustic and earthy, with a flavor that lingers in your mouth, and said she could easily crave it every day.

Pull the bag on time. That same taster warned it gets bitter and biting if you leave it too long. Numi's bags are biodegradable, and the tea is USDA organic and Fair Trade. At about $6 for 18 bags, about 32 cents a cup, it's a nice one to keep for the afternoon.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • Pricier per cup than most of the plain bags here.
  • Easy to oversteep.
Scented three timesUSDA organicFair TradeBiodegradable bags
8
Stash Premium Green Decaf Tea
Best decaf

Stash Premium Green Decaf Tea

A decaf that keeps its taste, earthy and grassy with no bitterness. It needs a longer steep than regular green tea, three to five minutes.

$33.99Check price on Amazon
Buy it if
You like green tea but it keeps you up, or you want one after dinner.
Skip it if
You want no caffeine at all. Decaf still has a little, and a caffeine-free cup of rooibos has none.
Read the full write-up

The best decaf green tea

Decaf green tea is hard to get right, because a lot of it goes flat once the caffeine's out. Stash's decaf came out the better of two in a tasting of more than 20 green teas: earthy, grassy, with a bit of savory and no bitterness. Stash says most of the caffeine's been removed, and it uses the same foil-sealed, plastic-free bags as its regular tea.

It wants more time than the regular one, three to five minutes, and it still won't taste as strong. That's fine at 9 at night. A box of 100 is about $33, which is about 33 cents a cup, a good bit more than its caffeinated sibling.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • The flavor isn't as strong as regular green tea.
  • It costs about 50 percent more per cup than regular Stash.
Most caffeine removedFoil-sealed bagsPlastic-free bagsSteep 3 to 5 minutes

How to choose

Japanese sencha or Chinese green tea

Japanese green teas are usually steamed, and they taste fresh and grassy. Chinese ones are usually pan-fired, and they taste nutty or a little smoky. If you've only had one kind and didn't like it, try the other before you give up on green tea.

Bags or loose leaf

Bags are faster and need no gear. Loose leaf is generally better quality, though it needs a strainer, and a pound of it can be the cheapest tea you buy. Sachets like Rishi Sencha sit in between. Sachet vs tea bag vs loose leaf goes through what each costs per cup.

Keep the water off the boil

Sencha does best at about 160 to 175°F, well below boiling, and it only needs a minute or two. No thermometer? Boil the water, then wait a few minutes before you pour. Green tea wants cooler water than black tea does, and this one step fixes most bitter cups.

The best green tea for health

No box here has been shown to be healthier than another, so buy the one you'll keep drinking. NCCIH, the federal agency that studies these things, says firm conclusions can't yet be reached for most of what people use green tea for, and most of the promising research used extract pills, not tea in a mug. It also reports no safety concerns for adults drinking green tea as a beverage, apart from its caffeine.

What I'd skip, and one I wouldn't

Harney & Sons Japanese Sencha bags

A light, delicate cup for about 26 cents, and the loose version of this tea is on my list. In a bag, I'd pay 18 cents for the bigger taste of Ito En.

Twinings Pure Green Tea

About 12 cents a bag, mild and smooth, and a fine cup if you only want a little green tea flavor. Uncle Lee's is cheaper, organic and tastes of more.

Bigelow Classic Green Tea

Flavorful enough and not bitter, but on the mild side, at about 14 cents a bag. Uncle Lee's is cheaper here too.

365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Green Tea

I wouldn't skip this if you pass a Whole Foods. One panel of tasters liked it best of all, for a complex flavor with no bitterness, and it's about 6 cents a bag. Another ranking put it last of ten, so I'd try one box before stocking up.

Tazo Zen

Lemongrass and spearmint over green tea, for about 25 cents a bag. It's bright and pleasant, but you taste the herbs more than the tea. For flavor that still leaves you the tea, I'd go with Numi Jasmine.

How I picked

Tea leaf first, nothing but scent or flowers addedSold as a listing you can buy on AmazonDescribed by the maker and by people who tasted itPrice per cup from the box countA choice for bags, loose leaf, organic, flavored and decaf

I looked at 24 green teas sold on Amazon, and read the maker's description and listing of each. For taste, I read the tasting rankings at Sporked and Yahoo. Every per-cup price divides Amazon's price on October 30, 2026, by the bags or grams in the box. Caffeine and health statements come from USDA FoodData Central and NCCIH, and the Stash caffeine figure from Yahoo's tasting notes.

Cover illustration for The Best Green Tea
Save it for laterPin this guide and find it again when you are ready to buy.Save to Pinterest

Common questions

What is the best green tea brand in the world?

There's no official ranking. For most people I'd pick Ito En, the Japanese company behind Oi Ocha, whose sencha and matcha bags are the ones I'd keep at home. Rishi is the one for the best-tasting cup, and Stash for a plain, easy bag.

Which is the healthiest green tea?

No brand has good evidence behind it over another. NCCIH says firm conclusions can't yet be reached for most uses of green tea. Plain green tea is simply leaf and water, so a box with nothing added is an easy choice, and a matcha blend like Ito En includes a little of the ground leaf itself.

Which is the best green tea to buy?

The Ito En bags, at about 18 cents a cup. If you want organic, buy Uncle Lee's. If you want loose leaf, buy Harney & Sons sencha, and for the evening, Stash Decaf.

What's the difference between jasmine green tea and green tea?

Jasmine green tea is green tea scented with jasmine flowers, so it smells and tastes floral, with the tea underneath. The caffeine comes from the tea, so a cup of it isn't a caffeine-free floral tea. Plain green tea has only the leaf, and it tastes grassy or nutty. Jasmine is a scent, not a kind of tea, which is also why it's easy to mix up with oolong; jasmine vs oolong tea sorts the two out.

Which green tea is best for lowering cholesterol?

None has been shown to beat the others. NCCIH says green tea lowered total and LDL cholesterol slightly in studies, with no effect on HDL or triglycerides, and most of those studies used extract supplements rather than tea you drink. If you take cholesterol medicine, ask your doctor first, since NCCIH reports that green tea extract can lower atorvastatin levels.

How much caffeine is in green tea?

The USDA puts a brewed 8-ounce cup at about 28 mg, against about 47 mg for black tea, and a longer steep means more. Bags and boxes vary: Stash's regular bag came in at about 41 mg. For more, a bowl of matcha has about twice as much as a cup of green tea, and what matcha is made of explains why. Oolong has a little more than green tea, and oolong vs green tea compares the two.

The verdict

Get the Ito En box

Get the Ito En: a box of 50 for about $9, sencha with a little matcha, and enough body to hold up hot or cold. It's the one I'd buy to drink every day.

Check price on Amazon$8.98

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