🍵 The Collection — Six distinct loose leaf teas from China, Japan, and Vietnam — five green teas and one lightly oxidised oolong — each representing a different growing region, processing tradition, and flavour world

🍵 The Styles — From the tightly rolled dark pellets of a Zhejiang Gunpowder to the flat, sword-shaped leaves of an organic Dragonwell and the pine-needle form of a Japanese Ko Kei Cha, no two teas here look or brew alike

🍵 The Range — Bold and earthy, floral and orchid-sweet, softly woody, chestnut-rich and umami-deep — this box spans green tea's full spectrum of character across six carefully chosen samples

🍵 The Occasion — An ideal starting point for anyone new to loose leaf green tea, and a genuinely rewarding exploration for those already familiar with one or two styles and curious about the rest

For anyone who has wondered how varied the world of green tea can be, this sample box offers one of the most direct ways to find out. Six distinct loose leaf teas — sourced from China, Japan, and Vietnam — span styles that look, brew, and taste quite differently from one another, despite sharing the same fundamental starting point: the Camellia sinensis plant, handled without full oxidation.

The Gunpowder Temple of Heaven from Zhejiang province is the boldest opener — its tiny, tightly rolled pellets (known in China as zhu cha, or pearl tea) dating back to the Tang dynasty, unfurling on infusion to produce a pleasantly earthy, lightly smoky cup with real presence. The Vietnam Tung Ting Oolong sits close enough to the green spectrum to belong naturally here: a lightly oxidised oolong from the highlands of Lam Dong province, produced using traditional Taiwanese methods, with a glowing, florally fragrant character and a creamy, orchid-sweet finish. Jade Dragon Green Yunnan FOP brings something more unusual — a Chinese green from a province better known for Pu-erh and Dian Hong black teas, offering a distinctive profile of its own.

The Dragonwell Lung Jing Fine Grade 2 Organic is perhaps China's most celebrated green tea, its flat sword-shaped leaves pan-fired by hand in the long tradition of Hangzhou's West Lake district, producing a pale golden cup with chestnut sweetness and a clean, lingering finish. Bai Mao Hou White Monkey, from the misty Taimu Mountains of Fujian, is named for the long wiry leaves and white downy buds that resemble a white-haired monkey's paw — delicately woody and honey-edged, it bridges green and white tea in a way nothing else in this box quite does. And the Sencha Ko Kei Cha Special rounds things off with something genuinely singular: a Japanese tea made from ceremonial grade green tea powder, kneaded and formed into pine-needle shapes, brewing into a vivid, concentrated green cup of unusual depth and character.

Since 2008, High Teas London has been one of the country's leading independent tea specialists — home to over 350 teas and infusions from the world's finest gardens and tea houses. This sample box is a small but carefully chosen introduction to what that range contains.

Ingredients: Green tea (Camellia sinensis). Contents: Gunpowder Temple of Heaven (15g), Vietnam Tung Ting Oolong (15g), Jade Dragon Green Yunnan FOP (15g), Dragonwell Lung Jing Fine Grade 2 Organic (15g), Bai Mao Hou White Monkey (15g), Sencha Ko Kei Cha Special (15g).

Brewing Note: Each tea in this box brews a little differently — part of what makes working through it such a pleasure. Green teas as a rule prefer cooler water than black tea, and the teas here are no exception. The Gunpowder Temple of Heaven is the most robust and can take water around 80 to 85°C with a 2 to 3 minute steep. The Vietnam Tung Ting Oolong rewards 80 to 85°C and repays multiple infusions well. The Dragonwell and the Bai Mao Hou White Monkey are more delicate — use water at around 75 to 80°C and steep for no more than 2 minutes to protect their finer character. The Ko Kei Cha Sencha is best at 70 to 75°C for around 2 minutes; hotter water can bring out bitterness in the concentrated powder base. A glass infuser or small teapot makes the visual side of brewing several of these teas a pleasure in its own right.