i've recently been getting more into green teas, especially though not exclusively of the japanese variety, and as i look to go both broader and deeper into the green tea world, i'd like to be sure that i'm looking at the freshest, highest quality, and most interesting teas from vendors who are transparent, informative, and connected as closely a possible to the tea growers and processors in asia.
so, in the spirit of the upcoming shincha harvest and the shincha 08 thread, i'm soliciting some advice on the best green tea vendors out there.
i've liked ito-en's teas, but i haven't had very many, and i've never had them near harvest time. i generally find rishi and mighty leaf good but uninteresting, though i haven't really bought their greens. it seems there are a lot of o-cha fans out there, so i've begun to check out their site. but surely there is more out there, yes??
any help is much appreciated.
O-cha is my favorite. But den's and hibiki are great too.
Don't forget about Maiko
www.maiko.ne.jp/english/index.html
Oh, and www.zencha.net
Don't forget about Maiko

Oh, and www.zencha.net