There is very little or minimal oxidation that takes place in green tea. When a leaf oxidizes fully it turns brown – like slicing an apple – when the air hits the exposed cells – the apple will turn brownish in color – this is oxidation. It is called “green tea” because the leaf is still green after it has been processed.
There are many, many varieties of green tea – Chinese Green Teas and Japanese Green Teas are completely different. Green Tea originated in China. It was used as a medicine long before it was put in water and consumed as a beverage. The leaves and the extract from the leaves are still used in many Chinese Herbal Remedies.
Green tea leaves are allowed to wither and then steamed or pan-fired (dry heat) or oven heated (roasted) on low heat to prevent (to stop) the oxidation process – similar to the process of making white tea – this is what gives green tea its freshness. It is what happens at the next stage that will give the tea its signature taste, aroma, look and color. Japanese Green Tea is steamed. Chinese Green Tea is usually fired.
There are numerous ways of rolling green tea leaves and varying degrees of tightness to the rolled leaf – all of this depends on the type of tea (the variety) of tea that will be produced – keep in mind – it all comes from the same plant.
Leaves for green tea can be picked many times a year – this varies with the type of green tea being made and the characteristics being sought. Three harvests or flushes seem to be the norm for most tea bushes in most regions.
Certain varieties of tea come from specific regions – regions that become well-known for producing definite types of green teas. Many factors contribute to the signature flavors of these teas: the climate, the soil, the humidity, rainfall, environment, season, etc. The processing methods are what will finalize the desired results.
After processing, the leaves are sorted, graded, blended, packaged and can be sold at this point or the leaves can be re-fired many times – this is called further processing – this adds to the freshness and the character of the flavor.
Most of the health benefits and scientific research on tea are conducted using green tea.
Popular Chinese Green Teas: Dragonwell, Gunpowder, Long Jing, Pearls, Jasmine, Long Ding,
Flavor: Vegetal, grassy, bittersweet.
JAPANESE GREEN TEAS: are generally steamed teas – from a light steaming, to a medium steamed and deep steamed.
To make some Japanese Green Teas the tea bushes are shaded for periods of time.
Popular Japanese Green Teas: Matcha, Gyokuro, Sencha, Genmaicha, Houjicha
HEALTH BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA: Most of the scientific research on the health benefits of tea are conducted using green tea. All tea is good for you but mostly green teas are tested and evaluated around the world.