Green Tea

Tea Types

All varieties of tea come from the leaves of a single evergreen plant : Camellia sinensis , but local growing conditions (altitude, climate, soils, etc.) vary, resulting in a multitude of distinctive leaves. The way the leaves are processed, however, is makes a big difference in the individual characteristics of the three predominant types of tea: green, black and oolong.

All varieties of tea come from the leaves of a single evergreen plant : Camellia sinensis , but local growing conditions (altitude, climate, soils, etc.) vary, resulting in a multitude of distinctive leaves. The way the leaves are processed, however, is makes a big difference in the individual characteristics of the three predominant types of tea: green, black and oolong.

Each type is processed quite differently. The manufacturing methods used in all three not only alter the taste, aroma, and quality of the finished brew, but also change the way it can affect your health.

GREEN TEA is made by briefly steaming the just harvested leaves, rendering them soft and pliable and preventing them from fermenting or changing color. After steaming, the leaves are rolled, then spread out and "fired" (dried with hot air or pan-fried in a wok) until they are crisp. The resulting greenish-yellow tea has a green, slightly astringent flavor close to the taste of the fresh leaf. The natural health substances in fresh tea leaves are provided in green tea. Possibly because it is less processed, a catechin (EGCG) present in green tea in amounts about 5 times higher than in black tea.

In BLACK TEA production, the fresh leaves are first withered by exposure to the air, which removes about one-third of their moisture and renders them soft and pliable. Next, they are rolled to break their cell walls, releasing the juices essential to fermentation. Once again, they are spread out and kept under high humidity to promote fermentation, which turns the leaves a dark coppery color and develops black tea's authoritative flavor. Finally, the leaves are "fired," producing a brownish black tea whose immersion in hot water gives a reddish-brown brew with a stronger flavor than green or oolong teas. Black tea is more popular in Western countries. Worldwide, about 80 percent of the tea consumed is black tea

OOLONG TEA, is treated similarly, but the withering process is much shorter, and partially fermented before being fired, falls midway between green and black teas. Oolong is a greenish-brown tea whose flavor, color and aroma are richer than that of green tea, but more delicate than that of black.