Let's talk Green Tea

The Best Green Tea

I was not fond of green tea when I began this tearoom adventure. As I have learnt more about quality tea, proper brewing methods and become to appreciate the tea ritual I have been able to enjoy a green tea.

Do you want to get started drinking green tea but don't know where to begin? This guide to the best green tea shows you how to start drinking better green tea today!

Don't settle for a bad cup of green tea. Green tea comes in a wide variety of styles with the most delectable flavors. This guide will show you how to select the best green tea and enjoy drinking green tea.

It's been said that green tea is the healthiest beverage you can drink. We've all heard about the health benefits surrounding green tea. It almost seems like it's medicine. And if you've tried to drink green tea from a Lipton tea bag, you may think it is medicine!

Beginners often experience green tea as bitter and tasteless. That's a result of low-quality tea leaves, incorrect brewing temperatures and steeping tea bags for too long.

What Is Green Tea?

Green tea is not a specific type of tea but a category of tea, much like white wine is a category of wine. Just as there are many different types of white wine, there are hundreds of green teas. China and Japan produce some of the best green teas.

All green tea comes from the same plant as black, oolong, white, and Puerh tea, the Camellia sinensis plant. There are two primary varieties of the tea plant Camellia sinensis and Camellia asamica with many different cultivars or subvarieties. There are over a thousand different subvarieties of the Camellia sinensis plant.

That is why not all green tea tastes the same. The difference is also in the way it's processed after it's picked, the terroir it's grown in and the time of year it's picked. The first flush or new growth tea harvested early in the growing season tends to be sweeter.

Green Tea Processing

Once the tea leaves are harvested, they are withered to reduce the moisture content. Then they are heated to stop the oxidation process.

Oxidation occurs when the enzymes in the tea leaves react with oxygen and the leaves begin to turn brown. Halting oxidation is done by oven-roasting, pan-frying, or steaming the leaves. This fixes the flavors. Next, they are rolled and left to dry.

Most Japanese green teas are steamed producing a fresh, grassy, and herbal flavor. Chinese green teas are usually roasted or pan-fried producing a creamy and nutty, or melon-sweet flavor. Sometimes you may get a seaweed or pine scent.