Green Teas

Green Tea is light, refreshing, and good for the health, with many unusual aromas and flavours to discover. It can be drunk hot or cold, and is used in Asian cooking. This tea has a rich cultural history: to the majority of tea drinkers in Asia the first and most important form of tea is Green Tea.

China and Japan are primarily concerned with the production of Green Tea. Although China produces very important Oolong, White and Black teas the majority of Chinese tea production is Green, and it is truly hard to understand why we in the West are only just rediscovering this world of tea.

The secret behind the health qualities of Green Tea

As with other tea types, the best quality Green Teas use only the bud and first two leaves of each branch, as these have the best flavour.

Before any oxidisation can take place the green leaves are subjected to high heat, using steam in Japan or pan frying across the rest of Asia. The aim is to arrest the oxidisation of essential oils that would turn the Green Tea into Black Tea. These heat processes also render the leaves into a more pliable form ready for rolling.

Traditionally all rolling was done by hand, and today many of the finest teas of China, Korea, Vietnam and to some extent Japan are still hand rolled.

Rolling is most important as it ensures even drying of the leaf and fine distribution of flavour in the finished tea.

Although machines are used to roll tea in mass production, the finest teas rely on the skill of workers who roll leaf in pans, using either hot or cold processes between applications of high heat to remove all traces of moisture. Rolling can create a good tea from average leaf or render a quality leaf undrinkable.

The essential oils that are found in unprocessed tea leaves are left almost totally intact by Green Tea production. These oils contain powerful anti-oxidants. This is the secret behind all the excitement concerning the health benefits of Green Tea drinking.