Green tea

For information about the 2003 film, see Green Tea

Green tea is a "true" tea(i.e. Camellia sinensis) that has undergone minimal oxidationduring processing. Green tea is popular in Chinaand Japan, and recently has become more popular in the West, which traditionally drank black tea(a "true" teamade from leaves more heavily oxidizedthan the white, green, and oolongvarieties).

History of Tea in Asia

The Chinese are said to be the first ones to discover tea, and in China the most varieties of tea are found.

The first of the less processed teas were white teas, whilst further processing created green teas that could be stored for longer periods of time. During the Tang Dynastywild tea was gathered and then processed. Processing involved steaming the tea on a bamboo tray, grinding the tea into a fine pulp called tea mud and then placing this mud into moulds. The tea was then pressed and left to harden. It was then transferred out of the mould, dried in the sun, and baked to prevent rotting. This is very different to how Green tea is processed today; whilst this practice of grinding tea continued into the Sung dynastyby the Yuan dynastyit had all but vanished in favour of leaf teas. Compressed green teas, known as compressed raw teas, are still made in Yunnanand a few other provinces, they are very popular and are discussed in the Pu-Erharticle.

Tea has played a significant role in Asian culture for centuries as a staple beverage, a curative and a symbol of status. It is not surprising its discovery is ascribed to religious or royal origins. Even the earliest texts discuss the health benefits of tea. One of the earliest known references to green tea in Japanis a 9th century text. It was the Heian Period(A.D. 794-1185) of peace, prosperity, and openness to ideas and cultures particularly from China. Many aspects of Chinese cultureand religion were introduced during this period including parts of the modern Japanese alphabet. See also Tea History.

Chinese green teas

Image:Twinings Gunpowder tea in pile.jpg Image:Maojian.jpg Image:Stir frying Xi Hu Longjing.png

Zhejiang Province

Zhejiangis home to the most famous of all teas, Xi Hu Longjing, as well as many other high quality green teas.

Longjing

A Chinese famous teafrom Hangzhou, in fact the most famous tea. It is pan fried and has a distinctive flat appearance. Falsification of Longjing is very common and most of the tea on the market is in fact produced in Sichuanand hence not authentic Longjing.

Hui Ming

Named after a temple in Zhejiang.

Long Ding

A tea from Kaihua Countyknown as Dragon Mountain.

Hua Ding

A tea from Tiantai Countyand named after a peak in the Tiantai mountain range.

Qing Ding

A tea from Tian Mu, also known as Green Top.

Hubei Province

Yu Lu

A steamed tea known as Jade Dew made in the Japanesestyle

Henan Province

Xin Yang Mao Jian

A Chinese famous teaalso known as Green Tip.

Jiangsu Province

Bi Luo Chun

A Chinese famous teaalso known as Spring Snail from Dong Ting. As with Longjingfalsification is common and most of the tea marketed under this name may, in fact, be grown in Sichuan.

Rain Flower

A tea from Nanjing.

Jiangxi Province

Yun Wu

A tea also known as Cloud and Mist.

Chun Mee

Originally a tea in the shape of eyebrows from Jiangxi, it is now grown elsewhere.

Anhui Province

AnhuiProvince is home to three Chinese famous teasand is the original source of Gunpowder tea, which is now so popular it is grown elsewhere.

Gunpowder

A popular tea also known as zhuchá. It originated in Anhuibut is now grown elsewhere in China.

Da Fang

A tea from Mount Huangshanalso known as Big Square

Huangshan Mao Feng

A Chinese famous teatea from Mount Huangshan.

Lu An Guapian

A Chinese famous teaalso known as Melon Seed.

Hou Kui

A Chinese famous teaalso known as Monkey tea.

Tun Lu

A tea from Tunxi District.

Huo Qing

A tea from Jing County, also known as Fire Green.

Unknown origin

Hyson

A mediocre quality tea from many provinces, an early harvested tea.

Japanese green teas

Image:Green Tea.jpgGreen tea (ryokucha) is so ubiquitous in Japanthat it is more commonly known as "tea" (ocha) and even "Japanese tea" (nihoncha). Types of tea are commonly graded depending on the quality and the parts of the plant used. There are large variations in both price and quality within these broad categories, and there are many specialty green teas that fall outside this spectrum. The very best Japanese green tea is said to be that from the Ujiregion of Kyoto.

Gyokuro Green Teas

Gyokuro("jewel dew") 

Gyokuro tea is generally sweet and delicate in flavor. Selected from a grade of green tea known as tencha, Gyokuro is regarded as the highest grade of tea made in Japan. Gyokuro's name refers to the pale green color of the infusion.

Matcha("rubbed tea") 

Used primarily in the tea ceremony. Matcha comes from gyokuro leaves that have been steamed and dried. The tea bushes are shaded from sunlight for 3 weeks before harvesting, producing amino acidsthat sweeten the taste. All stems and veins are removed from the leaves. The pure dried leaves (tencha) are then stone ground into a super fine powder that is the consistency of talc. Most high quality matcha comes from the UjiTawara area, the premier matcha producing region in Japan. Matcha is also a popular flavour of ice creamand other sweets in Japan.

Mecha Green Teas

Mecha("bud tea") 

The name of this tea derives from the early leaf buds needed to make this special green tea. Mecha is harvested in spring and made as rolled leaf teas that are graded somewhere between Gyokuro and Sencha in quality. Mecha are made from a collection of leaf buds and tips of the early crops.

Sencha Green Teas

Sencha("roasted tea") 

The most common type of green tea in Japan. It is made from the young leaves of uncovered plants. Over three quarters of all tea produced in Japanese tea gardens is sencha. The earliest season (first month's sencha harvest) is called shincha. Later harvests of sencha have more astringent qualities, a more robust flavor and generally less aroma.

Shincha("new tea") 

A newly harvested, lightly steamed sencha. It is aromatic but highly perishable, lasting for only about 3 months. Shincha is available in April in the south of Japan, and prized for its high vitamin content, sweetness, and superior flavor.

Genmaicha("roasted rice tea") 

A blend of bancha green tea and genmai (roasted rice grain). The flavor is a mélange of these two ingredients. The roasted aroma of genmai teas has the effect of lightening the bitterness of the lower grade sencha. The proportioning of tea to rice is important, the more aromatic genmai teas have a higher amount of rice.

Kabusecha("covered tea") 

Unlike most sencha cultivated in unshaded gardens exposed to direct sunlight, kabusecha sencha requires shading tea prior to harvest. Kabusecha sencha has a mellower flavor and more subtle color than sencha grown in direct sunlight.

Kamairicha("pan fired tea") 

Kamairi teas do not undergo the usual steam treatments. After a short withering, they are fired in hot iron pans of up to 300°C with repeated agitation to prevent charring. The different rolling techniques used produce teas of different leaf form. Kamairicha is processed as a pelleted or flat leaf.

Bancha Green Teas

Bancha("number or common tea") 

A class of sencha harvested as a second flush tea between summer and autumn. While lacking the delicate sweetness of quality sencha it is respected for its well-defined character, vivid yellow colors and refreshing and deep flavors. Bancha's meaning references the coarser grades and heavier, late season crop from which this full-flavoured tea is made. It is milder, cheaper and contains less caffeine than other varieties.

H?jicha("roasted tea") 

A pan-fried or oven roasted green tea commonly found in teashops throughout Japan. Both bancha and kukicha are used to make hojicha grades. Hojicha tends to be a more aromatic tea. It holds very little astringency, has a distinctively clear red appearance and is lower in caffeine.

Kukicha Green Teas

Kukicha("stalk tea") 

A tea made from stalks produced by harvesting one bud and three leaves. The combined stalk fractions and emerald leaf of gyokuro and sencha blends are then processed. Kukicha is known for its light flavor and fresh green aroma with a very light yellow-green color. The best kukicha has a flavor considered to be as good as highest quality sencha. It contains only a tenth of the caffeine of leaf tea and its flavor is commonly compared to oolongteas.

Other Green Teas

Mediocre quality tea is often produced to resemble the lower grades of Chineseor Japanesetea in appearance outside those countries, however there are some notable teas grown outside Chinaand Japan.

• Green Tea from Ceylon
• Green Tea from Darjeeling
• Green Tea from Vietnam
• Green Tea from Assam

Health Benefits

Many studies have investigated a link between the consumption of green tea and a lower incidence of a range of cancers in populations. More information can be found in the section on green tea in the article Health benefits of tea.

Green tea has been claimed to be useful for:

• Cognition

• Stopping certain neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimers

• Preventing/ treating cancer

• Treating Arthritis

• Treating MS

A comprehensive review of the knowledge on green tea and its health benefits in particular is freely available at [1]

See also

• Japanese tea ceremony
• Chinese tea culture
• White tea
• Yellow tea

References

• Master Lam Kam Cheun et al (2002). The way of tea. Gaia Books. ISBN 1-85675-143-0.
• Greentealovers (2005) What is in a green tea leaf?

External links

• Green Tea World

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It uses material from the Wikipedia article Green tea.