As a Chinese, green tea is undoubtedly familiar. Legend has it that during ancient times, the mythical emperor Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs, giving rise to the earliest form of green tea. As the earliest tea category in China, green tea boasts the largest production volume, widest growing regions, and the greatest variety of types. In 2023, green tea accounted for 51.48% of the country’s total tea output, with 18 major tea-producing provinces cultivating it, and over 300 varieties recorded.
Many tea lovers enjoy green tea in daily life. Watching the vibrant green leaves float and sink in a glass cup offers not only a fresh and fragrant taste but also a delightful visual experience.
However, many mistakenly think that any green-colored tea is green tea. This article will explore green tea’s production process, classification, tasting methods, and brewing techniques. It will also share tips on pairing tea snacks and arranging tea settings, helping you deeply appreciate the beauty of green tea and truly understand and savor it!
Characteristics of Green Tea
Green tea is an unfermented tea that emphasizes appearance and color, aiming for a fresh and brisk flavor. It is mostly made from tender buds. Green tea has a cooling nature and is notable for its anti-aging, anti-cancer, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. It suits people prone to internal heat or smokers who drink it regularly; however, those with weak digestion should consume it moderately and avoid drinking it on an empty stomach or before bedtime.
The Three Greens of Green Tea
- Dry Tea Color: Common hues include tender green, yellow-green, bright green, and pale green.
- Liquor Color: Typical tea soup colors range from tender green, light green, apricot green to yellow-green.
- Leaf Base Color: Usually tender green or yellow-green.
The Craftsmanship of Green Tea
Freshly picked tea leaves undergo a resting period called “spreading,” which allows moisture to evaporate and some grassy odors to dissipate. Then, the core green tea production involves three key steps:
01 Fixation (Shaqing): Locking in the Green
This is the crucial step in green tea making. Its purpose is to use high heat to deactivate enzymes, preventing oxidation and discoloration; remove grassy odors; enhance tea aroma; and soften leaves for the next step, rolling (heat vapor softens the leaves). Fixation methods include pan-frying, hot air, steaming, and tumbling. The temperature ranges from 200 to 300°C, lasting about 4 to 5 minutes. After fixation, leaves darken and soften, grassy notes vanish, and tea fragrance emerges.
02 Rolling: Shaping the Leaves
This step shapes the tea leaves into forms such as strips, needles, or pellets, while also extracting juice that adheres to the leaf surface, which helps intensify the tea liquor’s concentration and flavor during brewing. Rolling can be done by hand or machine. Tender leaves are gently rolled for 20–25 minutes, while older leaves require a heavier roll for about 40 minutes.
03 Drying: Setting Shape and Enhancing Aroma
Drying further removes moisture, fixes the shape, and boosts aroma. Methods include pan-drying, baking, sun-drying, or combinations thereof, typically at 50–60°C.
Classification of Green Tea
Based on production techniques, green tea is divided into four categories:
Brewing Green Tea
- Tea-to-water ratio: 1:50
- Water temperature: 80–85°C
- Steeping time: First infusion 15–30 seconds; increase by 10 seconds for each subsequent brew; 3–4 infusions in total
Brewing with a Gaiwan (lidded bowl):
Warm the cup → add tea leaves → pour water slowly along the edge → pour out the tea liquor
Brewing with a Glass Cup:
Three Tea-Leaf Placement Methods:
- Bottom Placement: Suitable for larger, less tender leaves, such as Taiping Houkui and Liu An Gua Pian.
- Middle Placement: Fits most green teas, like Longjing and Que She.
- Top Placement: Ideal for small leaves with abundant tea hairs, such as Biluochun and Xinyang Maojian.
Tasting Green Tea
If your tea evaluations tend to be limited to “good,” “average,” “not good,” “a bit sweet,” or “a bit bitter,” take a moment to explore the following tasting guide. It covers multiple dimensions—from dry leaf appearance (tenderness, color, integrity, cleanliness) to liquor color, aroma, flavor, and leaf base—helping you truly understand a tea.
From now on, each sip will immerse you in the harmonious blend of color, aroma, and taste, enhancing your appreciation and elevating your lifestyle with refined tea enjoyment.
01 Appearance
- Tenderness: High-quality green tea has many plump buds and uniform, delicate leaves.
- Shape: For example, Biluochun’s curled leaves should be tight and spiral-shaped; Longjing’s flat leaves should be smooth, flat, and straight.
- Color: A superior green tea shows a fresh, vibrant green hue. Dull, yellowed, or mottled colors indicate lower quality.
- Integrity: Good green tea leaves are mostly whole with minimal breakage.
- Cleanliness: Pure green tea is free from stems, fragments, dust, or foreign materials, indicating higher quality.
02 Aroma
High-quality green teas often have fresh, tender aromas such as fine tea hairs’ fragrance, chestnut, orchid, or bean scents. The aroma is clean, high, and lasting. For instance, Biluochun has floral and fruity notes; Longjing offers bean and chestnut aromas; Huangshan Maofeng features orchid fragrance. Any smoky, burnt, stale, or moldy smells suggest quality issues.
03 Liquor Color
Ideal tea liquor is light green, yellow-green, or tender green, clear and bright. West Lake Longjing’s liquor is bright yellow-green; Anji White Tea’s is tender green and clear. Dark yellow, cloudy, or sedimented liquor may indicate stale leaves, poor processing, or long storage, which degrade quality.
04 Flavor
Good green tea tastes fresh, brisk, and sweet with a lasting aftertaste. For example, Biluochun is mellow, sweet, and full-bodied with a persistent finish. Thin, bitter, or off-flavors indicate inferior quality.
05 Leaf Base
- Tenderness: Soft and fresh leaves reflect good raw material and skilled processing.
- Color: Bright green and uniform is best; mottled or reddish leaves may signal poor craftsmanship.
- Uniformity: Even size and maturity indicate consistent leaf picking and stable processing.
How to Store Green Tea
Green tea is prone to oxidation and discoloration, so follow these principles: airtight sealing, avoiding light, moisture-proofing, low temperature, and keeping away from odors.
- Short-term storage (within 3 months): Store sealed in a cool, dry, shaded place.
- Long-term storage (over 6 months): Vacuum-seal and refrigerate separately from food.
- Tips: Consume soon after opening; avoid repeated opening; after refrigeration, let tea reach room temperature before opening to prevent condensation.
Common Misconceptions
-
Is Anji White Tea a white tea?
Anji White Tea is actually a green tea made from a special white-leaf cultivar called “Baiye No.1.” Under certain conditions, the leaves bleach white. It contains the highest amino acid content among green teas. -
Is Tieguanyin a green tea?
Tieguanyin is an oolong tea (also called “qing tea”). Its semi-fermentation process combines the freshness of green tea with the richness of black tea, blending the best of both worlds. -
Are the tiny fuzz hairs in green tea dirt that need rinsing?
The tiny hairs, called tea hairs or “mao,” are not impurities but rich in theanine. They are an important indicator of leaf tenderness and appear in green, white, and black teas made from buds. -
Can green tea help with weight loss?
While green tea polyphenols can boost metabolism, excessive consumption may irritate the stomach and harm health. Weight loss still requires balanced diet and exercise. -
Is old green tea undrinkable?
Green tea from previous years isn’t necessarily harmful but loses freshness. Polyphenols oxidize over time, turning the liquor from bright green to yellow-brown, dulling flavor and aroma.
Tea Snacks That Pair Well with Green Tea
Green tea’s fresh and brisk taste pairs nicely with mildly flavored, moderately sweet or savory snacks such as Su-style mooncakes, mung bean cakes, lotus seed pastries, macarons, ladyfinger biscuits, and matcha mochi. For fruit pairings, choose sweet and fragrant options like oranges, pomelos, strawberries, or green grapes. Nuts such as almonds and cashews also complement green tea well.
Enhancing Ambiance: Designing a Tea Setting
When arranging a tea setting, consider the harmony between teaware, snacks, decorations, and green tea to create a fresh, natural, and elegant atmosphere. Here are some design inspirations:
All the green tea knowledge shared here stems from my passion and exploration of tea. Understanding tea is a journey best traveled together—feel free to share your thoughts in the comments and unlock the charm of green tea with fellow enthusiasts!