Primer on green tea

Last updated: March 12th, 2005

This is a short primer or introduction to green tea. We'll start with some basics concerning green tea and delve a little deeper where appropriate.

Green tea is a type of tea that is distinguished by the amount of processing done to the tea leaves. The more common black teas go through several stages of processing after harvest, one of which oxidizes the leaves giving them their distinctive dark color. Oxidation is the process of exposing the leaf to often warm air and oxygen. This dries the leaf (through the warmth of the air) and causes the leaf to undergo chemical changes (erroneously known as fermentation).

Green tea skips the oxidation process, preserving much of the leaf's original characteristics. The leaf must still have much of its moisture removed for preservation over long periods, and thus will undergo a variety of drying processes. Some of these may include pan frying, where the leaves are pressed against the sides of a large wok over a fire and thus distinguished by their short flat leaves, or bamboo fired, where the leaves are placed in bamboo baskets and hung over an open fire, resulting in a darker leaf with an often smooth aftertaste. Those are just two examples. In all cases, the oxidation of the leaf is prevented or shortened.

Green tea is one of the oldest forms of tea, and the most popular tea consumned in China, the birthplace of the tea plant. For simplicity's sake, we'll classify green tea into three broad categories, Chinese green tea, Japanese green tea, and all other green teas.

China has a long culture of green tea consumption. Although tea may be expensive for some households, they always seem to have a stash of some treasured leaf that they willingly give their last cup of to a stranger. Tea is more than a tradition in China. It is part of the mystery of China, of the beauty and the greatness that is the Chinese people. It is the entwined destiny of the people and the leaf that gives the Chinese green teas their character, their variety and depth. A good China green should evoke images of mist shrouded hillsides where time has been slowed to a crawl and ancient hands patiently work the leaves.

Japanese green teas have their root in the introduction of tea from China by the Japanese monks. The tea was used in meditation rituals and believed to help the mind focus. Over the years, it developed into formal schools of tea with masters and students. Detailed tea ceremonies developed with specific movements meant to teach as much to enhance the enjoyment of the tea. Tea in Japan is wrapped in formality, but consumned daily by the majority of people. Many of the Japanese teas are wok fired and thus best recognized by their short, flat leaves. Matcha is a form of Japanese tea that is powdered and is the traditional tea used for the Japanese tea ceremony.

As with all teas, there are several grades of green tea both between origins or types and within an origin or type. For instance, a Chinese green Gunpowder tea is a pretty common, average grade green tea when compared to a famed Lung Ching China green. But within the Gunpowder type of tea, there are many grades including a Fine grade and a Superior grade often referred to as Temple of Heaven grade. We'll leaves grades within a type or origin of tea to another primer. For now we'll focus on comparative levels of green tea.

Common, or average, green teas:

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