Green Tea Processing

Tea is traditionally classified based on the degree or period of "fermentation" the leaves have undergone.

Green tea has undergone the least amount of oxidation than other kinds of tea. The best flavor of green tea is based on the fresh grad so that to produce green tea have to processing the tea leaves immediately within 1-2 days after picking. That is why the best green tea only comes into the market in early spring. And also green tea is the very kind of tea that retains the most chemical composition of the tea leaves contains inherently. Those chemical compositions are really helpful in supporting the body burn fat and maintain the body wholesome. Most of all the antioxidant inside that also assists fight cancer.

The oxidation process is halted by the quick application of heat after tea picking, either with steam, the Japanese method, or by dry cooking in hot pans, the traditional Chinese method. The tea is processed within one to two days of harvesting, and if done correctly retains most of the chemical composition of the fresh leaves from which it was produced. Variation in steaming time for fixation or processing from additional stages of rolling and drying are sometimes used to improve or altering the flavor for types of green tea.

The ancient Chinese society first encountered the tea plant and processed it as another medicinal herb for use in Chinese herbology. The processing technique used to process fresh tea leaves was to immediately steam the fresh tea leaves and dry them for preservation. This processing method was perfected 2000 years ago and produced a dried tea that would be classified today as "green tea" and quite similar to modern Japanese Sencha. For consumption, dried tea leaves were either decocted with water around with other herbs, or ground into a powder to be taken straight or in a liquid.

With the increase of tea's use in Chinese herbology, production methods changed, where the processed green tea leaves were not immediately dried after steaming. Rather the steamed tea leaves were first pulverized into a paste form, with the paste then formed in moulds and slowly dried into brick tea. Tender leaves and leaf buds were generally not used, as older mature tea leaves were preferred for tea production. Some tea bricks were also produced from whole leaves, which required the use of cooked rice slurry to bind the tea brick together. The preference of producing tea in brick form possibly stems from the fact that it can be more easily transported and stored.

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