Green Tea
~Teas & Such
In China, traditional hand-making methods are still employed in many places, particularly in the manufacturing of the finest variety. Mechanical driers and leaf rollers are used, too, but so are basic hot woks for firing, bamboo mats for withering, and more. However, in Japan, production has taken on a very different pursuit to find tea perfection. They utilize precisely calibrated mechanical cutters to harvest the leaves, shearing only the newest, most tender buds from the top of manicured fields. Japan is the only major producer to utilize machine harvesting in a way that still produces extremely high quality, expensive tea.
Green Tea can also be plucked, withered and rolled. It is not oxidized because during the rolling process, oxidation is prevented by applying heat. For green tea, the fresh leaves are either steamed or pan-fired to a temperature hot enough to stop the oxidation process that causes the browning the leaf. Similar to steaming vegetables. The leaves are shaped by hand curling, pressing the leaves into the sides of the wok as they are heated, rolling and swirling. They can take on countless shapes, all of them tasting different. The liquor of a green tea is typically a green or yellow color, and flavors range from toasty, grassy from being pan fired, to fresh steamed greens with mild, vegetable-like astringency.
Steamed green teas, particularly Japanese types, can become quite astringent if the water is too hot or the steeped for too long. So, try either cooler water (170 or so) for 3 minutes, or hotter water (180 degrees) for 1 minute or less. Adjusting to your taste is critical to getting the best flavor, just keep in mind the main variables to green tea are always time and temperature.
Pan-fired green teas, such as the classic China Green (also known as Dragonwell), can take a higher heat to bring out their gentle toasty notes. 180 degrees for 3-4 minutes is a good place to start. The general measuring ratio for green teas is one teaspoon per 8 oz cup of water. If the leaves are larger and brighter, you can use slightly heaping scoops.
Over the past few years a flood of reports have come in declaring the nearly miraculous effects that can occur from drinking green tea. This has increased the demand for tea, especially here in the United States. In Asia, tea has been revered for centuries as the virtual elixir of life. Only recently has this proclamation faced scientific inquiry. The many diverse benefits of green tea that have been partially-confirmed by science include aid against cancer, better breath, lower cholesterol, weight loss and general immune strength. However, there are other studies that seem to have uncovered a flaw in these findings.
The problem with these health benefit studies is not the validity of the results, but rather the omission of other teas. Most studies only cover a specific tea, not all teas. For example, when testing the effects of green tea on weight loss, the results are surprising. However, what is not mentioned in this conclusion is that black tea yields nearly identical results. Studies confirming the fact that all teas' benefits are similar are now trickling in.
With so many varieties and styles, there are multiple ways to brew them. You are sure to find a green tea that can be apart of your healthy lifestyle, as well as daily enjoyment. Reward your body and your taste buds by discovering your favorite.
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