Green tea is a type of tea made solely with the leaves of Camellia sinensis that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures in Asia from Japan to the Middle East. Recently, it has become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally consumed. Many varieties of green tea have been created in countries where it is grown. These varieties can differ substantially due to variable growing conditions, processing and harvesting time.
Over the last few decades green tea has been subjected to many scientific and medical studies to determine the extent of its long-purported health benefits, with some evidence suggesting regular green tea drinkers may have lower chances of heart disease and developing certain types of cancer. Green tea has also been claimed as useful for "weight loss management" - a claim with no scientific support according to medical databases such as PubMed.
Chinese tea
Hunan Province
Junshan Yinzhen (Silver Needle tea), known as one of the ten most famous Chinese Teas, is one variety of White Tea. It is also known as a silver needle tea as is Bai Hao Yinzhen tea. It is cultivated on Junshan Island, Yueyang City, Hunan Provice.
Zhejiang Province
Zhejiang is home to the most famous of all teas, Xi Hu Longjing, as well as many other high-quality green teas.
- 龙井 Longjing
- Hui Ming
- Long Ding
- Hua Ding
- Qing Ding
- 珠 Gunpowder
Jiangsu Province
- 碧螺春 Bi Luo Chun
- Rain Flower
- Shui Xi Cui Bo
Fujian Province
Hubei Province
- Yu Lu
Henan Province
- 信阳毛尖 Xin Yang Mao Jian
Jiangxi Province
- Chun Mee
- Gou Gu Nao
- Yun Wu
Anhui Province
Anhui Province is home to several varieties of tea, including three Chinese famous teas. These are:
- 大方 Da Fang
- 黄山毛峰 Huangshan Maofeng
- 六安瓜片 Lu'An Guapian
- 猴魁 Hou Kui
- 屯绿 Tun Lu
- 火青 Huo Qing
- Hyson
Japanese green teas
Green tea ( 緑茶 , Ryokucha ? ) is ubiquitous in Japan and therefore is more commonly known simply as "tea" ( お茶 , ocha ? ) . It is even referred to as "Japanese tea" ( 日本茶 , nihoncha ? ) though it was first used in China during the Song Dynasty, and brought to Japan by Myōan Eisai, a Japanese Buddhist priest who also introduced the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism. Types of tea are commonly graded depending on the quality and the parts of the plant used as well as how they are processed. 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 best Japanese green tea is said to be that from the Yame region of Fukuoka Prefecture and the Uji region of Kyoto. Shizuoka Prefecture produces 40% of raw tea leaf.
- Bancha ( 番茶 ? , coarse tea)
- Genmaicha ( 玄米茶 ? , brown rice tea)
- Gyokuro ( 玉露 ? , Jade Dew)
- Hōjicha ( 焙じ茶 ? , roasted tea)
- Kabusecha ( 冠茶 ? , covered tea)
- Kamairicha tea ( 窯煎茶 ? , pan-fried tea)
- Kukicha ( 茎茶 ? , stalk tea)
- Matcha ( 抹茶 ? , powdered tea)
- Mecha ( 芽茶 ? , buds and tips tea)
- Sencha ( 煎茶 ? , broiled tea)
- Tamaryokucha ( 玉緑茶 ? , lit. ball green tea)
Other green teas
- Green tea from Ceylon
- Kahwah
Brewing
Generally, 2 grams of tea per 100ml of water, or about one teaspoon of green tea per 5 ounce cup (150ml), should be used. With very high quality teas like gyokuro, more than this amount of leaf is used, and the leaf is steeped multiple times for short durations.
Green tea brewing time and temperature varies with individual teas. The hottest brewing temperatures are 180°F to 190°F (81°C to 87°C) water and the longest steeping times 2 to 3 minutes. The coolest brewing temperatures are 140°F to 160°F (61°C to 69°C) and the shortest times about 30 seconds. In general, lower quality green teas are steeped hotter and longer, while higher quality teas are steeped cooler and shorter. Steeping green tea too hot or too long will result in a bitter, astringent brew for low quality leaves. High quality green teas can be and usually are steeped multiple times; 2 or 3 steepings is typical. The brewing technique also plays a very important role to avoid the tea developing an overcooked taste. Preferably, the container in which the tea is steeped or teapot should also be warmed beforehand so that the tea does not immediately cool down.
Caffeine
Unless specifically decaffeinated, green tea contains caffeine. Normal green tea itself may contain more caffeine than coffee, but the length of infusion with hot water and the number of times the leaves are reused can greatly alter caffeine intake. Experiments have shown after the first 5 minutes of brewing, green tea contains 32 mg caffeine. But if the same leaves are then used for a second and then a third five minute brew, the caffeine drops to 12 mg and then 4 mg, respectively.
While coffee and tea are both sources of caffeine, the amounts of caffeine in any single serving of these beverages varies significantly. An average serving of coffee contains the most caffeine, yet the same serving size of tea provides only 1/2 to 1/3 as much. One of the more confusing aspects of caffeine content is the fact that coffee contains less caffeine than tea when measured in its dry form. The caffeine content of a prepared cup of coffee is significantly higher than the caffeine content of a prepared cup of tea.
Green teas contain two caffeine metabolites (caffeine-like substances): theophylline, which is stronger than caffeine, and theobromine, which is slightly weaker than caffeine.
Health effects
Main article: Health effects of teaGreen tea contains polyphenols which are thought
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