Basic Introduction to Laoshan Green Tea

Laoshan Green Tea is produced in Laoshan District, Qingdao City, Shandong Province. Xiaoyangchun Laoshan Green Tea comes from Laoshan, located by the Yellow Sea, with a temperate maritime monsoon climate and fertile soil that is slightly acidic. Known as the “Little Jiangnan of the North,” it successfully introduced “Southern tea to the North” in 1959, creating its unique quality. Laoshan Green Tea is characterized by thick leaves, a pea-like aroma, strong flavor, and good durability when brewed. It can be categorized into spring tea, summer tea, and autumn tea based on the season of fresh leaf harvest, and into curled green tea and flat green tea based on raw materials and processing techniques. In October 2006, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine approved geographical indication product protection for Laoshan Green Tea.

Nutritional Value

Fat Reduction and Weight Loss

The relationship between Drinking Tea and weight loss is very close. The ancient book “Shennong's Herbal Classic” mentioned the weight loss effects of tea over two thousand years ago: “Long-term consumption calms the mind, invigorates qi… makes the body light and prevents aging.” Modern scientific research and clinical trials have confirmed that drinking tea can lower blood lipid levels and cholesterol, making the body lighter. This is due to the combined effect of phenolic derivatives, aromatic compounds, amino acids, vitamins, and other substances in tea, particularly the synergistic effect of tea polyphenols, theine, and vitamin C, which promote fat oxidation, aid digestion, and reduce fat. Additionally, tea polyphenols dissolve fats, while vitamin C promotes the excretion of cholesterol. Green tea itself contains theanine, which increases the resilience of blood vessels, preventing them from rupturing easily.

Cancer Prevention

The components in Laoshan Green Tea—tea polyphenols and Caffeine—produce a combined effect that not only invigorates the mind and spirit but also enhances the immune system and has anti-cancer properties. The American Chemical Society has found that tea not only inhibits digestive system cancers but also skin, lung, and liver cancers. Scientific studies have confirmed that the organic anti-cancer substances in tea mainly include tea polyphenols, theine, vitamin C, and vitamin E; the inorganic anti-cancer elements are selenium, molybdenum, manganese, and germanium. Chinese and Japanese scientists believe that catechins in tea polyphenols have the best anti-cancer effect.

Toxicant Elimination and Bacterial Inhibition

The use of tea as a detoxifying medicine can be traced back to the legendary era of Shennong (around 2737 BC), where it is said that “Shennong tasted a hundred herbs, encountering seventy-two toxins daily, and was cured by tea.” This is recorded in books such as “Records of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors” in the “Historical Records,” “Cultivation and Martial Training” in the “Hunanzi,” and “Supplement to the Materia Medica.”

Promotes Longevity

The anti-aging effects of Laoshan Green Tea on the human body are mainly attributed to several effective chemical components and various vitamins working in harmony, particularly tea polyphenols, caffeine, vitamin C, fragrances, lipopolysaccharides, etc. These substances enhance myocardial activity and vascular elasticity, inhibit arteriosclerosis, reduce the incidence of hypertension and coronary heart disease, and strengthen immunity, thus promoting longevity. Medical research has proven that tea polyphenols can reduce blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, increase the toughness and elasticity of microvessels, and lower blood lipids, which is highly beneficial for preventing common diseases like hypertension and cardiovascular issues in middle-aged and elderly individuals. Tea contains selenium, an organic form that is more easily absorbed than that in cereals and oils. Dr. Richard W. Piacentini believes that combining selenium with vitamin C and vitamin E in food can extend life, and tea is rich in these beneficial elements.

Production Method

Picking

The standard for picking fresh tea leaves directly relates to the quality and grade of the finished tea. Generally, picking standards include single buds, one bud with one leaf, one bud with two leaves, one bud with three leaves, one bud with four leaves, and opposite leaves. Fresh leaves should be picked tenderly, uniformly, and cleanly without any impurities. They should be plucked gently by hand, not pinched, and pickers should not wear cosmetics. Purple buds, diseased or insect-infested buds, frost-damaged buds, and other non-standard buds should not be picked. Picking is usually done in the early morning and not during rainy weather. After picking, they should be placed in clean bamboo baskets, not in non-breathable plastic bags. After picking, they should be spread out promptly.

Spreading Out

The purpose of spreading out is to allow moisture to evaporate from the fresh leaves, darken the leaf color, soften the leaf texture, and increase pliability, which facilitates shaping and quality development. When spreading out fresh leaves, choose a clean, hygienic, cool, well-ventilated, dry area away from direct sunlight. Spread them out thinly on mats or bamboo trays, about 5 to 8 cm thick, and let them sit for 6 to 10 hours. After rainy weather, the time should be extended appropriately. Early spreading means early processing, and late spreading means late processing. During spreading, they can be turned lightly. When the moisture content of the fresh leaves reaches around 68% to 70%, the leaf texture softens and emits a fragrant aroma, it is ready for the fixation stage. If the spreading time is too short, the finished tea may have a raw, green taste. If the spreading time is too long, excessive water loss from the fresh leaves may hinder shape formation.

Fixation

Fixation is a critical step in green Tea processing. Fixation involves high-temperature measures to evaporate moisture, deactivate enzymes, and cause certain chemical changes in the internal substances of fresh leaves, laying the foundation for the formation of green tea quality. Based on the principle that temperature has a dual effect on enzyme activity, fixation uses high temperatures to quickly raise the temperature of the fixed leaves to above 80°C in a short period, deactivating enzymes and preventing enzymatic reactions. Therefore, if the pot temperature is too low during fixation, the time for the leaf temperature to rise will be too long, causing enzymatic reactions in tea polyphenols, resulting in red stems and red leaves. Conversely, if the temperature is too high, chlorophyll is destroyed, causing the leaves to turn yellow, and some may even develop burnt edges and spots, reducing the quality of green tea.

Rolling

The purpose of rolling is to break the cell structure of the leaves, curl the shoots and leaves into strips. During rolling, the leaves in the rolling cylinder are subjected to the combined effect of pressure between two planes and frictional forces among the rolling tray, cylinder wall, and shoots, causing tea juice to overflow. This increases the flexibility, pliability, and stickiness of the leaves, facilitating strip formation. For specialty green teas, manual rolling is generally used, while mechanical rolling is used for mass-produced green teas. A 45-type rolling machine is typically used, with each batch containing approximately 15 kg of leaves. The rolling machine's speed is preferably 45 to 55 revolutions per minute. Rolling pressure follows a light-heavy-light pattern, lasting about 30 to 60 minutes. For grades 1 to 2, rolling takes 30 minutes, with pressure settings of no pressure for 5 minutes, light pressure for 20 minutes, and no pressure for 5 minutes. For grade 3 raw materials, rolling lasts 35 minutes, with pressure settings of no pressure for 5 minutes, light pressure for 10 minutes, medium pressure for 15 minutes, and no pressure for 5 minutes. Properly rolled tea leaves will be coated with tea juice, feeling sticky when touched, and tightly bound into strips at a rate of 60% to 80% or more.

After rolling, the tea needs to be unclumped using a clump-breaking and sieving machine. For grades 1 to 2, the clumping is immediately broken and sieved after rolling. For grades 4 to 5, the clumping is broken and sieved, and the remaining pieces undergo re-rolling.

Drying

Drying not only evaporates moisture from the leaves but also causes a series of thermal chemical changes, forming the distinctive color, aroma, taste, and shape of tea. Drying includes three inseparable stages: evaporation of moisture, thermal chemical changes, and shaping. Different