Green tea, also known as non-fermented tea. It is made from suitable fresh tea shoots through typical processes such as fixation, rolling, and drying. It is named for the predominant green color of its dry leaves, brewed tea soup, and infused leaves.
The characteristic of green tea is that it retains a relatively high amount of natural substances from the fresh leaves. Among them, tea polyphenols and caffeine retain over 85% of the fresh leaf content, chlorophyll retains about 50%, and vitamin loss is also minimal, thus forming the characteristics of green tea: "clear soup, green leaves, and a strong astringent taste." The latest scientific research results show that the natural components preserved in green tea have special effects in anti-aging, cancer prevention, anti-cancer, sterilization, and anti-inflammation, surpassing other tea types.
Among Chinese green teas, there are the most famous varieties, which not only have a rich aroma and long-lasting taste, excellent quality, but also unique shapes, possessing high artistic appreciation value. Green tea is generally divided into stir-fried green tea, baked green tea, sun-dried green tea, and steamed green tea based on different drying and fixation methods.
Stir-fried green tea: Due to the different mechanical or manual forces applied during the drying process, the finished tea takes on various shapes such as long strips, round beads, flat fans, needles, and spirals. Therefore, it is further divided into long stir-fried green, round stir-fried green, flat stir-fried green, etc. Long stir-fried green tea, after refining, is called "Mei Cha" (eyebrow tea). The finished products include Zhen Mei, Gong Xi, Yu Cha, Zhen Mei, Xiu Mei, etc., each with different quality characteristics. For example:
Zhen Mei: The strips are fine, tight, and straight, resembling the delicate eyebrows of a lady. The color is green and lustrous with a frosty appearance, the aroma is fresh and high, the taste is strong and refreshing, and the soup color and infused leaves are bright green with a slight yellow tint.
Gong Xi: This is the round tea among long stir-fried green teas, called Gong Xi after refining. The appearance consists of granules similar to pearl tea, round, and the infused leaves are still tender and even.
Yu Cha: Originally separated from pearl tea, most Yu Cha is now obtained from Mei Cha. The appearance features short, fine, and relatively tight strips, with an even green color, pure aroma, relatively strong taste, yellow-green soup color, and still tender and even infused leaves.
Round stir-fried green tea: The appearance consists of round and tight granules. Depending on the origin and production method, it is further divided into Ping Chao Qing, Quangang Huibai, and Yongxi Huoqing, etc.
Ping Chao Qing: Produced in counties such as Shengxian, Xinchang, and Shangyu in Zhejiang. Historically, the raw tea was refined and distributed in Pingshui Town, Shaoxing. The finished tea has fine, round, and tight granules resembling pearls, hence called "Pingshui Pearl Tea" or Ping Lu, while the raw tea is called Ping Chao Qing.
Flat stir-fried green tea: Depending on the origin and production method, it is mainly divided into three types: Longjing, Qiqiang, and Dafang.
Longjing: Produced in the West Lake District of Hangzhou City, also known as West Lake Longjing. The fresh leaves are picked tenderly, requiring buds and leaves to form uniform clusters. High-grade Longjing is particularly finely crafted, possessing the quality characteristics of "green color, rich aroma, sweet taste, and beautiful shape."
Qiqiang: Produced in the areas surrounding the Hangzhou Longjing tea region and adjacent counties such as Yuhang, Fuyang, and Xiaoshan.
Dafang: Produced in She County, Anhui Province, and adjacent areas of Lin'an and Chun'an in Zhejiang, with She County's Laozhu Dafang being the most famous.
Among stir-fried green teas, due to different tea-making methods, some are called special stir-fried green teas. To maintain the integrity of the leaf shape, the final step often involves baking. Such teas include Dongting Biluochun, Nanjing Yuhua Tea, Gold Medal Huiming, Gaoqiao Yinfeng, Shaoshan Shaofeng, Anhua Songzhen, Guzhang Maojian, Jianghua Maojian, Dayong Maojian, Xinyang Maojian, Guiping Xishan Tea, Lushan Cloud Mist, etc. Here, only two are briefly described. For example, Dongting Biluochun: Produced in Dongting Mountain, Taihu Lake, Wuxian County, Jiangsu, with the best quality from Biluo Peak. The appearance features slender, even strips, curled like a snail, with visible white hairs, and a silver-green color with a hidden emerald luster. The inner quality has a lasting fresh fragrance, a tender green and clear soup color, a fresh and sweet taste, and tender, soft, even, and bright infused leaves. Gold Medal Huiming: Produced in Yunhe County, Zhejiang. It was named after winning a gold medal at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The appearance features fine, tight, and even strips, with buds showing tips and hairs, and a green, lustrous color. The inner quality has a high and lasting aroma with floral and fruity notes, a clear and bright soup color, a sweet, mellow, and refreshing taste, and tender, green, and bright infused leaves.
Baked green tea: Dried using baking baskets. Most baked green raw tea, after further refining, is used as the base for scented tea. Its aroma is generally not as high as stir-fried green tea, but a few famous baked green teas have exceptional quality. Based on appearance, it can also be divided into strip tea, pointed tea, flake tea, needle tea, etc. Strip baked green tea is produced in all major tea-producing regions; pointed and flake teas are mainly produced in provinces like Anhui and Zhejiang. Among them, special baked green teas mainly include Huangshan Maofeng, Taiping Houkui, Lu'an Guapian, Jingting Lvxue, Tianshan Green Tea, Guzhu Zisun, Jiangshan Lv Mudan, Emei Maofeng, Jinshui Cuifeng, Xiazhou Bifeng, Nannuo Baihao, etc. For example, Huangshan Maofeng: Produced in Huangshan, She County, Anhui. The appearance is tender and slightly curled, with plump, even buds, having tips, resembling "sparrow tongues," with a golden, oily, and lustrous color, commonly called ivory color. The aroma is fresh, high, and long-lasting, the soup color is apricot-yellow, clear, and bright, the taste is mellow, fresh, and refreshing with a sweet aftertaste, and the infused leaves show buds and leaves forming clusters, thick and bright.
Sun-dried green tea: Dried using sunlight. Mainly distributed in Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, with small production in Yunnan, Guizhou, and other provinces. Sun-dried green tea made from Yunnan large-leaf varieties is of the best quality, called "Dian Qing"; others such as Chuan Qing, Qian Qing, Gui Qing, E Qing, etc., each have their merits but are not as good as Dian Qing.
Steamed green tea: Using steam for fixation is an ancient Chinese fixation method. It was transmitted to Japan during the Tang Dynasty and has been used there since; while in China, it was changed to pan-fixation starting from the Ming Dynasty. Steaming uses steam to destroy enzyme activity in fresh leaves, forming the quality characteristics of dry tea with a deep green color, light green tea soup, and green infused leaves—the "three greens." However, the aroma is somewhat dull with a grassy note, and the astringency is stronger, not as fresh and refreshing as pan-fixed green tea. Due to foreign trade needs, China has also produced a small amount of steamed green tea since the mid-1980s. Main varieties include Enshi Yulu, produced in Enshi, Hubei; Chinese Sencha, produced in Zhejiang, Fujian, and Anhui provinces.
Green tea is the earliest tea category in history. Ancient humans collecting and sun-drying wild tea buds and leaves for storage can be seen as the beginning of green tea processing in a broad sense, dating back at least three thousand years. However, true green tea processing began with the invention of the steaming fixation method in the 8th century AD. By the 12th century, the stir-frying fixation method was invented, and green tea processing technology became relatively mature, continuing to this day and constantly improving.
Green tea is the tea category with the largest production volume in China, with producing areas distributed across all tea-producing provinces, cities, and autonomous regions. Among them, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangxi provinces have the highest output and best quality, being the main bases for green tea production in China. In the international market, Chinese green tea accounts for over 70% of international trade volume. It is sold in more than 50 countries and regions, including North Africa, West Africa, France, the United States, Afghanistan, etc. In the international market, green tea sales account for over one-third of domestic sales volume. At the same time, green tea is also the main raw material for producing scented tea.
Names of various green teas: West Lake Longjing; Huiming Tea; Dongting Biluochun; Guzhu Purple Tea; Wuzi Xianhao; Huangshan Maofeng; Xinyang Maojian; Pingshui Pearl Tea; Baohong Tea; Shangrao Baimei; Jingshan Tea; Emei Zhuyeqing; Nan'an Shiting Green; Yangtian Snow Green; Mengding Tea; Yongxi Huoqing; Immortal Palm Tea; Tianshan Green Tea; Yongchuan Xiucha; Xiuning Songluo; Enshi Yulu; Duyun Maojian; Jiukeng Maojian; Guiping Xishan Tea; Laozhu Dafang; Quangang Huibai; Mei Cha; Anji Baipian; Nanjing Yuhua Tea; Jingting Lvxue; Tianzun Gongya; Tan Tea; Shuanglong Yinzhen; Taiping Houkui; Yuanming Tea; Xiazhou Bifeng; Qinba Wuhao; Kaihua Longxu; Lushan Cloud Mist; Anhua Songzhen; Rizhu Xueya; Ziyang Maojian; Jiangshan Lv Mudan; Lu'an Guapian; Gaoqiao Yinfeng; Yunfeng and Panhao; Hanshui Yinsuo; Yunnan Baihao; Zunyi Maofeng; Jiuhua Maofeng; Wugaishan Rice Tea; Jinggang Cuilv; Shaofeng; Gulao Tea; Shucheng Orchid; Zhoubiyun; Xiaobu Rock Tea; Huading Cloud Mist; Nanshan Baimao Ya; Tianzhu Jianhao; Huangzhu Baihao; Magu Tea; Cheyunshan Maojian; Guilin Maojian; Jiande Baocha; Ruizhou Huangbo Tea; Shuangqiao Maojian; Qintang Maojian; Donghu Yinhao; Jianghua Maojian; Longwu Tea; Guishan Rock Green; Wuxi Hao Tea; Guidong Linglong Tea; Tianmu Qingding; Xinjiang Down Tea; Jinshui Cuifeng; Jintan Que She; Guzhang Maojian; Shuangjing Green; Zhou Datie Tea; Wenjun Nenlv; Qianfeng Snow Lotus; Shikou Yin Ya; Yandang Maofeng; Jiulong Tea; Emei Maofeng; Nanshan Shou Mei; Xiangbo Green; Sun-dried; Shanyan Cuilv; Mengding Ganlu; Ruicao Kui; Hexi Round Tea; Putuo Buddha Tea; Xuefeng Maojian; Qingcheng Snow Bud; Baoding Green Tea; Longzhong Tea; Songyang Yin Hou; Longyan Xiebei Tea; Meilong Tea; Lanxi Maofeng; Guanzhuang Maojian; Yunhai Baihao; Lianxin Tea; Jinshan Cui Ya; E Rui; Niudi Tea; Huafo Tea; Guiding Cloud Mist Tea; Tianchi Minghao; Tongtianyan Tea; Lingyun White Tea; Steamed Sencha; Yunlin Tea; Pan'an Yunfeng; Lvchun Mayu Tea; Dongbai Chun Ya; Taibai Ding Ya; Qiandao Yuye; Qingxi Yu Ya; Zuanlin Tea; Xianju Bilv; Qijingtang Green Tea; Nanyue Cloud Mist Tea; Daguan Cuihua Tea; Meijiang Cuipian; Cuiluo; Wokeng Tea; Yuyao Waterfall Tea; Cangshan Snow Green; Xiangqi Cloud Mist; Huaguoshan Cloud Mist Tea; Shuixian Ronggou Tea; Suichang Yin Hou; Mojiang Yunzhen.