Green tea is a minimally processed tea known for its grassy, vegetal flavor and refreshing aroma. Here's a breakdown of green tea products:
Types of Green Tea:
- Sencha tea: The most popular green tea, known for its bright, vegetal flavor and grassy aroma. Often enjoyed hot or cold.
- Matcha tea: Green tea leaves finely ground into a powder. Traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies, matcha has a strong, slightly bitter flavor and vibrant green color.
- Genmaicha tea: A unique Japanese green tea blended with roasted brown rice, offering a nutty flavor alongside the grassy notes of green tea.
- Gyokuro tea: A shade-grown Japanese green tea known for its umami flavor, sweetness, and delicate aroma.
- Dragonwell tea (Longjing): A pan-fired green tea from China known for its flat, needle-shaped leaves and nutty, sweet flavor.
Other Green Tea Varieties:
- Gunpowder tea: Chinese green tea rolled into small pellets for easy steeping.
- Jasmine tea: Green tea scented with jasmine flowers, offering a floral aroma and delicate sweetness.
- Bi Luo Chun tea (Pi Lo Chun): A delicate Chinese green tea known for its white, downy hairs on the leaves and floral, slightly sweet flavor.
- Mao Feng tea: A green tea from China known for its long, thin leaves and fresh, grassy flavor.
- Chun Mee tea (Precious Eyebrow): A Chinese green tea with a slightly twisted appearance and a mellow, grassy flavor.
Processing:
- Steamed tea: Most green teas are steamed to halt oxidation, preserving their green color and delicate flavors.
- Pan-fired: Some green teas, like Dragonwell, are pan-fired to add a toasty note to the flavor profile.
Additional Considerations:
- Loose-leaf tea: Whole green tea leaves offering a more customizable and flavorful brewing experience.
- Tea bags: Pre-portioned pouches of green tea for convenient brewing. May not offer the same level of nuance as loose-leaf tea.
- Organic green tea: Green tea grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.
- Scented tea: Green tea infused with flowers or other aromatics, like jasmine tea.
Green Tea Characteristics:
- Grassiness: A common descriptor for the vegetal flavor profile of green tea.
- Umami: A savory taste associated with high-quality green teas like Gyokuro.
- Freshness: Green tea is known for its light and refreshing taste.
- Delicate flavor: Green teas often have subtle sweetness and bitterness alongside their grassy notes.
- Refreshing aroma: The scent of green tea is clean and invigorating.
Brewing Green Tea:
- Green tea is typically brewed at a lower temperature than black tea to avoid bitterness.
- Steeping time varies depending on the type of green tea.
- The brewing vessel of choice can be a teapot or a teacup with an infuser.
