Best Green Tea

Green tea is a beverage that is becoming more and more popular all over the world today. That is hardly surprising. The western world has only just discovered the numerous health benefits of green tea, and many so-called health gurus have been promoting the best green tea as a panacea for various ailments ranging from obesity to cardiovascular diseases to cancer. And because of green tea’s growing popularity, it is no longer unusual to buy best green tea in non-traditional forms such as pills, tablets, or canned and bottled drinks.

Green Tea: A Rich and Exotic Drink You Can Enjoy Anytime

No one can deny, however, that the best way to experience green tea is by brewing it using genuine green tea leaves. The Chinese have this saying: It is better to not have any food for three days than to not have a drink of tea for one day. As a people who have been intimately familiar with the value of green tea for more than a millennium, the Chinese are certainly right. There is nothing as refreshing than a cup of freshly brewed green tea.

What Exactly Is Green Tea?

A common misconception about tea is that all its different types – green, black, yellow, white, oolong, and post-fermented – come from different kinds of tea plants. On the contrary, all teas come from just one tea plant, the Camellia sinensis.

The term “green tea” or any other type of tea refers to the way the tea leaves are processed right after harvesting. With green tea, the tea leaves are steamed, pan-fried or roasted immediately after harvest to arrest the fermentation process in the leaves. Thus, the tea leaves maintain their light green color, their fresh spring taste, and the potency of their antioxidant content.

Green tea is generally characterized by its fresh taste, the pale green coloring of the brew, its delicate character, and its mildly fragrant aroma. However, these characteristics can vary slightly depending on where the tea was grown and manufactured. Though many countries in Asia are known for manufacturing green tea, the most popular green teas come from China and Japan.

Chinese Green Tea

China is the birthplace of tea. Long before the western world had any inkling as to the joys of drinking green tea, the Chinese already had a deeply ingrained set of customs surrounding the beverage. In China, people become connoisseurs of green tea the same way that people become connoisseurs of wine.

China produces many varieties of the best green tea. The best Chinese green teas come mainly from the provinces of Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangsu in the south. Here are some of the most famous Chinese green teas:
Longjing tea. Also known as Dragon Well tea, Longjing tea is the most prized of Chinese green teas. Longjing tea is grown in Hangzhou in the province of Zhejiang. Its leaves look like small spears yellow-green in color. The leaves smell distinctly of orchids while the brew has a faint olive taste.

Bi Luo Chun tea.

Grown in Suzhou in the Jiangsu province, Bi Luo Chun literally means “green and curly leaves.” Its name refers to the appearance of its tea leaves, which are vibrant green and spiral in shape. Bi Luo Chun is one of China’s most delicate teas. The brew you can make using Bi Luo Chun tea leaves will have a slightly fruity taste and a floral aroma.

Mao Feng tea

Mao Feng tea leaves, also known as hairy mountain tea, are elongated and yellowish-green in color. A brew of Mao Feng tea will smell of chestnuts. Mao Feng tea is mostly grown around Mount Yellow in Anhui.

Gunpowder tea

Gunpowder tea gets its name from the way its leaves are rolled. It used to be called pearl tea but European importers have taken to calling it by its present name due to its resemblance to gunpowder used in 18th century rifles. Gunpowder tea is grown in Shao-xing in Zhejiang province. Though its leaves are dark, gunpowder tea produces a clear but fragrant brew.

Tunxi green tea

A product of Tunxi in the province of Anhui, Tunxi green tea leaves produce a yellowish brew. Its taste is mild but the aftertaste can give you a strong kick. Tunxi tea leaves are vibrant green in appearance and are tightly rolled. They also give off a faint but lasting chestnut smell.

Japanese Green Tea

Green tea was brought to Japan by Chinese monks seeking to spread Buddhism in the country. Like the Chinese, the Japanese have grown to value green tea greatly, making the beverage a significant part of their culture. The Japanese have developed elaborate rituals for drinking tea, and they also drink green tea the way most people drink water.

Though tea is grown in various provinces in Japan, around half of the country’s green tea is produced in the Shizuoka prefecture, located just south of Tokyo. Other centers of high-quality Japanese tea are Kagoshima and Uji. There are many types of the best green tea found in Japanese markets, and here are some of them:

Gyokuro

Gyokuro is the most expensive of Japanese green teas and highly prized by green tea connoisseurs. Grown mostly in Yame in the Fukuoka prefecture, gyokuro tea is shaded from the sun two weeks before its leaves are harvested. The shading gives gyokuro a distinct fragrance and a delicately sweet taste.

Sencha

Sencha is the most Japanese common green tea. Around 80% of all green teas produced in Japan are sencha. Sencha is different from gyokuro in that sencha leaves are exposed fully to sunlight right up to harvesting. Sencha can taste like vegetables, grass, or even seaweed. Its aroma is green and grassy as well. A brew of sencha can take on a yellow-green color, though high-grade sencha can be more yellow than green.

Matcha

Matcha is powdered green tea, often used in tea ceremonies. Like teas grown for gyokuro, teas grown for matcha are shaded a few weeks before harvest. However, gyokuro tea leaves are rolled whereas tea leaves for matcha are laid out flat, making them brittle. These brittle leaves are then stone-ground to produce matcha. Matcha has a very sweet and deep flavor. Aside from brews, matcha is also used as an ingredient for making confectionary, smoothies and sushi.

The Best Way to Prepare Green Tea

The great thing about green tea is that there are so many varieties of it available. You can experiment with brews, find the one you like best and enjoy it whenever you feel like relaxing with a cuppa.

Regardless of the green tea variety you pick as your favorite, it is very important that you learn how to brew your tea correctly. Brewing your tea properly will bring out the true flavor of the tea. Otherwise, even best green tea will taste bitter and unpleasant.

The best way to prepare green tea is to use a teapot specifically designed for brewing tea. You preheat this teapot by pouring in hot water and letting it stand for a few minutes. Once the temperature of the water has gone down to anywhere between 165°F (73°C) and 170°F (76°C), pour the water from the teapot to the cups you will be using to drink tea. This will preheat your cups and lower the water’s temperature even more.

Depending on the green tea you will drink, put in one teaspoon of loose leaves into the teapot for every eight ounces of water. Pour the water in your cups back into the teapot and let the tea steep for one or two minutes. Then, pour the brew back into your cup and enjoy your tea.

Drinking green tea made from genuine tea leaves is like drinking mellow freshness from a cup. Not only does it keep you in good health, but it also relaxes your body and your mind. Savor a cup of green tea today and see how it changes you.

If you drink tea for weight loss, then read our article about the green tea diet. Because it can supplement your diet very well if you want to lose a few pounds. There are interesting studies done on what the effect can be after drinking green tea for several weeks 4-5 times daily.

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