Chinese green tea is simply a tea that is grown in different regions of China. Green tea can be found in many different countries, including China, Japan, Indonesia, and parts of the United States. All green teas are harvested from the same plant- the Camelia sinesis. In fact, all tea comes from this plant. The difference is the way it’s harvested and processed. With green tea, the oxidation process is minimal. There is no fermentation of the tea leaf once it’s been harvested. The result is a green leaf, lending its name. When you start looking to purchase green tea, you’ll have several choices. Here is a quick overview of the types available, and the differences between them.
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Yellow Tea
Even though this isn’t called ‘green’ tea, it actually is. Yellow tea is harvested and processed in the same way as green tea, but the leaves are allowed to dry naturally. This longer drying time creates more of a yellow hue to the tea. The smell isn’t as strong as it is with green tea products, but the flavor isn’t affected much. Yellow tea is often treated with herbs to change the flavor. When this process is used the look and smell of the tea can resemble oolong green tea or black tea.
Dragon Well Chinese Green Tea
Dragon Well green tea is one of the more popular varieties of Chinese green tea available in the west. It’s also an expensive variety of tea. Dragon Well, also called Longjing, is pan fried after it is harvested. This gives the tea leaves a flatter appearance. The pan frying process locks in the oils and enhances the flavors. If you are looking for health benefits with green tea, this may be one to pass up. While the flavor is enticing, the pan frying process can remove some of the benefits associated.
Dragon Pearl Tea
Dragon Pearl tea is an infusion of Chinese green tea and jasmine flowers. Jasmine green tea has a delicate flavor, and is prized in many areas of the country. The green tea is harvested as it usually is, and is then rolled around jasmine blossoms. The leaves are then steamed. The result is the essence of the jasmine blooms are infused in to the green tea leaves. Some lower quality jasmine teas won’t go through this step and will just add dried jasmine blooms to the green tea mix. This still tastes good, but it adds bulk to the tea. It can also overpower the green tea flavor with the jasmine.
Gunpowder Green Tea
Another popular type of Chinese green tea is Gunpowder tea. This tea is harvested the same as all green tea. Once it’s been harvested the leaves are allowed to wither. Then they are steamed and rolled in to small pellets. They are allowed to dry after the pellet has been formed. In early years of production the leaves were rolled by hand. Today this is done with the help of a special machine. Rolling the leaves in to pellets increases the life of the tea. The oils are trapped inside the leaf, and the pellets don’t allow for much damage during packaging and shipping. Gunpowder tea isn’t available in tea bags. If you find tea that claims to be Gunpowder and it is bagged, you want to look closely. It may be a lower grade and use the pellets that didn’t stay rolled well during the processing. The larger the pellet, the higher the quality of the Chinese green tea.
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