Green tea is a type of tea that is harvested and then quickly preserved. Whereas black tealeaves are allowed to oxidize after they are picked, green tealeaves are immediately heated to prevent oxidation. (Oxidation is a natural process. It's the same thing that happens when you slice an apple and it begins to turn brown and taste sweeter as it is exposed to oxygen.)
Green teas are processed with either steam heat or with dry heat (such as pan firing, which is similar to stir frying in a wok, or a quick baking process in an oven). This processing is different from the processing for other tea types, including black tea, oolong tea, white tea and pu-erh tea.
What Does Green Tea Taste Like?
People often tell me that they "don't like green tea" because they think it tastes bitter and grassy. For some people, this is a simple matter of taste. However, I often find that the reason most people in the West "don't like green tea" is because they are buying low quality green tea and then brewing it incorrectly! When I steep good green tea for people who "don't like green tea," they often find that they love the taste. It's not that they hate the taste of green tea -- they just hate the taste of bad green tea.
Depending on where they were grown, how they were processed, when they were harvested, etc., good green teas can have a range of tastes. Common descriptors for good quality green tea include: sweet, bittersweet, nutty, vegetal, buttery, floral, swampy, fruity and oceanic. Steamed green teas tend to taste bittersweet (especially in the aftertaste), while other green teas tend to taste sweet.
How Do I Make Green Tea?
As I mentioned above, many people who think they don't like green tea have simply never tried good green tea that has been prepared correctly. A common mistake in brewing green tea is using boiling water. While it's generally OK to use boiling water to make black tea, using boiling water for green tea can turn even the best leaves into a bitter, nasty mess. Most green teas are best when steeped at around 70 to 85 degrees Celsius, which is only simmering.
It's also important to avoid steeping your green tea too long, as over-steeping will also make your green tea undrinkably bitter.
Here’s a list of some of its amazing benefits
Weight Loss. Green tea increases the metabolism. The polyphenol found in green tea works to intensify levels of fat oxidation and the rate at which your body turns food into calories.
Diabetes. Green tea apparently helps regulate glucose levels slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. This can prevent high insulin spikes and resulting fat storage.
Heart Disease. Scientists think, green tea works on the lining of blood vessels, helping keep them stay relaxed and better able to withstand changes in blood pressure. It may also protect against the formation of clots, which are the primary cause of heart attacks.
Esophageal Cancer. It can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer, but it is also widely thought to kill cancer cells in general without damaging the healthy tissue around them.
Cholesterol. Green tea reduces bad cholesterol in the blood and improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It is said to delay the deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Studies carried out on mice showed that green tea protected brain cells from dying and restored damaged brain cells.
Tooth Decay. Studies suggests that the chemical antioxidant “catechin” in tea can destroy bacteria and viruses that cause throat infections, dental caries and other dental conditions
Blood Pressure. Regular consumption of green tea is thought to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
Depression. Theanine is an amino acid naturally found in tea leaves. It is this substance that is thought to provide a relaxing and tranquilizing effect and be a great benefit to tea drinkers.
Anti-viral and Anti-bacterial. Tea catechins are strong antibacterial and antiviral agents which make them effective for treating everything from influenza to cancer. In some studies green tea has been shown to inhibit the spread of many diseases.
Skincare. Green tea can apparently also help with wrinkles and the signs of aging, This is because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Both animal and human studies have demonstrated that green tea applied topically can reduce sun damage.
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