Green teas have been traditional hand made in China and Japan for millenniums. It is labor intensive and inevitably keeping the tea prices up.  

I have recently visited a green tea planation and its factory in the Makinohara region of Japan. Upon reflection I realize that the teas, at least certain premium teas, are among the products that an ‘industrialization’ is not as straight forward. 

Plucking requirements of premium teas

Premium teas, especially the green teas, white teas and yellow teas have very strict plucking requirements to ensure their quality grades. For example: The premium Bi Luo Chun uses exclusively the new buds;

The premium Silver Needle white tea uses only the pre-opened up ‘needle shape’ tip leaves; The premium Bai Mu Dan uses only the bud leaves plus 1-2 leaves below and everything else goes into the Shou Mei. (Note, there are of course many other factors played in a tea’s quality grade, such as harvesting time, location of the plantation and processing skills etc)

A semi-industrialized tea planation

The following image is classic machine operated planation in the Makinohara region of Japan. The ‘hair cut’ looks very neat. The truth is that when using a cutting machine to harvest, it is impossible to be selective with the leaves. It cuts whatever gets into the way if the blades, young leaves and the others too. The product is therefore a mixture of various grades of tea leaves.

When I discussed this with the worker at the plantation, she acknowledged that she never tasted a hand plucked Matcha produced there. Reason given – too expensive. (All Match produced here are harvested and processed by machines as illustrated by the image.)

Conclusion

Teas are still largely harvested and processed by hands in China. This is not to say machines such driers are not used. The process is labor intensive and hard to carry out in an industrial scale. The tug-of-war between the quality and price will continue. One day the revolution may come with the fast-developing AI. For the time being, there is a price tag against the premium hand made green teas, such as Bi Luo Chun – takes 60,000 to 70,000 buds to produce 500g of the dry tea. 

Note: The mature tea leaves have rather different flavor and brew texture profiles from the young leaves: 

• Premium loose leaf green tea, Silver Needle white tea and yellow tea typically use tender tip leaves only;
• White Peony and Shou Mei white tea use the tip leaves and certain mature leaves, yielding tastes different from Silver Needle
• Oolong teas typically use tea leaves of certain maturity for their aromas
• Black teas use both tip leaves and mature leave depend on the varieties
• Compressed teas (eg Pu-erh tea and Hei Cha) use mixture of tip and mature leaves, some with certain amount of the twigs

Green tea Family 

Quite different from commercial green tea bags, green tea is the biggest family of Chinese teas with more than 300 in varieties in the family and there is a vast quality difference within each variety.

Green teas are unfermented and most sensitive to tea damaging factors such as high temperature, light and moisture.

A case report

A case report: A friend showed me one day a ‘special high quality Dragon Well green tea’ that she was given as a gift. She treasured it and kept in her cabinet for quite some time. Up inspection of the tea, it appeared to be quite a premium grade Dragon Well when fresh, but unfortunately was reduced to dry twigs after prolong and inadequate storage.

How to differenciate low vs high quality green tea

Following are some differences that distinguish between a premium fresh green tea and a low quality or lost quality tea:

Reasons for the quality differences

There are many factors contributing to the green teas quality, from tea plants, harvesting, tea making skills to the final packaging and storage. More information at: tea quality.

Finding a good tea

A good cup of tea is illustrated by the ancient Chinese artist as ‘drew from haven’, yet some low grade teas are really not worth drinking.

Treat you tea experience as a journey of discovery, knowledge gathering, experimenting and joy and satisfaction. We Chinese have loved our teas for more than 2000 year. It is a beverage that has stood the test of time and green tea is certainly a jewel on the crown. 

Jasmine tea, what is it?

Most of the tea drinkers have more likely heard of ‘Jasmine tea’ than ‘jasmine green tea’. This is how it works.

The original and most traditional tea drinkers, the Chinese, have always been reluctant to blend their premium teas (similar to premium wines in this regard, the delicate texture and flavours are to be explored and enjoyed on their own.) Only the relatively lower grade teas, such as broken leaves or tea dust, are used for blending.

One ingredient however has long been noticed to somehow co-exist harmoniously with certain teas and this is the jasmine perfume/blossom. With their gentle and elegant perfume, limited amount can enhance certain unfermented teas (green teas) to yield a gently sweet flavour.

Are all Jasmine teas the same?

Like all other premium teas’ production this is done through skilful processing: carefully selected green teas, high quality jasmine blossoms, tightly controlled processing steps and the adequate storage of the product at the end. A high quality Jasmine green tea is a delicacy among Chinese teas, especially for those who enjoyed the jasmine perfume.

Some clarifications:

• Jasmine teas are generally referring to jasmine scented teas (normally green teas). They are not teas made of Jasmine blossoms or leaves.
• They are various quality grades of Jasmine teas, just like other Chinese teas. They could be made of low quality tea leaves and jasmine blossoms, or fresh high quality tea leaves and jasmine blossoms. (Low quality products are also possible if the high quality ingredients are not processed adequately.)
• There is a fine balance of the amount of the jasmine blossoms used and the quantity of the tea leaves. The more does not necessary mean the better.

For those who are new to green teas, buying the right one could be a bit of a challenge. The questions that I have been asked:

• Can I order some green tea please (reality: there are more than 300 Chinese green teas with very distinctive individual characters.)
• What is the best green tea?
• Which green tea has the highest level of anti-oxidants?
• Are all green teas bitter and grassy?
• Are all loose leaf tea green tea?
• Any the list keeps growing!

Green tea and its health benefit

Green tea is one of the very original teas and has been consumed in China for a long history. It is however relatively new to the west. The interest in green tea has been rapidly increasing in the last 20-30 years mainly due to the recent documentary of their numerous health benefits.
The health benefits of different green teas are similar, although the anti-oxidant level is believed to be associated with the quality grade of the tea more than the variety (different varieties of green teas are made of different sub-species of the same plant).
I have been advising our customers as follow:

• Never forget that green tea was discovered as an enjoyable beverage to enhance lifestyle first
• The health benefits are by-products
• If you can find a green tea that suites your taste and in-cooperate it into your lifestyle, the health benefits will come naturally.

Purchase green tea online

Tea drinking is a life time journey for many and it is worth while taking time to investigate and find a tea and a supplier that meets you needs and satisfy your taste buds.
They are many online suppliers offering loose leaf green teas today, claiming to be premium quality. The quality range is however very big. There are supplier source their seasonal products directly from the tea farmers in China, transport and store appropriately while the others (with limited knowledge about premium fresh teas) simply purchase their products from a second or even third hand tea merchant. For the later, the product could be of low quality at production, being stored inadequately for a long time and sold under the same tea name for a profit, for example all under the same name Dragon Well green tea. The differences are evident to an experienced tea drinker.

Green tea buying tips:

• The best green teas are the fresh ones (refreshing and aromatic, never bitter or rough)
• All loose teas are quality graded and the difference could be quite big (similar to premium wine)
• Do a thorough check of the site, if the supplier appears to have extensive firsthand knowledge about teas, the chances are you are likely to get some decent quality products.
• Start from small amount but different varieties. Pick the one that satisfy your taste buds, you can then order bigger quality.
• Try out some free samples if possible.
• Tea bags are never of high quality, mainly because the broken leaves are heavily oxidised (different from fermentation!) at the edge to produce the bitter taste and rough texture

More information about green teas and their quality grades at: Tea and Quality.

Many are drinking green tea these days due to their overwhelming health benefits researched and reported. Many however turn up at the local supermarket and grab a box of teabags. The scenario is often they find them difficult to swallow let alone enjoy and can only put up with them for so long. A few hints to help you to find your cup of green tea:

1. Unlikely commercial tea bags, there are many varieties of premium loose leaf pure green teas (unblended). There are more than 300 alone in China recorded, many times more folk teas have never made it to the record. The teas are made in different areas, using different sub-species of plants grown under different climate conditions and processed by different traditional methods. The end results are teas looking different and tastes different. Try a variety of them and the chances are there will be one that is your favourite.
2. Purchase the right teas from the right supplier. Premium pure tea is an art of its’ own and a supplier who understands premium teas will certainly help in the teas they source. If you are not sure, ask for samples and a genuine supplier will be more than proud to show off their teas.
3. Lean to make premium green teas the right way. The traditional English tea making with a big teapot and soak the tea for a long time will ruin the green tea no matter how good quality it is. On the other hand however, you do not need a tea ceremony to make a cup of green tea.  Just a few cautions, such as tea leaf amount, water temperature and brewing time, and after that it is all in your hands. Experiment until you get your perfect cup of tea.
4. Select the right tea vessel. Teas are very delicate in flavours and will take any odors and flavours around them. Avoid anything that is modern, such plastic, iron or aluminum to store or brew teas where possible. A cupper with the plastic taste is not a flavour for anyone for sure.

Green teas are extremely refreshing. A good quality one will make you wanting to come back for more and more, especially after a rich meal. I remember my village born and died (when she was nearly 100 years old) grandmother could not live a day without her tea. Green tea could be a lifestyle change with plenty of the enjoyment, so do not drink to put up with it! We Chinese have enjoyed for about 2000 years.

green tea, a source of enjoyment

Green tea is a hot keyword these days. Many however understand it through the images and articles portraying it as a pale green colour liquid medicine – with a long list of health benefits. Green tea was discovered accidentally and had been consumed in China for 2000 plus years before we started studying its health benefits. Our ancestors drank it because they enjoyed it. Over the long history of green tea consumption in China, more than 300 varieties have been invented and it has become a product of history, culture and art. Green teas are made of the leaves of a simple plant called Camellia sinensis.  The hundreds of varieties, each with its unique natures to mark their own identity are a result of their different: plant species, cultivation environment, harvesting skills and making skills. The final product is a unique leaf beverage with nothing but individualities. There is a culture build around each green tea production and consumption, the final brew looks similar in bright light green, but their aroma, taste, texture and after taste can only be experienced and described individually. The most amazing bit is that all these come from a simple plant leaf – no additives are required. In fact the additives are only used when covering up is needed for the low quality products.  (Very similar premium wines.) To fully benefit from green teas’ rich anti-oxidants, the first step is to lean to enjoy the tea itself.