Green Tea

The freshly picked leaves are placed on bamboo racks or in ventilated rooms for a short period of 2-3 hours. This process, much shorter than for black tea, serves only to slightly reduce moisture and make the leaves more flexible, without allowing significant oxidation.

This is the crucial phase that distinguishes green tea from all others. The leaves are subjected to intense heat to deactivate the enzymes responsible for oxidation, thus preserving the green color and natural antioxidants.
Chinese Method: The leaves are "stir-fried" in large iron woks heated to 150-200°C for 1-2 minutes, with the continuous movement of the tea master's skilled hands. The light crackling of the leaves in the hot wok and the aroma they release during roasting impart toasted and chestnut notes, typical of Chinese green teas like Longjing.
Japanese Method: The leaves are treated with high-temperature steam (98-100°C) for varying times:

• Asamushi (light steam): 20-30 seconds
• Chumushi (medium steam): 30-40 seconds
• Fukamushi (deep steam): 40-120 seconds

The stabilized leaves are rolled and pressed to break the cell walls and release the internal juices that will enhance the aromas. This artistic process can last over 3 hours and is repeated in multiple stages:
Needle-shaped leaves: As in Japanese Sencha, rolled into thin needles
Spiral-shaped leaves: As in Chinese Bi Luo Chun
Flattened leaves: As in Longjing, pressed against the wok
Pearl-shaped leaves: As in Gunpowder, rolled into small spheres

The shaped leaves are completely dried in low-temperature ovens or with hot air until they reach a moisture content below 5%. This process, which can last from 30 minutes to over 2 hours, stabilizes the tea, making it suitable for long-term storage.

The final phase involves the careful selection of the best leaves, separating whole leaves from breakages and removing dust and fragments. The finest teas contain only whole leaves and buds, while breakages are destined for lower-quality blends.

Green tea is best preserved in a low-temperature environment. High temperatures will significantly accelerate the oxidative decomposition of active ingredients in tea. The ideal green tea storage temperature is 0-5℃. Within this temperature range, the oxidation rate of tea will be greatly slowed down, and the freshness and nutritional components can be retained to the maximum extent. Special attention should be paid to avoiding frequent temperature fluctuations.

Green tea has extremely strong hygroscopicity. When the environmental humidity exceeds 60%, the tea will quickly absorb moisture, increasing the risk of mold growth and bacterial propagation. Therefore, the environment for preserving green tea must be kept dry, and the relative humidity should be strictly controlled below 50%. In humid areas or during the rainy season, additional enhanced moisture-proof measures, such as placing food-grade desiccants, should be taken to ensure that the tea is always in a dry state, which is an important condition for green tea preservation.

● Light-proof Preservation: Ultraviolet rays in sunlight will directly damage the nutrients in tea, accelerate the oxidation process of tea polyphenols, and cause the tea to darken in color and lose its aroma. When preserving green tea, opaque containers must be chosen to avoid direct sunlight or long-term exposure to strong light environments, which is a key skill for green tea freshness preservation.
● Odor Isolation: Green tea has strong adsorption properties and is extremely easy to absorb odors from the surrounding environment, resulting in contamination of its own flavor. Therefore, the environment for preserving green tea must be far away from odor sources such as kitchens and bathrooms, and it is strictly forbidden to store it with items with strong odors such as spices, cosmetics, tobacco, and alcohol to protect the original flavor of green tea.