Tea: Varieties And Grades Of Green Tea

Summary: If you've ever shopped for green tea, no doubt you're aware that there are a vast number of choices. There are green teas from many regions of the world, and many varieties, grades and flavors from each region. Green tea was likely the first kind of tea. About 3000 years ago in China, people plucked fresh tea leaves and let them dry in the sun before storing them. In the 8th century, tea processors began using the evaporation process, and by the 12th century, they began sa...

If you've ever shopped for green tea, no doubt you're aware that there are a vast number of choices. There are green teas from many regions of the world, and many varieties, grades and flavors from each region. Green tea was likely the first kind of tea. About 3000 years ago in China, people plucked fresh tea leaves and let them dry in the sun before storing them. In the 8th century, tea processors began using the evaporation process, and by the 12th century, they began sautéing the leaves. Basically, green tea came about before tea processors learned the methods associated with processing black tea. Even today, green tea is one of the teas left in its most natural state. Unlike black tea, green tea is unfermented. This lack of fermentation leaves the chlorophyll in the leaves, so that they retain their green color. Green tea also retains more of its natural anti-oxidants as a result of being unfermented. This makes green tea a far healthier choice than black tea. The natural anti-oxidants in green tea hold a great deal of power for protecting our health and preventing disease. Anti-oxidants are important to our health because they neutralize free radicals. Free radicals are created in our bodies as a by product of digestion. These oxygen containing molecules damage our cells and DNA if left unchecked. A diet rich in foods such as fruits, vegetables and other plant products like tea, helps rid our bodies of free radicals before they can damage our bodies. In recent years, there has been an abundance of research showing that long term drinking of green tea can protect our bodies from many forms of disease, including cancer, heart disease and high cholesterol. Green tea has also been shown to be an effective weight loss supplement as well as a natural way to help regulate insulin levels. More research is needed, but it's very likely that as time goes on we'll find more and more health reasons for making green tea part of our everyday lives. Classifying Green Tea The many different varieties of green tea are classified, in part, by the method in which they are dried. The five methods of drying green tea include: