Chinese green tea: types, benefits and harm

In eastern countries, tea drinking is not even a custom, it is a whole ritual that has a long history.The first tea plantations appeared in China, and the first mention of tea appeared during the rule of the Chinese Tang dynasty. The hieroglyph designating "tea" united several concepts at once. Translated, it can mean the following:

• grass (tea leaves);
• a person (who is in union with himself);
• tree (it stands on the ground, but tends to the sky).

Tea was introduced to Europe only in the middle of the 19th century. This drink was very expensive and only representatives of the upper class could afford such luxury, so it was considered imperial. Nowadays there are a huge number of varieties of tea, including green tea, and the price for them is more than democratic. However, to this day, some teas are elite and highly valued.

China produces more than half of the amount of tea produced worldwide. Perhaps, hence the name: Chinese green tea. In this country, more than a hundred of the most diverse technologies for its preparation. Tea traditions are carefully guarded and transmitted by masters from generation to generation. Today, in China alone, at least 1000 different varieties of green tea are known. And there are still Japanese, Indian and many other varieties, each of which has its own unique taste qualities.

Taste qualities of a drink depend on many factors: on the time when the tea crop was gathered, the climatic features of the area where the tea plantation is located, the height of its location, the composition of the soil, the processing technologies and the color of the resulting drink. It is customary to distinguish several degrees of fermentation: light, medium and complete. The less fermentation, the more beneficial properties are stored in the leaves.

There are special technologies that allow you to stop the fermentation process: for example, by roasting tea leaves or pretreating them with steam before drying. The drying process itself takes place in the open air in direct sunlight. Thanks to this processing technology, excess greens and bitterness from the leaves go away, while the aroma and all the useful properties are preserved.

One of the features of green tea grown in China is the complete absence of fermentation. Leaves that are not oxidized or that are only to a small extent have a natural herbal flavor and smell. Almost all natural vitamins are preserved in them, therefore such teas are considered the most useful. Collect plants only by hand, and only a few of the topmost young leaves are selected.

Harvesting takes place in early spring, when the first green foliage is just starting to appear - it is considered the most useful. The process of collecting and processing tea leaves has not changed for many centuries, which allows you to save the unique taste, aroma, as well as the maximum useful properties in the drink.

Green tea does not have such a specific smell when brewing, as black, for example. Each variety has its own unique aroma, in which you can guess the lightness of the spring breeze, and the heavier smell of the soil. The taste of the drink is slightly tart and astringent, with a subtle touch of dry hay. The color of the drink can be from pale yellow, almost transparent, to saturated emerald.

All green teas can be divided into several groups.

Baikhovi - This leaf variety is the most popular, belongs to the group of crumbly. It contains a large number of tips - unbuttoned buds, covered with a thin fuzz. In Chinese, they sound like “bai hoa” - hence the name of this species. Accent tea is distinguished by the degree of twisting. Low twisted varieties are called "Hunch". The cups have a flat shape and the look of ordinary grass. The most striking example is the Lun Jing variety. The more tips are in raw materials and the greater the degree of twisting, the more valuable the grade is considered. Strongly twisted varieties, in turn, can be twisted both along the fibers and across.Elite species with transverse twisting called imperial or gold and labeled as "Gunpowder", which means "gunpowder". They are easily recognizable by the peculiar shape of the balls. In China these varieties are called pearl. A lower quality twisted tea is called Twankay. Strongly twisted tea leaves along the axis have the form of sticks.

Pressed tea is, as a rule, large leaf tea. It is convenient for transportation because it is less susceptible to moisture. It is characterized by a low caffeine content. To make a special adhesive substance out of the tea leaves, they are pre-steamed. Raw material under the press is formed into briquettes, into which not only leaves can get, but also branches, crumbs and tea powder, therefore, this drink needs more time to open its bouquet completely.

Extracted tea is nothing more than a soluble powder. When preparing a drink from such raw materials, it is not necessary to brew it - the powder will dissolve in warm water. The raw material for the preparation of extracted tea is sublimate brewed and dried tea, or its liquid concentrate. During processing, some of the nutrients are lost, and with them the flavor is reduced. Therefore, artificial flavors are added to these drinks. There are several varieties of extracted tea:

• Granulated: pre-dried leaves finely chopped and twisted. Drink from such raw materials turns out more saturated color and taste, but with smaller aroma.
• Capsule: The technology of its preparation is similar to capsule coffee - tea is packaged in individual capsules, through which hot water under pressure is passed.
• Packaged: finely chopped leaves, the waste obtained in the preparation of loose tea - fine chips and dust. All this is placed in portions in mesh or paper bags.

Kudin in its chemical composition and processing method has much in common with green tea, so these two drinks are often confused. The only difference is that green tea is obtained from the leaves of the tea tree, and kudin - from the leaves of the holly leaf plant. In China, this plant is found very often, but kudin from the Sichuan area has a special value. The drink belongs to the category of elite, has a lot of useful properties, has a health and rejuvenating properties. Differs bitterly tart taste, for which he received the name "bitter tear".

Scientifically proven that green tea is very useful for the human body. And indeed, with regular use of several cups a day, this drink is of great benefit. Chinese green tea:

• controls cholesterol levels
• reduces the likelihood of cancer,
• normalizes blood pressure
• it is an excellent prophylactic against heart disease, which increases the elasticity of the blood arteries, strengthens the walls of blood vessels;
• it has a tonic effect due to the theine present in tea leaves;
• strengthens the immune system and normalizes the vitamin and mineral balance;
• slows the aging process.

Drink from green tea helps to reduce the gift and the removal of inflammatory processes in the body, helps to normalize the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys, has a diuretic effect. In this case, tea leaves are used not only in food. Green tea extract is actively used in cosmetology, in particular, in various shampoos, balms and hair masks.Facial cosmetics with green tea extract has a cleansing and whitening effect. This plant is also found in toothpastes with a whitening effect.

However, green tea can be not only beneficial - in some cases it can be harmful. For example, due to the same tonic effect, the drink is contraindicated for people suffering from nervous exhaustion - it excites the nervous system and can lead to insomnia, loss of strength and depression.

In order for tea to benefit, you need to learn how to choose it correctly. There are several general recommendations for choosing green tea:

• Leaf color. Different varieties may have several shades, but they must all be exceptionally green — good green tea cannot be brown, gray, or some other color. At the same time it is not allowed to mix the harvest of different years. The correct tea can be only one year old.
• Uniformity. In real Chinese tea, all the leaves should be approximately the same size. The presence of a fragment of twigs, very small tea leaves and dust indicates a very mediocre quality.
• The degree of twisting of the sheet. Twine tea leaves in order to increase the shelf life and improve the disclosure of essential oils when welding. This tea is stored longer and has a richer taste. If the leaves are not twisted, it only says that they were dried naturally. Reviews of experts say that the drink from them turns out more gentle and soft.
• Properly dried. If the tea is dried too much, the leaves will be brittle. If, on the contrary, there is too much residual moisture in it, it can deteriorate and become moldy. You can check the degree of dryness of the raw material by rubbing a few tea leaves between your fingers. If they have turned to dust, then the tea is over dried or overburned - a burning smell will tell about it.
• Shelf life. When buying, you need to look at the date of packaging. The fresher it is, the better. The optimum shelf life of dry brewing is no more than six months. After this period, its value begins to gradually decline. Tea, packaged in polyethylene, is stored even less - just a few months.

Water should be clean, ideally spring water. Do not use distilled and previously boiled water. The optimum temperature of its heating is 80-90 degrees.

Dishes should keep warm well. The most common variant of the teapot is ceramic or porcelain. Before brewing it should be doused with boiling water to heat it. So tea will better reveal its aroma, and extraneous odors will leave. The same should be done with the cups, which will be poured tea.

After the tea is poured with boiling water, the tea leaves are immediately poured, so that possible impurities and contaminants go away with it. After that, tea is poured again and allowed to infuse for a few minutes.

To learn how to brew Chinese green tea, see the next video.