Green Tea (Unfermented)
Green tea is the greatest harvested tea. It is a non-fermented tea. There’s no withering and fermentation in the manufacturing process. Instead, the tea leaves are plucked, steamed or pan fried (which removes the fermentation enzymes), rolled, and then dried. This process yields a chemical composition in green tea similar to that of fresh tea leaves.
Green tea has high levels of vitamins and minerals. It contains ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in amounts comparable to lemons. Green tea also contains several B vitamins which are water soluble and so these are easily released into a cup of tea. Five cups of green tea a day will provide 5-10% of the daily requirement of riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and pantothenic acid. The same five cups of green tea also provide approximately 5% of the daily requirement of magnesium, 25% of potassium, and 45% of the requirement of manganese. Green tea is also high in fluoride. A cup of green tea provides approximately 0.1 mg of fluoride, which is higher than fluorinated water. Green tea is also rich in phenols which would enhance the immune system and fight off many illnesses. Research has confirmed that phenols could deter the growth of malign tumours and green tea has been named one of the top ten health foods by Time Magazine.
All the different kinds of green tea have different flavours but they do have a taste in common. The flavour of green tea can be described as: fresh, light, green, or grassy. Some varieties of green tea have a bit of sweetness to them and some have the taste of peas.
Green tea is best sipped plain. It has a delicate color, which ranges from almost clear to gold, to shimmering transparent greens. To fully experience the pleasures of green tea, it is important to be open to its fragrance, color and aromatic taste. Green tea is more delicate than black so it the water is should be slightly cooler than boiling water. Brewing at about 85-90 degrees celcius is the best.