While the term ‘green tea’ sounds simple enough, there are a great deal of different varieties which you might want to try. Green tea is only different from black tea thanks to the manufacturing process. Black tea is the result of a fermentation process, so the colour and flavour are altered. Green tea is not processed in the same way, so it keeps the green colour.
Green tea tends to originate from East Asia and is grown at high altitudes. Often it is picked by hand, and the flavour can be affected by the climate and the soil type. It is produced in many different parts of the region, and both China and Japan have cultivated several varieties, all of which remain popular.
Japan has several different varieties of green tea, and
the most popular of these is Sencha. Again, various factors can affect the quality of the tea. The leaves of Sencha green tea are steamed, and then a shaping process is used. The tea produced from Sencha is light green/yellow, and it has a sweet flavour, but it is slightly astringent.
Another type of Japanese green tea is matcha. The green tea is grown in the shade, and this means that there is a higher concentration of chlorophyll in the leaves, so they have a much stronger green colour. Matcha tea is a powder, so the leaves are actually ground. When drinking the tea, all you have to do is mix the powder with boiling water and lightly whisk. This tea has a light but sweet flavour, and it is often used as a flavouring ingredient in desserts and other drinks.