Green tea Part 1

Green tea is produced from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis, or tea plant. The tea plant, Camellia sinensis, is a member of the Theaceae family. The name sinensis means "Chinese" in Latin. Older names for the tea plant include Thea bohea and Thea viridis. Camellia sinensis is an evergreen shrub or small tree that is usually trimmed to below two metres (six feet) when cultivated for its leaves. It has a strong taproot. The flowers are yellow-white, 2.5-4 cm in diameter, with 7 to 8 petals. Its fruits are brownish-green containing 1 to 4 spherical or flattened seeds. The seeds can be pressed to yield an oil. The leaves are dark green, alternate and oval, with serrated edges, and the blossoms are white, fragrant, and appear in clusters or singly. Fresh leaves contain about 4% caffeine. The young, light green leaves are preferably harvested for tea production, they have short white hairs on the underside. Older leaves are darker green. Different leaf ages produce differing tea qualities, since their chemical compositions are different. Usually, the tip (bud) and the first two to three leaves are harvested for processing. Tea plants are cultivated in countries where warm, rainy growing conditions are abundant, and are also frequently grown in high altitude areas. There are three main varieties of tea, including green tea, black tea, and oolong tea. They are all produced from its leaves of camellia sinensis. The difference between the teas is in their processing.

Preparation of Green Tea:

Green tea is prepared from unfermented leaves, the leaves of oolong tea are partially fermented, and black tea is fully fermented. Black tea is produced by withering, rolling, fermenting, and then drying the leaves. Oolong tea is semifermented and considered an intermediate product between green and black tea. Unlike black and oolong tea, green tea production does not involve oxidation of young tea leaves. Green tea is dried for a shorter time, and is heated sooner to prevent fermentation. Tea leaves may be left to dry as separate leaves or rolled into small pellets to make gun-powder tea. Because green tea is made from unfermented leaves, it is reputed to contain the highest concentration of polyphenols, chemicals that act as powerful antioxidants. The more the leaves are fermented, the lower the polyphenol content, and the higher the caffeine content. Green tea has the highest polyphenol content while black tea has roughly two to three times the caffeine content of green tea.

Read another posts in this blog: Home , Green Tea Part 1, Green Tea Part 2, Dietary Minerals 1 , Dietary Minerals2, Dietary Minerals3, Vitamins1, Vitamins2, Vitamins3 , Vitamins4, Water and Human Health, Calcium1,Calcium2, Vitamins and Mineral Food Sources, Healthy Foods1, Healthy Foods2, Dietary Fibers1, Dietary Fibers2, Dietary Fibers3, .......to be continued.