The main difference between green tea and black is the technology of their processing after harvesting. Black tea is dried without pretreatment. Enzymes that are contained in the leaves of this type of tea, contribute to darkening of tea in the drying process. The leaves of green tea after collection are subjected to heat treatment, which contributes to the destruction of enzymes, which lead to a darkening of the tea. This allows you to maximize the natural color of the tea.
Types of green tea
Depending on the method of heat exposure to tea leaves after harvesting, four types of green tea are distinguished.
The most common type of green tea is tea, which is cooked immediately after collection and with final drying. In Chinese, such teas are called "Chao Qing Liu Tsa." The most famous "roasted" teas are Lung Jing (Dragon Well) and Bee Lo Chun.
The following kind of green teas are teas, the final stage of their production is their drying in ovens or special appliances like an oven. Such teas are called "Hong Qing Liu Cha". The most famous teas are Tai Ping Hou Kui and Huang Shan Mao Feng.
Next come the teas, which are dried in the sun. Most often this type of green tea is used as a semi-finished product for the production of pressed tea. But sometimes they are sold as loose.
The last type of green tea is tea, the leaves of which are immediately processed by steam after collection, after which they are twisted and dried. This way of producing tea is the oldest. The most famous types of steamed teas are Xian Ren Chang Cha and Yu Lu.
Useful properties of green tea
The most important beneficial and medicinal properties of green tea are provided by the alkaloids contained in it. These include caffeine and its antagonists - neofilin, hypoxanthine, theobromine and paraxanthin. They are found in both black and green tea. However, in green tea, the level of caffeine is slightly higher.
The main property of caffeine is its tonic and stimulating effect on the body. Thanks to this, the working capacity of the brain is significantly increased, the reflexes are aggravated. Caffeine can effectively fight headaches, drowsiness and fatigue. However, its powerful tonic effect is not very strong. And the fault is that its antagonists, which lead to a decrease in blood pressure and a decrease in vascular tone. These processes are invisible to healthy people. For people with high blood pressure, this effect will be positive, but for people with low blood pressure - dangerous. Therefore, hypotension and people suffering from stomach and duodenum ulcers, as well as with increased thyroid function, it is recommended to use only slightly brewed green tea and completely abandon the higher grades.
Japanese scientists have found that the tea contained in tea slows down the aging process of tissues better than even vitamin E. Green tea normalizes metabolism, stabilizes weight, helps to satisfy hunger. In addition, it contains such useful vitamins as vitamin A, B1, B2, B15 and vitamin R.
It should be remembered that all the useful properties have only quality and fresh green tea. Large-scale varieties of tea, collected manually from the top of a tea bush and neatly twisted, have great useful properties. Useful properties are low in finely chopped tea, as well as packed in one-time sachets.