Green Tea Process

Steaming/Panfiring
In preparing green tea, the oxidizing enzymes are killed by steam blasting the freshly plucked leaf in perforated drums, by roasting it in the hot pans or laying them out to dry in the hot sun. This process is called "sha qing" (killing out) in Chinese. The tea is steamed for less than one minute.

Rolling
The leaf is then subjected to further heating and rolling until it turns dark green and takes a bluish tint. This is done by hand and takes about one hour, during which time it is constantly turned.

Drying
The leaves are finally dried to a moisture content of 3 to 4 percent. With the inactivation of polyphenol oxidase, the ployphenol are not oxidized and therefore remain colourless, allowing the processed leaf to remain green. The absence of the flavins and the arubigins in the finished leaf also gives the beverage a weaker flavor than black.