Green tea is precisely what it says. It is the green leaf tips of the tea plant, camellia sinensis, that have been dried without any cutting or tearing (which encourages the leaf to oxidise or ferment, turn brown and to develop bigger, bolder more acidic flavours through the accompanying development of caffeine.) The whole leaves can be cut after drying and will not then change colour or ferment.
Accordingly, green tea’s basic flavour is also ‘green’ and leafy yet because tea, like coffee bushes and cocoa trees, reflects the soil and climate in which it is grown, green tea can be fresh and citrussy or heavy and oily – and most things in between. Today, green teas are also available with added flavourings, which many find more acceptable. Jasmine tea is usually based on green tea.
Green teas retain many antioxidants that would disappear if they were fermented, but as they have little caffeine content, their main appeal is as a warm or hot drink that relaxes rather than stimulates the system.
