EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -For green tea, the tea leaves are harvested from the Camellia sinensis plant and are then quickly heated-by pan firing or steaming-and dried to prevent too much oxidation from occurring that would turn the green leaves brown and alter their fresh-picked flavor.

Detailed explanation-2: -The first step for any kind of tea leaves is either steaming, fermenting, or roasting, depending on the kind. The steaming process is fixed for green tea, black tea leaves go through the fermentation process, and roasting is dedicated to oolong tea leaves.

Detailed explanation-3: -Steaming To halt the oxidizing and fermentation action of enzymes on the leaves, preserve their green color and remove the “grassy” odor, the tea leaves are steamed using non-pressurized steam. The length of the steaming process is said to be a key determinant in the tea’s flavor, aroma and color.

Detailed explanation-4: -Green tea, also known as unoxidized tea, is made solely from the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant. The leaves are plucked, slightly withered, then immediately cooked to preserve the green quality and prevent oxidization.

Detailed explanation-5: -Both green and black tea are made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant ( 1 ). The key difference between the two is that black tea is oxidized and green tea is not. To make black tea, the leaves are first rolled and then exposed to air to trigger the oxidation process.