Green Tea – are you getting what you think you are getting…

Submitted by support on Tue, 04/24/2012 - 00:19

 

Green Tea – are you getting what you think you are getting…(for more info)

 Camellia sinensis (sinensis means Chinese in Latin) is the tea plant, the leaves and leaf buds are used to produce a variety of teas. Whether you drink white tea, green tea, black tea or oolong tea – they are all harvested from this species. But there are many subspecies.

Just like with most foods and herbs, a given species, ie., Echinacea or ginseng or mushrooms – they can have a variety of species. The types studied, that have the most benefit to them, are usually the most difficult to cultivate and harvest, and require the most delicate processing and therefore, the most costly. So when you go and buy them from your favourite food or health store – you may not be getting what you think you are getting.

For instance different varieties of green tea are cultivated and differ according to their: growing conditions, horticulture production, harvesting time. How much of the leaf, flower, root is used.

Processing differences yields different levels of oxidation which impacts on quality and the profile of nutrients left in the product and thus the impact on your health.

Green tea and its extracts, ie., EGCG have been recognized as beneficial in the following areas:

  • prevent and treat a variety of cancers, including breast, stomach, and skin cancers.
  • · improving mental alertness
  • · aiding in weight loss 
  • · lowering cholesterol levels 
  • · protecting skin from sun damage.

 

Lets take a brief look at what a high quality green tea can do:

 1) Although green tea does not raise the metabolic rate enough to produce immediate weight loss, a green tea extract containing polyphenols, caffeine, can alter thermogenesis and stimulate fat oxidation. The polyphenols and caffeine has been shown to induce thermogenesis (increase body temperature) and stimulate fat oxidation, boosting the metabolic rate 4% without increasing the heart rate.

 2) Flavonoids are a group of phytochemicals in most plant products that are responsible for such health effects as anti-oxidative and anticarcinogenic functions.[6] However, as a tea information site points out, the content varies dramatically amongst different tea products,[7] basing on the same USDA survey.

 3) Green tea contains salubrious polyphenols, in particular catechins, the most abundant of which is epigallocatechin gallate. Green tea also contains carotenoids, tocopherols, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), minerals such as chromium, manganese, selenium or zinc, and certain phytochemical compounds. It is a more potent antioxidant than black tea,[12] although black tea has substances that green tea does not such as theaflavin

 Types of Green Tea:

 1) The Camellia sinensis shrub is native to mainland the south and southeast Asia. Today it is cultivated around the world in both tropical and subtropical regions.

2) There are large variations in both price and quality within these broad categories, and there are many specialty green teas that fall outside this spectrum. The best Japanese green tea is said to be that from the Yame (八女 yame?) region of Fukuoka Prefecture and the Uji region of Kyoto[citation needed]. Shizuoka Prefecture produces 40% of raw tea leaf.

 3) the following is an overview of different types of Japanese Green Tea and then types of Chinese Green Tea:

 

  •  玉露 Gyokuro (Jade Dew)
  • Selected from a grade of green tea known as Ten-cha (天茶), Gyokuro's name refers to the pale green color of the infusion. The leaves are grown in the shade before harvest, which alters their flavor.
  •  
  • 抹茶 Matcha (rubbed tea)
  • A high-quality powdered green tea used primarily in the tea ceremony. Matcha is also a popular flavour of ice cream and other sweets in Japan.
  •  
  • 煎茶 Sencha (broiled tea)
  • A common green tea in Japan made from leaves that are exposed directly to sunlight.
  •  
  • 玄米茶 Genmaicha (Brown-Rice tea)
  • maicha and roasted genmai (brown rice) blend.
  •  
  • 冠茶 Kabusecha (covered tea)
  • kabusecha is sencha tea, the leaves of which have grown in the shade prior to harvest, although not for as long as Gyokuro. It has a more delicate flavor than Sencha.
  •  
  • 番茶 Bancha (common tea)
  • Sencha harvested as a second-flush tea between summer and autumn. The leaves are larger than Sencha and the flavour is less full.
  •  
  • 焙じ茶 Hōjicha (pan fried tea)
  • A roasted green tea.
  •  
  • 茎茶 Kukicha (stalk tea)
  • A tea made from stalks produced by harvesting one bud and three leaves.
  •  

 

玉緑茶 Tamaryokucha

A tea that has a tangy, berry-like taste, with a long almondy aftertaste and a deep aroma with tones of citrus, grass, and berries

Types of Chinese Green Tea

Hunan Province

  • Junshan Yinzhen (Silver Needle tea)[君山银针], known as one of the ten most famous Chinese Teas, is one variety of Yellow Tea, like the Huo Mountain Yellow Buds (霍山黄芽) and the Mengding Yellow Buds (蒙顶黄芽). It is cultivated on Junshan Island, Yueyang City, Hunan Province (湖南省,岳阳,洞庭湖君山).

Zhejiang Province is home to the most famous of all teas, Xi Hu Longjing (西湖龙井), as well as many other high-quality green teas.

The most well-known of famous Chinese teas from Hangzhou (杭州), whose name in Chinese means dragon well. It is pan-fried and has a distinctive flat appearance. Falsification of Longjing is very common, and most of the tea on the market is in fact produced in Sichuan Province[citation needed] and hence not authentic Longjing.
Named after a temple in Zhejiang.
A tea from Kaihua County known as Dragon Mountain.
A tea from Tiantai County and named after a peak in the Tiantai mountain range.
A tea from Tian Mu, also known as Green Top.
A popular tea also known as zhuchá. It originated in Zhejiang but is now grown elsewhere in China.

Jiangsu Province


A plate of Bi Luo Chun tea, from Jiangsu Province in China

A Chinese famous tea also known as Green Snail Spring, from Dong Ting. As with Longjing, falsification is common and most of the tea marketed under this name may, in fact, be grown in Sichuan.
A tea from Nanjing.
originate in Jin Tan city of Jiangsu Province.

Fujian Province


Camellia Sinensis, the tea plant

Fujian Province is known for mountain-grown organic green tea as well as white tea and oolong tea. The coastal mountains provide a perfect growing environment for tea growing. Green tea is picked in spring and summer seasons.
Famous tea varieties from this south-eastern region of mainland China include Mao Feng ("fur tip"), Cui Jian ("jade sword") and Mo Li Hua Cha ("dragon pearl") green teas as well as Bai Mu Dan (white peony) white tea and Tie Guanyin (铁观音） ("iron goddess") oolong tea. Green tea is heat-cured using ovens or dings; white tea is fast-dried; oolong tea is oxidized through carefully controlled fermentation.

Hubei Province

A steamed tea known as Gyokuro (Jade Dew) made in the Japanese style.

Henan Province


An example of a slightly higher grade of Chinese green tea, called Mao Jian.

A Chinese famous tea also known as Green Tip, or Tippy Green.

Jiangxi Province

Name means "precious eyebrows"; from Jiangxi, it is now grown elsewhere.
A well-known tea within China and recipient of numerous national awards.
A tea also known as Cloud and Mist.

Anhui Province Anhui Province is home to several varieties of tea, including three Chinese famous teas. These are:

A tea from Huangshan also known as Big Square suneet.
A Chinese famous tea from Huangshan.
A Chinese famous tea also known as Melon Seed.
A Chinese famous tea also known as Monkey tea.
A tea from Tunxi District.
A tea from Jing County, also known as Fire Green.
Wuliqing was known since the Song dynasty. Since 2002 Wuliqing is produced again according to the original processing methods by a company called Tianfang (天方). Zhan Luojiu a tea expert and professor at the Anhui Agricultural University who relived its production procedure.

Resources: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_tea
http://www.teadiscussion.com/types/green-tea-types.php
www.cupofgreentea.com/green-tea-types.htm

For more information, contact: Dr Holly at holly@choicesunlimited.ca

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