Green tea, one of the six major types of tea in China, is the closest to fresh leaves because the production process of green tea is more simplified compared to other teas. The color of its finished product and the tea broth after brewing preserves more of the green tone of fresh tea leaves.
Usually, green tea is the choice of many Chinese people. However, there are many people from other countries who may not have come across green tea. Green tea can be said to occupy the majority of the tea category, the top ten famous teas in China, green tea accounted for fifty to sixty percent of every selection.
So, it is highly recommended that you try green tea!
Tips for selecting high quality green tea
How to go about buying green tea is also an important part of the process. Here are some tips for selecting green tea.
You will get the best loose leaf tea by following these four steps
Step 1: Observe the Appearance
Check if the tea leaves are intact, note how broken they are, and see if their color is bright, lustrous, and glossy. Severely broken dry tea can affect the taste of the tea soup. A bright, oily, and glossy appearance indicates the quality and freshness of the tea, because what you want from loose leaf green tea is its fresh and tender aroma. Generally, loose leaf green tea picked before the Qingming Festival is of superior quality.
Step 2: Smell the Aroma
The aroma of tea leaves can be categorized into the dry tea scent and the aroma after brewing. When buying, mainly evaluate the purity, type, intensity, and persistence of the aroma emitted by the tea leaves after brewing. In everyday purchases, injecting a small amount of boiling water into the dry tea to stimulate its aroma, and then smelling it, can yield better results.
Step 3: Examine the Liquor and Taste It
Evaluate the color, brightness, and clarity of the tea soup after brewing. The tea soup should generally be clear and bright. For instance, the best colors for renowned loose leaf green teas are tender green, tender yellow, or just green. The tea "Enshi Yulu" has a tender green color. The clarity should be transparent and bright. Some delicate teas, like "Mao Jian," have more fuzz; after brewing, a layer of fuzz floats on the tea soup, commonly referred to as "Hao Hun" (fuzzy appearance), which is also one of the standards for good tea.
Step 4: Check the Leaf Bottom
The color and softness of the tea leaves can reflect the age and tenderness of the raw leaves. The brightness or dullness of the leaf bottom often corresponds with the clarity or murkiness of the tea soup. Soft leaf bottoms indicate that the raw material is more delicate. Tea made from older, coarser leaves will have a harder leaf bottom. To distinguish the softness, thickness, and age of the leaf bottom, in addition to direct observation, you can also use methods such as pressing with fingers or chewing.
Some of the above tips are the ones that can help you pick a good quality green tea loose leaf tea.
If you are buying online you may not be able to physically touch the tea. More often than not you will need to find reliable brands and shop around.
When you buy online, I recommend that you choose a brand that provides clear information. For example, the place of origin, the time of harvesting, the grade of the tea and so on. And it is more recommended that you start with a few samples or a collection first. This will allow you to experience a wide range of green teas at the lowest possible cost so that you can find your favorite varieties.
Green teas are not as strong as black teas, nor do they have the versatility of oolong teas. Green tea is more about the flavor of the tea leaves themselves, and the main thing to drink is freshness. Therefore, when shopping for green tea, it is best to choose the year's production of tea leaves.
Recommended Green Tea Brands
iTeaworld recently launched a collection of selected Chinese green teas that are not commonly available in the market, containing six famous Chinese green teas, such as Longjing, Huangshan Maofeng, Biluochun, Enshi Yulu, Jasmine Green Tea (Seven Cellars), and Ancient Tree Green Tea (Puerh Raw Tea). With one box you can compare and taste the flavor differences of the mainstream famous Chinese green teas, further clarifying which green tea you prefer exactly.
Final Summary
When you are shopping for green tea, please remember to look at the appearance of the loose leaf tea, smell the aroma, taste the flavor and look at the bottom of the leaf. This way you will be able to judge the quality of the green tea and avoid price traps.
If you are buying green tea online, remember to choose a trusted brand and start with a small sample.
I hope the above information will help you to buy green tea!
