the world.
Green Tea Green tea preserves some of the
original qualities of the fresh leaf, while
heightening them and rounding them out. It’s
made by cooking the fresh or briefly withered
leaves to inactivate their enzymes, then
pressing them to release their moisture, and
drying them in hot air or on a hot pan. In
China, the cooking is done on a hot pan, and
this “pan-firing” produces aroma molecules
characteristic of roasted foods (pyrazines,
pyrroles) and a yellow-green infusion. In
Japan, the cooking is done with steam, which
preserves more of the grassy flavor and green
color in both leaf and tea.
Oolong Tea Oolong tea is made by allowing
some modest enzyme transformation of leaf
juices. The leaves are withered until they
become significantly wilted and weakened.
Then they are lightly agitated to bruise the
leaf edges, allowed to rest for a few hours