Chinese Green Tea

Most people do not realize that green and black tea come from the same plant. For black tea, the leaves are withered and oxidized, unlike green tea which is dried immediately upon picking. The plants are pruned so that the new shoots will come up regularly. This is imperative because the best green tea leaves come from the youngest shoots. The leaves are harvested about three times per year. Once picked, they are dried in the sun or in a wok over a fire.

Some of the most popular green teas from China are Longjing and Huangshan Maofeng. Longjing is translated as "Dragon Well." This is probably the most famous Chinese green tea, possibly due to the fact that it grows in close proximity to Shanghai so it is easy to procure. Huangshan Maofeng is a special kind of Maofeng tea grown in the Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) part of the country, in Anhui Province.