Green Tea Tutorial: Steaming, Roasting, and Drying "Clear Green Tea"

chenyu
2025-10-12T23:14:25-07:00

1. Core Processes and Quality Characteristics of Green Tea

(1) Fixing: The Soul Process of Green Tea

Fixing is the core link in green tea production. Its main function is to inactivate the active enzymes in tea leaves at high temperature, fundamentally preventing the oxidation and fermentation of tea polyphenols. This is also the key to green tea maintaining its typical characteristic of "clear soup and green leaves". If the active enzymes are not effectively inactivated, tea polyphenols will oxidize, and the tea soup will turn red or golden yellow, completely losing the unique flavor of green tea.

Green tea processed by the fixing process finally presents the symbolic state of "clear soup and green leaves" — the tea soup is clear and bright, the tea leaves (after brewing) remain bright green, the taste is fresh and refreshing, and the natural flavor and nutrition of the tea are retained to the greatest extent.

(2) Four Fixing Processes: Differences and Characteristics of Steaming, Stir-frying, Baking and Sun-drying

The fixing processes of green tea are mainly divided into four types: steaming, stir-frying, baking and sun-drying. Each process has different methods, representative tea varieties and quality characteristics, which can be quickly remembered by the mnemonic "steamed for the freshest taste, stir-fried for the strongest aroma, baked for the most beautiful appearance, sun-dried for the richest flavor".

1. Steaming Process

Process Method: As the most primitive and ancient fixing process, steaming inactivates the active enzymes in tea leaves at a high temperature of about 100℃ using steam, avoiding direct contact between high temperature and tea leaves.

Representative Tea Varieties: Japanese Matcha, Enshi Yulu (Hubei, China).

Quality Characteristics: It can retain the amino acids in tea leaves to the greatest extent, making the tea soup extremely fresh and refreshing. "Steamed for the freshest taste" is its most prominent feature, and you can feel an obvious sweet and fresh taste when drinking.

2. Stir-frying Process

Process Method: The fixing is done by hand-stirring in an iron pot, with the stir-frying temperature reaching about 260℃. The high-temperature environment can quickly inactivate the enzyme activity.

Representative Tea Varieties: West Lake Longjing, Suzhou Biluochun.

Quality Characteristics: High temperature promotes the conversion of amino acids in tea leaves into a variety of aromatic substances, so stir-fried green tea has the strongest aroma. "Stir-fried for the strongest aroma" is its core advantage. Different tea varieties have unique aromas — for example, Longjing has an obvious chestnut aroma, while Biluochun emits a fresh floral and fruity aroma.

3. Baking Process

Process Method: The tea leaves are first stir-fried initially, then put into an oven for drying and shaping. This process can avoid the deformation of tea leaves caused by stir-frying in a round-bottomed pot, better retaining the complete shape of the tea leaves.

Representative Tea Varieties: Mainly tea varieties from Anhui, such as Huangshan Maofeng and Liu'an Guapian.

Quality Characteristics: The most prominent advantage of baked green tea is its beautiful appearance. "Baked for the most beautiful appearance" vividly summarizes its strength — the tea leaves are stretched and complete after brewing, with strong ornamental value.

4. Sun-drying Process

Process Method: After initial stir-frying, the tea leaves are placed in the sun to dry naturally. This process is mostly used for making green tea from large-leaf tea trees.

Quality Characteristics: Due to the high content of tea polyphenols retained in the tea leaves during the sun-drying process, sun-dried green tea has a rich taste and a strong astringent feeling. "Sun-dried for the richest flavor" accurately describes its taste characteristic, which is suitable for people who like strong tea flavor.

2. Practical Analysis of Famous Green Tea Varieties

(1) Longjing Tea: The Craft and Characteristics of the "Queen of Green Tea"

Status: Known as the "Queen of Green Tea", Longjing Tea is one of the top ten famous teas in China and has an extremely high reputation and status in the green tea category.

Process Characteristics:

Picking Standard: Strictly follows the "one bud and one leaf" picking standard to ensure the tenderness and quality consistency of the raw materials.

Stir-frying Process: Pure manual stir-frying is adopted, which requires 10 different stir-frying gestures and takes as long as 40-45 minutes. Usually, 200 grams of fresh leaves can only be stir-fried into 50 grams of finished tea, making the process complex and time-consuming.

Appearance and Aroma Characteristics:

In terms of appearance, it is "shaped like a bowl nail", presenting an olive shape similar to a traditional bowl-mending nail with a neat shape; "smooth as gold foil", with the tea surface as smooth and delicate as a metal sheet.

In terms of aroma, it is "fragrant like soy milk", with the basic aroma of soybean milk and chestnut. Top-grade Longjing Tea will also have an elegant orchid aroma, with rich aroma layers.

(2) Biluochun: The Unique Flavor of "Hairy All Over"

Process Characteristics:

Stir-frying Technique: During the stir-frying process, a technique similar to Tai Chi is used, with movements that are gentle yet powerful, and "the tea never leaves the pot" to ensure uniform heating of the tea leaves.

Unique Process: The core process is "kneading into balls to reveal fuzz". Through specific kneading techniques, the fuzz (hair) on the surface of the tea leaves is fully exposed, which is the key process that distinguishes Biluochun from other green teas.

Appearance Characteristics: The tea leaves are overall thin, tight and curly, in a spiral shape, and covered with fuzz. The dense fuzz on the surface is not an impurity but a symbol of high-quality Biluochun, which can add a fresh taste and unique fuzz aroma to the tea soup.

(3) Taiping Houkui: An Orchid-scented Treasure with "Two Leaves Wrapping One Bud"

Process Characteristics:

Picking Standard: Adopts the "one bud and two leaves" picking standard, with moderate maturity of raw materials to ensure a balance between the taste and aroma of the tea.

Unique Process: Centered on the "pinching tips" process, through manual pinching, two tea leaves tightly wrap the tea bud in the middle, forming the unique shape of "two leaves wrapping one bud".

Quality and Appearance Characteristics:

The aroma is rich, dominated by an elegant orchid aroma, which is long-lasting and fills the room after brewing.

The taste is sweet and fresh, with no bitterness or astringency in the mouth, obvious aftertaste, and mellow taste.

The appearance can be identified by the mnemonic "Taiping Houkui has pointed ends, no looseness, no curling up and no curled edges". The two ends of the tea leaves are thin and sharp, the shape is stretched, with no looseness, curling up or curled edges, and the appearance is neat and uniform.