WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Hyped On Tea: Green Tea

Episode Date: February 23, 2024

This week we cover the rich history of green tea, the difference between Chinese and Japanese green tea, and teach you how to brew the best cup of green tea. 

You are listening to Hyped on Tea, the show that takes you on a global journey through the world of tea. My name is Josh Hypes, and I'm your host. Last week, we explored the ancient Chinese practice of Kung Fu Cha, or the Chinese tea ceremony. This week, we're going to do a deep dive into green tea. What makes it different from other types of tea and how you can brew the best cup of green tea. We're so happy to have you listening today, so let's dive on in. Scholars believe that the ancient Chinese were the first to brew green tea due to its medicinal properties. According to ancient Chinese lore, scholars have been able to trace back the practice of brewing green tea

to the reign of the mythological emperor Shenong. The earliest written record of tea dates back to the Tong Dynasty in the 5th century, when the Chinese monk Liu Yu described green tea as a healing elixir that aids in achieving spiritual and physical back. and his renowned poem, The Classics of Tea. When tea was introduced to Japan from China in the 8th century, it was primarily used for religious ceremonies by Buddhist monks. It wasn't until the 12th century that tea drinking became popular among the noble class. In the 13th and 14th century, Japan began developing distinct tea practices, notably the

Japanese tea ceremony, which demanded higher quality green teas, marking a new era in tea production different from the practices in China. By the 18th century, green tea was a staple among Japanese commoners, thanks to lower quality but affordable Sencha Green Tea. Today, the top green tea producers are China, Japan, and Indonesia. China leads the pack, accounting for nearly 80% of the global volume of green tea production, yielding 480,000 tons annually. Japan follows with 83, 3,000 tons, and Indonesia with 38,000. There are various techniques for producing green tea. Today we'll just focus on a few of these methods, but it's important to understand that with green tea you don't have the same oxidation and withering process that you would have

with a black or oolong tea. Instead, the flavor of green tea is largely determined by the conditions in which the tea bushes are cultivated. These conditions can broadly be be categorized into two types. Tea bushes grown in the sun and those grown in the shade. Growing the plants in the shade results in green tea with a more mellow, umami-rich flavor, as it allows the plant to concentrate its nutrients in the leaves. When growing tea trees in the sun, the super antioxidant catacons will concentrate in the leaf, creating a more bitter flavor. Green tea trees can be harvested up to three times for year, with the first flush and spring, often being the best quality leaves. After the harvest, the tea leaves will undergo a less intense

withering and pan-frying process to dry out the leaves and prepare the tea for packaging. Typically, a Chinese green tea is going to taste more floral or nutty compared to a Japanese green tea. For instance, most Chinese producers will pan-fry their tea after. harvest while most Japanese producers will usually steam the leaves. Steaming the leaves gives the tea a more grassy and seaweedy flavor. Brewing green tea is a tricky art. Depending on the type of green tea, the brewing process can require a different length of time or water temperature. It is important that whatever you do, do not burn your green tea leaves. If you burn your leaves, it's going to create a bitter, astringent taste that is just awful. And what you're going to want to do to avoid this

is first begin by ensuring the quality of the leaves you're using. If it is a lower quality green tea like a bansha or a hoji cha, you will want to heat your water to about 180 degrees Fahrenheit and let it steep for a longer period of time, like a minute or two minutes. If it is a higher quality green tea like a macho, you'll usually use cooler water heated to about 175 degrees Fahrenheit and steep the tea for a shorter period of time like 30 seconds to a minute. Typically with a green tea, you can steep the same leaves up to twice or three times. Well, that's it for now. Thank you for listening. This was the fourth episode of Hyped on Tea, and I hope you're hooked on tea. You're listening to Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.