Green Tea - How And Why You Should Drink It Every Day

Green tea is a drink rich in antioxidants with a lot of benefits on the body. Consumed regularly, tea is ideal in diets, protects the cardiovascular system, and improves brain function.

Below you will find the benefits of consuming green tea, but also how to prepare and consume tea.

The origin of green tea

Green tea originates in China and is obtained from the Camellia Sinensis plant. It is the tea that is mainly grown in China, but also in India and other East Asian countries.

It is called green tea because the leaves retain their shade of green when they are cooked, more precisely, do not oxidize during processing. This means that green tea retains its important antioxidant properties and is beneficial to the body's health.

Green tea processing

Traditionally, green tea is processed in early spring. Specifically, the tea leaves are harvested, steamed, left to dry, and rolled. How to process tea step by step:

Picking green tea leaves

The leaves are harvested in the early hours of the morning before the sun's rays activate the active principles in the contents of the leaves. Green tea leaves break when temperatures are low and frost is still forming. As soon as they are harvested, the green tea leaves are spread on bamboo trays and left in the sun for an hour or two.

Steaming tea leaves

The green tea leaves are steamed immediately after drying to prevent the oxidation of catechins.

Drying and rolling the tea leaves

After being steamed, the leaves are rolled into various shapes and left to dry. The rolling of the leaves helps to release natural oils and aroma at the time of infusion.

Types of green tea

Sencha

It grows in direct sunlight, and the leaves are harvested as soon as they turn green. The harvested leaves go through the same process of steaming and rolling.

Gyokuro

The plant has the same production process as Sencha tea, but the only difference is that before the leaves are harvested, the plants are kept in a place away from light. This process is done to deprive the plant of photosynthesis and to facilitate the retention of strongly aromatic amino acids.

Tencha

It has the same production process as Gyokuro tea, but in the case of this type of tea, there is no running stage.

Matcha

It is similar to Tencha tea, but at the end of the process, the leaves are ground to obtain a fine powder.

Bancha

Bancha tea is obtained from the leaves harvested from the second harvest, between June and October.

Ceylon

At the end of the brewing process, the tea leaves are rolled and twisted. Unlike other types of green tea, Ceylon tea is obtained from dark leaves, and the aroma is slightly spicy, with a nut-like taste.

How to prepare and consume green tea

On the market, green tea is available in the form of sachets, powder, or bulk. It is easy to prepare, but for proper preparation, you need to consider the following:

The temperature of the water in which you are going to prepare the tea must not be higher than 85 degrees Celsius. Too hot water gives the tea a bitter taste. The water must not boil.

The longer the tea leaves are left to brew, the more intense the aroma of the tea. The average infusion time is 3 minutes.

How to consume a cup of green tea

Green tea should not be consumed on an empty stomach as it may increase the level of acidity in the stomach; Green tea is consumed two hours before or after main meals;

Green tea can be consumed two hours before bedtime because in the evening it helps reduce stress levels and improves sleep.