Tea is the most popular drink in the world. It is drunk by representatives of various nations. It must be said that both black and green, and even white tea are made from the same plant. When making them, only the technological process to which the leaves are subjected is different.
This wonderful plant is known as the tea bush or Camellia Sinensis. It grows in the tropical and subtropical mountain forests of Southeast Asia. It is from its leaves that dry tea is obtained using complex technological processing.
Black tea production technology
For the production of the usual black tea, the harvested leaves are wilted for several hours. This process is needed to remove excess moisture from the leaves. After that, the leaves are sent to roller machines, which roll them. This is necessary to begin the destruction of the tissues of the tea leaves. This procedure begins a series of chemical reactions in which enzymes in the tea leaves act as catalysts. These reactions take place during the oxidation or fermentation step. The main chemical reaction is the conversion of flavonols or catechins (that is, the main components of the tea leaf) to theaflavins or thearubigins (these are the substances that give the characteristic taste of black teas).
How green tea is made
For the production of green tea, the leaves are first steamed in special devices or tea fixing machines, which allows them to get rid of moisture. Green tea is not fermented, which activates the enzymes in its composition. We can say that in terms of chemical composition, ready-made green tea is much closer to fresh leaves than to black tea. Oolong green teas can be fermented for a short period of time. Green teas vary greatly in the way the leaves are mechanically processed. The most popular type of green tea is the so-called "gunpowder". With this method of processing, the leaves are rolled into very dense peas, which fully open in hot water.
Green tea has long been considered the most effective antioxidant, and therefore it was often preferred over black tea. Recent studies have proven that black tea is an equally effective antioxidant. It can be assumed that the positive effects of drinking green and black tea are quite comparable, so the choice of a particular type of tea becomes a matter of taste.
Traditionally, green teas are prized in the East, and black teas in the West. This is due to the fact that complete fermentation is more typical for Indian tea, and tea was supplied to Europe from India. China is currently the largest exporter of green tea, followed closely by Vietnam. Black tea is supplied to the whole world by the same China and India.
