The
leaves for green tea may or may not be withered first. Then they are
de-enzymized by pan-frying. Ninety percent are done this way. Five
percent are treated by steaming to make the leaves soft, and about
the same amount are baked. Then comes rolling and firing, often
alternately. Rolling gives famous teas' leaves their unique shape.
The leaves turn a yellow-green. There is no fermentation, hence no
chemical change.
Mechanization of processing began on the Indian tea estates in the
late nineteenth century with hot air firing, rolling by a moving box
that fed leaves onto a flat surface, mechanical sorting, and now
machines which combine some steps, thus taking much less time. In
China, collective farming beginning in the 1950s stimulated
mechanization. Early semi-mechanization included thing like a
mechanical arm to stir the leaves being fired in the large wok. Some
state tea farms have been set up with a fair degree of mechanization
in processing. Smaller producers bring their leaf to local factories
which are generally well equipped.
The
finest teas, however, are still hand-processed. The traditional
skill, like that of a handicraft, has been passed down through the
generations - the understanding of the relation of the heat to the
condition of leaves to obtain the desired effect, the hand movements
in relation to heat, the special way of shaping certain kinds, for
instance Lu'an Guapian (Lu'an Melon Seeds), Gunpowder, and Lung
Ching. This makes the product more costly, but the aesthetic
appearance of the processed leaves is part of the art of enjoying
tea. This is so highly valued that many Chinese prefer to pay more
for their tea, even if it means having tea less often.
The
five best known Chinese green tea are Lung Ching, Huangshan Mao Feng,
Pi Lo Chun, Puto Fo Cha, and Lu'an Guapian.
China is the world's largest exporter of green tea, supplying 90% of
that sold on the international market. Zhejiang province is a big
producer. Of every two cups of green tea poured outside China, one
is from Zhejiang, according to an official of the Zhejiang Tea
Branch of the state-run China National Native Produce and Animal
Byproducts Import and Export Corporation.
