China Green Tea

Chinese green tea

Zhejiang Province

 is home to the most famous of all teas, Xi Hu Longjing (西湖龙井), as well as many other high-quality green teas.

龙井 Longjing
The most well-known of famous Chinese teas from Hangzhou (杭州), whose name in Chinese means dragon well. It is pan-fried and has a distinctive flat appearance. The tasteless frying oil is obtained from tea seeds and other plants. Falsification of Longjing is very common, and most of the tea on the market is in fact produced in Sichuan Province[citation needed] and hence not authentic Longjing.

景宁惠明茶 Hui Ming
Named after a temple in Zhejiang.

开化龙顶 Long Ding
A tea from Kaihua County known as Dragon Mountain.

华顶云雾 Hua Ding
A tea from Tiantai County and named after a peak in the Tiantai mountain range.

天目青顶 Qing Ding
A tea from Tian Mu, also known as Green Top.

平水珠茶 Gunpowder
A popular tea also known as zhuchá. It originated in Zhejiang but is now grown elsewhere in China.
This tea is also the quintessential ingredient in brewing Moroccan green tea with fresh mint.

Jiangsu Province 
A plate of Bi Luo Chun tea, from Jiangsu Province in China
洞庭碧螺春 Bi Luo Chun
A Chinese famous tea also known as Green Snail Spring, from Dong Ting. As with Longjing, falsification is common and most of the tea marketed under this name may, in fact, be grown in Sichuan.

南京雨花茶 Rain Flower;A tea from Nanjing.
金坛雀舌 Que She (Tongue of golden altar sparrow);originate in Jin Tan city of Jiangsu Province.
太湖白云 White Cloud

Fujian Province
Camellia sinensis, the tea plantFujian Province is known for mountain-grown organic green tea as well as white tea and oolong tea. The coastal mountains provide a perfect growing environment for tea growing. Green tea is picked in spring and summer seasons.
茉莉花茶 Jasmine tea (Mo Li Hua Cha)A tea with added jasmine flowers.
毛峰 Mao Feng tea;Meaning "furry peak".
翠剑 Cui Jian;Meaning "jade sword".

Hubei Province

玉露 Yu Lu:A steamed tea also known as Gyokuro (Jade Dew) in Japanese, made in the Japanese style.

Henan Province

 An example of a slightly higher grade of Chinese green tea, called Mao Jian.

信阳毛尖 Xin Yang Mao Jian;A Chinese famous tea also known as Green Tip, or Tippy Green.

Jiangxi Province

珍眉 Chun Mee;Meaning "precious eyebrows"; from Jiangxi, it is now grown elsewhere.
狗牯 Gou Gu Nao;A well-known tea within China and recipient of numerous national awards.
云雾 Yun Wu;A tea also known as Cloud and Mist.

Anhui Province

Anhui Province is home to several varieties of tea, including three Chinese famous teas. These are:
大方 Da Fang;A tea from Huangshan also known as Big Square suneet.
黄山毛峰 Huangshan Maofeng;A Chinese famous tea from Huangshan.
六安瓜片 Liuan Leaf;A Chinese famous tea also known as Melon Seed.
猴魁 Hou Kui;A Chinese famous tea also known as Monkey tea.
屯绿 Tun Lu;A tea from Tunxi District.
火青 Huo Qing;A tea from Jing County, also known as Fire Green.
雾里青 Wuliqing;Wuliqing was known since the Song dynasty. Since 2002 Wuliqing is produced again according to the original processing methods by a company called Tianfang (天方). Zhan Luojiu a tea expert and professor at the Anhui Agricultural University who relived its production procedure.
Hyson:A medium-quality tea from many provinces, an early-harvested tea.

Sichuan Province

竹叶青茶 Zhu Ye Qing;Also known as Meng Ding Cui Zhu or Green Bamboo.
蒙顶甘露 Meng Ding Gan Lu;A yellowish-green tea with sweet aftertaste.

Growing, harvesting and processing

Green tea is processed and grown in a variety of ways, depending on the type of green tea desired. As a result of these methods, maximum amounts of polyphenols and antioxidants are retained, giving maximum green tea benefits.

 The growing conditions can be broken down into two basic types - those grown in the sun and those grown under the shade. The green tea plants are grown in rows that are pruned to produce shoots in a regular manner, and are generally harvested three times per year. The first flush takes place in late April to early May. The second harvest usually takes place from June through July, and the third picking takes place in late July to early August. Sometimes, there will also be a fourth harvest. It is the first flush in the spring which brings the best quality leaves, with higher prices to match. Processed green teas, known as "aracha" are stored under low humidity refrigeration in 30 or 60 kg paper bags at 0-5°C (32-41°F). This aracha has yet to be refined at this stage, with a final firing taking place before blending, selection, and packaging takes place. The leaves in this state will be re-fired throughout the year as they are needed, giving the green teas a longer shelf life and better flavor. The first flush tea of May will readily store in this fashion until the next year's harvest. After this re-drying process, each crude tea will be sifted and graded according to size. Finally, each lot will be blended according to the blend order by the tasters and packed for sale.