The Least Processed of All Teas

The healthy benefits of green tea accrues to the fact that it is less handled and processed of all the leaves gathered from the Camellia sinensis bush. Here is and excerpt from the www.whfoods.com website.

Green tea is the least processed and thus provides the most antioxidant polyphenols, notably a catechin called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which is believed to be responsible for most of the health benefits linked to green tea. Green tea is made by briefly steaming the just harvested leaves, rendering them soft and pliable and preventing them from fermenting or changing color. After steaming, the leaves are rolled, then spread out and "fired" (dried with hot air or pan-fried in a wok) until they are crisp. The resulting greenish-yellow tea has a green, slightly astringent flavor close to the taste of the fresh leaf.

Camellia sinensis
is a relative of Magnolia. It flowers. Commercially it is kept to
a 3 foot height, althought it grows much taller. It is said that plants grown at
higher altitudes make for the finest teas.