Green tea, unlike black tea, is not oxidized (fermented) at all, which makes it extremely healthy. This tea is made by quick drying, and so has little tannin. Tannin is usually mentioned in connection with wine, since it's the compound that can be found in grape skin, seed, and stem, and is responsible for the wine's complexity and aging time.
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| Picture from Health Beyond Hype. |
There's an interesting variant of this type of tea where the beverage isn't made by steeping the tea leaves, but by powdering them first. The matcha powder can be used in flavoring food (see below), but traditionally, its main purpose is still to be made into tea. Depending on how much water one mixes it with, it can result in Usucha (thin tea) or Koicha (thick tea). The making of these requires absolute concentration and experience in tea ceremonies.
Green tea is well-known for its beneficial health effects, like strengthening the immune system, aiding proper digestion, lowering cholesterol, blood sugar and high blood pressure, and helping in losing weight. Its taste is liked by many as well, so practically anything can be found in green tea flavoring; bread, cookies, candy, ice cream, chocolate, soft drinks... and the list goes on. There are even shampoos and face masks with green tea essence in them.
If you want to know more about green tea, I suggest Fukuoka Now's Guide to Green Tea; it's a delightful read.
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