Green Tea Processing
Green Tea-Origin
Of all the types of teas, the history of green tea is the longest and has been documented extensively across many South-East Asian cultures. Although green tea was invented in China, yet it also has its roots in Southeast Asia and is now widely produced and manufactured in many Asian countries. You perhaps remember how tea was discovered. Green tea was first steeped in 2737 BC during the reign of Emperor Shen Nong, a mythical sage and a popular figure in the mythology of Chinese agriculture and medicine. It is said that during one of his travels, when Shen Nong and his convoy stopped to rest, few tea leaves fell into his cup of hot water from a burning tea twig that lay nearby. The water turned dark in color, but it went unnoticed by the emperor. When he consumed this water, he found it to be extremely refreshing and requested the members of his convoy to prepare it for him henceforth. This event is considered important in the history of tea especially the history of green tea, since this was the first recorded instance of tea being brewed and consumed. However, some cultural historians state that green tea origin dates back as far as 3000 years ago when fresh tea leaves were chewed and eaten for recreation by the people who grew it all over Southeast Asia. It was much later that freshly plucked leaves were subjected to any kind of processing before being steeped in hot water.
