Glossary
Green tea
Minimally oxidized tea that keeps a fresh, grassy or vegetal character and needs cooler water than black tea.
Green tea comes from leaves that are heated quickly after picking, either steamed or pan-fired depending on style, to stop oxidation almost before it starts. That quick step is what preserves the green color and the fresh, often grassy or vegetal flavor people associate with the category.
Because oxidation is kept so low, green tea holds onto delicate compounds that turn bitter fast under high heat, which is exactly why it is brewed cooler and usually for a shorter time than black tea or most herbal infusions.
When buying, look for a vivid green color and a reasonably recent harvest date, since green tea fades in flavor faster than black tea or pu-erh and does not benefit from long storage the way some other styles do. A common mistake is steeping it in boiling water straight off the kettle, which is the single fastest way to turn a good green tea bitter and flat, along with storing it too long in a bright, warm kitchen.