Green tea: China's most popular tea

Green tea (绿茶, lǜchá) is the oldest and most widely consumed category of Chinese tea. It has been produced in China for over a thousand years, and today it still accounts for more of the country's tea output than any other type. If you have only tried green tea from a teabag or a bottle, you have barely scratched the surface.

Most people outside China think of green tea as one thing: a pale, grassy, slightly bitter drink. That picture is incomplete. Chinese green tea spans a wide range of shapes, aromas and flavours — from the flat, pan-fired leaves of Longjing with their toasted chestnut scent, to the tiny spirals of Biluochun that smell of stone fruit and spring flowers, to the long white-tipped leaves of Huangshan Maofeng picked in the clouds of Anhui's Yellow Mountain. The variety is so broad that four of China's Ten Famous Teas are green teas.

What makes green tea taste the way it does

All tea comes from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. What separates green tea from oolong or black tea is how little the leaves are allowed to oxidise after picking. Green tea undergoes 0–5% oxidation. The key step is called kill-green (杀青, shāqīng): the fresh leaves are heated quickly — either by pan-firing in a hot wok or by steaming — to stop the oxidation enzymes in their tracks. This locks in the leaf's natural chlorophyll and amino acids, which is why green tea tastes fresh and vegetal rather than malty or fruity.

The method of kill-green matters more than most people realise. Pan-firing (炒制, chǎozhì) is the dominant technique in China. The leaves are tossed by hand in a heated iron wok, and that direct contact with hot metal creates a toasted chestnut aroma and a liquor colour that is green with a slight yellow tint. Steaming (蒸制, zhēngzhì) is more common in Japan. It preserves a brighter emerald colour and a marine, almost seaweed-like flavour. This single processing difference is the main reason Chinese green tea and Japanese green tea taste so different from each other.

After kill-green, the leaves are rolled (揉捻, róuniǎn) and dried. Rolling shapes the leaf and breaks open the cell walls so flavour releases more easily when you brew. Light rolling produces a tea with a lifted, airy character (清扬, qīngyáng). Heavier rolling gives a deeper, more concentrated taste (低沉, dīchén). The shape of the finished leaf — flat like Longjing, spiral like Biluochun, needle-like, or curled into pearls — comes from how the tea maker's hands move during this step.

Here is a quick way to visualise the range of Chinese green teas, from the most delicate to the boldest:

I've arranged these roughly from lightest to boldest. Biluochun sits at the delicate, floral end. Lu'an Guapian — which is unusual because it uses only leaves, never buds — sits at the heavier end with more body and a faint smoky edge. In our Tea Bar I often say that exploring Chinese green tea is a bit like exploring wine regions: the same grape (or in this case, the same plant) produces something completely different depending on where it grows, when it is picked, and how the maker processes it.

When to pick and why it matters

Spring is green tea season. The most prized leaves are picked before Qingming Festival (清明, around April 5), and these are called Pre-Qingming tea (明前茶, míngqián chá). The second tier is picked before Grain Rain (谷雨, around April 20), called Pre-Grain Rain tea (雨前茶, yǔqián chá). Earlier picking means smaller, more tender buds that have spent the winter slowly building up amino acids. That translates into more sweetness and less bitterness in the cup.

At our Salamanca Market stall, I often hand someone a cup of properly brewed spring-harvest Longjing and watch their expression change. One customer told us she'd always steered clear of green tea because of the bitterness, until a chance tasting at the market changed her mind — "zero bitterness and so full of flavour," she said, and it turned her into a green tea lover. That reaction is common. Most bad experiences with green tea come down to two things: old leaves and water that is too hot.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, green tea is classified as cool in nature (凉性, liángxìng). It is thought to help clear internal heat and is traditionally recommended during warmer months or for people with a warm constitution. I drink green tea most mornings from about September through March. In the colder months I tend to switch to oolong or aged pu-erh, which are warmer in nature.

How to brew Chinese green tea

The number one mistake people make with green tea is using boiling water. Green tea leaves are delicate. Water that is too hot scalds the amino acids and forces out too much bitterness from the polyphenols. Here is what I recommend:

• Water temperature: 70–80°C. If you don't have a thermometer, boil the kettle and let it sit with the lid off for about three minutes.
• Tea amount: About 3–5g per 150ml of water. For a glass or mug, that is roughly a heaped teaspoon of leaf.
• Steeping time: 1–2 minutes for the first infusion. Add 20–30 seconds for each subsequent steep.
• Re-steeps: Good loose-leaf green tea can handle 3–5 infusions. The second and third steeps are often the best.

A glass cup or a glass teapot works well for green tea because you can watch the leaves unfurl and the colour develop. Gongfu-style brewing in a gaiwan also works, especially for higher-grade teas like Longjing or Mengding Ganlu, where you want to taste how each steep changes.

If your green tea tastes bitter, try lowering the water temperature first. If it is still bitter, shorten the steeping time. Bitterness in tea is mainly controlled by temperature. Astringency — that drying, puckery feeling — is mainly controlled by time. You can adjust them separately.

One more thing: store your green tea in an airtight container away from light and moisture. Green tea does not improve with age. Fresh is best. If you have had a bag sitting open in the pantry for six months, that is probably why it tastes flat.

What is Chinese green tea?

Chinese green tea is tea made from the Camellia sinensis plant that undergoes minimal oxidation (0–5%). The leaves are quickly heated — usually pan-fired in a wok — to stop oxidation, then rolled and dried. This process preserves the leaf's natural green colour and fresh, vegetal flavour. China produces hundreds of named green tea varieties across provinces including Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Sichuan, Henan and Hubei.

Why does green tea taste bitter?

The most common reason is water temperature. Boiling water (100°C) extracts too many polyphenols from the delicate leaves, causing bitterness. Brew green tea at 70–80°C instead. Over-steeping is the second cause: keep your first infusion under two minutes. Stale or low-quality leaves can also taste bitter regardless of how you brew them.

What is the difference between Chinese and Japanese green tea?

The main difference is processing. Most Chinese green teas are pan-fired (炒制), which produces a toasty, chestnut-like flavour and a yellowish-green liquor. Most Japanese green teas — like sencha and gyokuro — are steamed (蒸制), which preserves a brighter green colour and a more marine, umami flavour. Both start from the same plant.

Which Chinese green tea should I try first?

Longjing (Dragon Well) is a good starting point. It is the most well-known Chinese green tea, with a smooth chestnut flavour that most people enjoy on the first cup. Mengding Ganlu (Sweet Dew) is another approachable option with a naturally sweet taste and very low astringency. Both work well brewed simply in a glass.

Is green tea good for the morning?

Yes. Green tea contains caffeine (typically 20–45mg per cup, compared to about 95mg for coffee), so it provides a gentle lift without the jitters. In Chinese tradition, green tea's cool nature makes it a good match for mornings, especially in warmer seasons. I drink it as my first cup most days between September and March.

Teas mentioned in this article

• Dragon Well / Long Jing (Longjing)
• Osmanthus Green Tea
• Mengding Sweet Dew (Ganlu)
• Genmai Green Tea
• Tasmanian Huon Green Tea
• Tasmanian Mint Green Tea
• Wa no Sencha (Japanese Sencha)
• Gyokuro Japanese Green Tea

Collections

• Browse all green teas
• Chinese Tea collection
• Morning Tea collection

Related reading

• What is Chinese tea? A complete beginner's guide
• How tea is made: from leaf to cup
• The six types of Chinese tea explained
• Gongfu tea brewing: a step-by-step guide

Published: June 2026 | Last updated: June 2026