Before you purchase green tea, there are things you need to consider. It is helpful to be knowledgeable about any product you are considering buying. When it comes to choosing green tea and which type of green tea to get, please remember that the appearance and color are not always the basis for the quality of the tea.
Not because your tea merchant says his or her tea is a high-grade tea, it doesn't mean it is fresh at all! It's all about proper handling of tea from where it was grown to processing to storing. Properly stored tea can still taste great for months but even the finest tea can lose its precious flavor if not stored properly.
In addition, there are different types of green tea, the three major tea producing regions are Japan, China, and India. Each of them has its own taste because of the climate, the soil, and the altitude as well as the processing involved.
The best way to test the freshness of green tea is to close your fist tightly around a small amount then breathe in with your nose, and release your fingers.
You should smell either a grassy, sweet, or pleasant aroma depending on the type of tea. However, if there's no smell at all or maybe just a very faint aroma, you can bet that tea is not fresh enough.
Take note that this technique is still not the true test for the tea's freshness. The true test is brewing the tea leaves with the correct amounts of tea leaves and water heated to the right temperature, followed with the proper steeping time.
So how can you test different types of green tea without buying in bulk? Some tea stores have tea samplers. I recommend that if you are a tea novice that you start with a tea sampler first. Most high quality green teas have pale green to yellow-green brew and the brewed leaves have a clean aroma with pleasant vegetative flavor.
Your tea merchant should be able to assist you and answer questions such as how old the tea is, how it was stored prior to delivery, and how it is stored in his or her tea shop.
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