The story goes that a Chinese emperor was out in the woods when he came up with the idea for green tea. At the time, he had just finished bringing a pot of water to a boil over his campfire. Suddenly, a strange blast of wind extinguished his fire, and leaves from a nearby tree were blown into the pot of boiling water that the emperor was using. When he got back, the emperor was angry, but he chose to drink the water anyway, only to discover that it had taken on a delicious flavour in the meanwhile. After he realised what had occurred, he brought some of the leaves from the tree back with him to his house, which led to the creation of tea. Regardless of whether or not this is the case, there is no denying that China and many other Asian nations have a long and illustrious tradition of drinking tea, the majority of which has traditionally consisted of either white or green tea. This has been the case for quite some time. It is known to have been drank in Japan as early as the 9th century, and it has long been a social drink and a status symbol, in addition to being a drink that is long believed to have a broad range of positive effects on one's health. The leaves of the camellia sinensis plant, which are used to make both green and Western black tea, are subjected to distinct post-harvest processing steps, which accounts for the distinction between the two types of tea. Green tea and Western black tea originate from the same plant. In order to extend the shelf life of black tea, the leaves are first allowed to wither and then fermented. On the other hand, the processing of green tea ceases after the drying stage, when the green colour of the leaves is still visible. Although this means that green tea doesn't retain its freshness for as long as black tea does, it also means that the flavour of green tea is noticeably more vibrant than that of black tea, and many people feel that it offers significant health benefits. It is difficult to put into words the flavour of green tea, but the first time you try it, you will most likely get the impression that it tastes "green" or like grass. Simply trying something out for yourself is the greatest method to determine whether or not you'll like it in the long run.
