Green tea comes from the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant that are processed in a certain way. It is one of four types of teas, the others being black, white and oolong. Green teas have a flavor that is closer to the taste of the fresh leaf than black or oolong teas. They also have high antioxidant properties.
Green tea is processed by plucking then drying the leaves for 8 to 24 hours. The leaves are then steamed or fried to prevent the oxidation process. That is, the leaves are kept intact so that the enzymes in the veins of the leaves do not get exposed to oxygen. The leaves are then rolled up in various ways and a final drying occurs. Since it has not oxidized, the tea has a green appearance. From there, it is sorted, graded and packaged.