The main difference between green tea and black tea is that black tea is oxidized during production while green tea is not.
Tea is an addictive beverage we all love. It is true that green and black tea varies in colour and taste. These differences are a result of their manufacturing process. During the process of black tea production, manufacturers first roll the tea leaves and then expose the tea leaves to air to enhance the oxidation process. Consequently, the leaves become dark brown, and the flavors get more intense. However, green tea has a relatively light colour and a milder taste than black. This is mainly because manufacturers focus on avoiding oxidation during the processing of green tea. Despite these differences, both varieties provide significant benefits to your health.
Green tea is a common variety of tea produced using the evergreen Camellia sinensis plant. In processing green tea, the manufacturers heat the leaves of green tea just after harvesting them in order to avoid the process of oxidation.
Geographically, green tea plantations can be mainly found in China and Japan. When it comes to brewing, we usually use water with a relatively low temperature to prepare green tea (at or around 175 degrees). Some Japanese green teas, such as Kabusecha and Gyokuro, require a much lower temperature, around 140 degrees.
Black tea is another variety of tea prepared by the leaves taken from the same plant Camellia sinensis. However, unlike the leaves of green tea, the manufactures completely oxidize the black tea leaves right after harvesting them. The process of oxidation turns the leaves into a dark brown or a black shade, unlike the green tea leaves, which preserve their natural green shade.
Currently, different varieties of black tea are mainly grown in India and China. Some of the world-famous black tea varieties are Assam, Golden Yunnan and Darjeeling. Further, Vietnam and Nepal are the other two large-scale black tea producing Asian countries in the world.
In contrast to green tea, when brewing black tea, we use boiling water at or around a temperature of 212 degrees. Moreover, we steep black tea for about 3-5 minutes.