1. Pan-fired Green Tea
Pan-fired green tea is produced using a rotary drum or wok to fix (de-enzyme) and dry the leaves. It is characterized by tightly curled or shaped leaves, a lustrous green color, a fresh and high aroma, a bright green liquor, and a rich, refreshing taste. This category accounts for the largest volume of green tea production and can be further subdivided into varieties such as long-strip pan-fired, round-bead pan-fired, and flat-leaf pan-fired teas. Representative famous teas include Wulü, Pingshui Gunpowder (Zhucha), West Lake Longjing, Biluochun, Lu'an Guapian, Songluo Tea, and Xinyang Maojian.
2. Baked Green Tea
Baked green tea is dried using bamboo drying baskets or mechanical dryers. It features intact leaves, a deep green and lustrous color, a pure and high aroma, a clear, bright liquor, and a fresh, mellow taste. Famous varieties include Huangshan Maofeng, Taiping Houkui, Jingting Lüxue, Tianshan Green Tea, Jiangshan Lümudan, Emei Maofeng, and Nannuo Baihao.
3. Steamed Green Tea
Steamed green tea represents the earliest method of green tea production in China; it involves using hot steam to fix the fresh leaves, followed by rolling and drying. The leaves are typically tight, slender, and needle-like, with a fresh or deep, lustrous green color. The liquor is clear and pale yellow-green, offering a fresh aroma and a mellow-sometimes slightly astringent-taste. Production volume in my country is currently relatively low; main varieties include Enshi Yulu, Chinese Sencha, and teas from certain regions in Taiwan.
4. Sun-dried Green Tea
Sun-dried green tea is dried using sunlight. It is characterized by coarser, larger leaves and a deep, somewhat lustrous green color. It offers a high aroma, a bright yellow-green liquor, and a rich, mellow taste with strong astringency. Production is primarily concentrated in Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Sichuan, with smaller quantities produced in Yunnan and Guizhou. The Yunnan large-leaf variety-known as "Dianqing"-is considered the highest quality, though it is mostly used as raw material for compressed tea.