Green

The largest and most varied green family: pan-firing is the dominant fix method, producing the dry chestnut, toasty, or lightly roasted character that separates Chinese greens from Japanese steamed styles. The range within this family is wider than most types: from Longjing's flat, low-profile prestige to the curly fuzziness of Biluochun, the jasmine-scented rolled Pearl, and the albino sweetness of Anji Bai Cha. Origin and harvest grade matter as much as type; the same village can produce radically different tea depending on the picker date and the producer.

Japanese greens are defined by steam-fixing rather than pan-firing, which produces the deep vegetal, marine, and savory-umami character that makes them immediately distinct from Chinese styles in the same category. Shading before harvest increases amino acids and reduces catechins, splitting the family toward the umami-rich shaded styles (Gyokuro, Matcha, Kabusecha) versus the everyday sun-grown styles (Sencha, Bancha, Hojicha). Steaming duration further divides Sencha into light-steam (asamushi) and deep-steam (fukamushi) variants with noticeably different texture and intensity.

Korean green teas are organized by harvest timing rather than processing style: Ujeon (before Grain Rain) is the most prized and delicate; Sejak (around Grain Rain) is the most widely recognized; Jungjak and Daejak are coarser and bolder later picks. Processing resembles Chinese pan-firing more than Japanese steaming, producing a mellow, roasty character that sits clearly between the Chinese and Japanese poles without being a copy of either. The tradition is concentrated in South Jeolla province, particularly around Boseong and Hadong.

A geographically diverse group outside the three major green traditions, united by elevation growing and by offering terroir that the Chinese and Japanese families cannot supply. Vietnam's Shan Tuyet greens come from ancient wild trees in the northern highlands with a mineral wildness absent from lowland-grown styles; Vietnamese lotus-scented green tea is a distinct scented tradition. Nepal's Ilam greens from Himalayan foothills bring a clean brightness that sits close to Darjeeling green in character. These are worth tracking when origin diversity matters more than stylistic range.