How to make tasty roasted tea
ほうじ茶の美味しい焙じ方
The power of the
scent of roasted tea
ほうじ茶の香りの力
How to brew the
roasted tea tastily
ほうじ茶の美味しい淹れ方
Classification of Cha
The leaves of Camellia sinensis, or "CHANOKI", contains an oxidative enzyme called polyphenol oxidaze. When the picked leaves are crumpled well, the tissue cells inside are broken, their contents are mixed, and the oxidative enzymes hasten fermentation. Based on the manners to control the fermentation, we can classify tea into about five sorts.
茶の分類
「チャノキ」の葉には酸化酵素（ポリフェノールオキシダーゼ）が含まれている。葉を摘んで揉むと、葉の組織が壊れて細胞の内容物が混ざり合い、酸化酵素による発酵が進んでいく。この発酵をどのようにコントロールするかにより、おおよそ以下の５種類に分けることができる。
１. GREEN TEA / Non-fermented tea
(processed without any oxydative fermentation; relative fermentation grade: 0%)
The tea leaves are put under heat treatment to deactivate the oxidative enzyme in them, immediately after they are picked (when picked off, the leaves have already started light fermentation.) The heating is done either with water vapour, which is a method peculiar to Japan, or in an iron pot, as is practiced in a part of Kyushu region or in China. With the enzymes deactivated, the ingredients of the produced tea can remain almost as they are in fresh leaves. In particular, the tea perserves the green of the leaves well, and thus is called green tea.
１. 緑茶 / 不発酵茶
(酸化発酵を行わないもの。発酵度 ０％)
茶葉を摘み取った後すぐに熱処理をして茶葉中の酸化酵素の活性を止めるのが特徴（摘み取った茶葉はすでに軽い発酵が始まっている）。加熱方法は、日本独特の蒸気で蒸す方法、九州地方の一部や中国で行われている鉄製釜で炒って仕上げる方法がある。酵素を失活させるため茶の成分がフレッシュな茶葉に近い状態で残り、茶葉の緑色がよく保たれ緑茶とよばれる。