Green teas are unoxidised (compared to black teas which are fully oxidised). The first stage of the manufacturing process is to kill any enzymes that would otherwise cause oxidation to take place. To de-enzyme them, the freshly plucked leaves are either steamed (to make ‘sencha-type’ teas) or tumbled quickly in a wok or panning machine (to make pan-fired teas) and are then rolled by hand or machine to give the leaf a particular appearance - some teas are twisted, some curved, some rolled into pellets, etc.

To remove all but 2-3% of the remaining water, the tea is then dried in hot ovens or over charcoal stoves.