Ceylon green tea pan-firing vs Japanese steaming: enzyme deactivation and catechin levels?
3 Answers from travellers
Unlike Japanese green teas that rely on high-pressure steam tunnels (yielding vegetative, grassy sencha), artisanal Ceylon green teas are manufactured using Chinese-style pan-firing. Freshly plucked green leaf flushes are dropped into wide, wood-fired rotating copper roasting pans heated to 250-280°C. Within two to three minutes, high dry heat denatures polyphenol oxidase enzymes, completely arresting enzymatic oxidation. This pan-firing technique caramelizes natural plant sugars, imparting a delicate roasted, nutty profile while locking in epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) antioxidants.
If pan temperatures drop below 220°C, enzyme deactivation fails and the leaves begin turning brown along the edges, ruining export green tea classification.
Pan-fired Ceylon green tea yields a pale jade-yellow liquor with sweet toasted-rice notes, best infused with 80°C spring water for two minutes.
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