What is the best way to grow, harvest, and process green tea (Camellia sinensis)?

July 29th, 2008 · No Comments

This is a bit of a multiple part question.

I have a tea plant (Camellia sinensis) already growing nicely in a 2 gallon pot. It is about two feet tall and growing nicely. I am thinking about eventually upping the pot size to 5 gallons, and then trying to permanently maintain it in a 15 gallon. Do you think this is big enough?

What stage of leaves do you harvest? I have heard that young leaves and stems are the tastiest, but medium and old aged leaves are the healthiest. Should you only harvest young? Should you harvest a mix of leaves?

Once the leaves are harvested, how do you prepare them? I am interested in green tea, not black tea or oolong. I have heard many opinions on how to best dry and prepare tea leaves, from oven baking, to letting sun dry, to roasting in a pan. What is the most effective way to dry the leaves, while maintaining the healthy-ness, and preparing them for tea?

Thanks!