Like almost all Chinese teas, green tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis bush. What sets it apart from other teas, however, is the minimal amount of processing that it undergoes before reaching its drinkable form.

There are several tea harvests during the year. The earliest takes place from early April-late May, and produces the highest quality teas. Later harvests generally take place until August, with a decline in quality as the season progresses.

After picking, leaves meant for green tea production are first spread out and sun-dried, generally for a few hours. They are then heated to prevent oxidation and lock in freshness. While lower quality teas meant for tea bags will at this point be chopped or ground, premium teas meant to be sold loose will be rolled, either by machines or by hand. They then go through another drying process.

While this is not true of every tea, many varieties of Chinese green tea will be pan-fried in large woks as part of the drying process.