When hot water is poured onto tea leaves, the compounds contained in the tea leaves are extracted and color appears, in this case of green tea, the desired color is greenish or yellowish green without any trace of red or brown color.
The liquid should remain clear on cooling without turbidity, and the infused leaf should be green with no sign of discoloration due to damage.
It is mainly determined by the chlorophyll content and the ration of chlorophyll A which is dark green in color and chlorophyll B which is yellow green in color.
When green tea is extracted for a long time, the color changes to a reddish one. Thus, when green is taken for example in a thermos to a picnic, the tea extract turns reddish brown in color and moreover the taste and aroma of the tea deteriorate.
The color of black tea is black in made tea and orange-red in an infusion. These colors are formed by the theaflavin and thearubigin. Theaflavin is yellow in clor and thearubigins is red in color.
Semi-fermented Oolong tea is generally green-brown color in made tea and a yellowish red color in an infusion.
Color of tea
