On Jun 27, 2:03*pm, Lewis Perin > wrote:
> For quite a while I've noticed that for lots of teas (e.g. young raw
> Pu'er, most oolong, first flush Darjeeling) the color of the leaves
> changes radically over the course of multiple steeps. *Leaves that
> when dry are some shade of brown (most of the above) or multicolored
> (FFDJ, Oriental Beauty, some young shengs) gradually reach a uniform
> shade of green. *This shade of green differs from tea to tea, but the
> direction of change over many steeps is the same.
>
> I've never read anything about this, let alone an explanation. *Is
> there a clue, someone?
>
> /Lew
> ---
> Lew Perin /
> recent addition (thanks, corax): tianxia chacang

Lew
I've also noticed the same thing and wondered as well how something so
brown could turn so green. I've found this happens for medium oxidized
and/or medium roasted teas. For very roasted teas they usually stay
pretty dark. I was wondering if the oxidized portion of the leaf is
more water soluble since the liquor does turn brown. Hopefully someone
will have a more scientific explanation.