In preparing green tea, the oxidizing enzymes are killed by steam blasting the freshly plucked leaf in perforated drums, by roasting it in hot iron pans or laying them out to dry in the hot sun. This process is called "shaqing" (killing out) in Chinese. The tea is steamed for less than one minute.

The leaf is then subjected to further heating and rolling until it turns dark green and takes a bluish tint. This is done by hand and takes about one hour, during which time it is constantly turned. The leaves are finally dried to a moisture content of 3 to 4 percent. With the inactivation of polyphenol oxidase, the polyphenols are not oxidized and therefore remain colorless, allowing the processed leaf to remain green.

The absence of theaflavins and thearubigins in the finished leaf also gives the beverage a weaker flavor than black.The popular forms of tea available in Kerala is CTC (literally means 'crush, tear and curl') and leaf tea. They normally have strong flavor, preferred by the people as a whole.