Tea Basics 101 – Tea Type or Taste, How Do you Choose?
January 30, 2010
With over 3000 different varieties of tea in the world, how do you choose? Do you choose by the particular type of tea, or do you choose by the taste you like best?
Surprisingly, all tea comes from the same evergreen plant — Thea sinensis, of which two varieties are the most common — Camellia sinensis and Camellia assamica. The type and taste characteristics of each tea are determined by the growing region — climate, soil, and altitude — as well as how the tea is processed.
The first step in any tea production occurs when the tea is harvested or “plucked,” by hand, once the top two leaves and bud have sprouted. The leaves are then spread out on long trays in warm temperatures, to promote moisture loss of about 50%. This is known as withering. The withered leaves are then sometimes rolled, by machine, to help release the leaves’ oils and juices and then they are left out in the open air for several hours. This open air process is known as “fermentation.” It’s not really a “fermenting” process per say — it’s actually an oxidation process that occurs in the tea leaves, whereby the leaves absorb oxygen, which changes their chemistry, and therefore affects both the taste and color of the tea. After the fermentation stage, the leaves are then passed through a dryer to stop the oxidation process. Once thoroughly dried, the tea is then ready to be sorted, and taste-tested.
Based on the methods used in production, tea can be divided into four different types: black, oolong, green and white tea.
Black Tea
Black tea is withered, fully fermented and dried. Black tea least resembles the natural tea leaf. The manufacturing processes and varieties of black tea differ considerably among the various growing regions. Black teas should give a strong, hearty and bright, reddish or amber-colored brew.
- Assam (India) — rich, bold aroma, full-bodied with a strong malty taste, and a clear, dark red brew. It is delicious with a spot of milk.
- Ceylon (Sri Lanka) — very aromatic, golden-amber brew with a rich, full astringent flavor that is sometimes described as “fruity” or “biscuity.” Goes great with a little milk.
- Darjeeling (India) — the rarest and most prestigious of black teas. Its quality is excellent due to the growing climate and altitude. It has a distinct taste for each growing season; First Flush, light and astringent with an amazing aroma and a green muscatel, sometimes “flowery” taste, and Second Flush has a darker, more round, less astringent, and “fruitier” full-bodied flavor. Both provide varying degrees of muscatel and wood flavors, along with a rich, golden-red brew.
- Keemun (China) – has a subtle orchid aroma and a rich, red brew. The flavor is mild with a hint of sweetness, full-bodied, and wine-like.
- Lapsang Souchong (China) — a dark tea with a distinct smoky fragrance and flavor, due to the tea leaves being withered over open fires of pine. Gives a rich, red brew.
- Nilgiri (India) — gives a bright and smooth, well-rounded, “fruity” mellow flavor.
- Yunnan (China) — has a brisk, rich, slightly peppery or “spicy” taste with a pronounced floral aroma. Named the “mocha of tea” it has a red-amber color, and is full-bodied.
Oolong Tea
Oolong tea is withered, partially fermented and dried. Oolongs fall between black and green tea in color and taste, have low caffeine, and give an orangy-brown to dark brown brew. Oolong tea should give a very mellow, delicate and “fruity” flavor. Some varieties give a deliciously “nutty” finish.
- Darjeeling (India) — excellent oolong with a flavor finish of unripened fruit. The brew is pale yellow.
- Formosa (Taiwan) — undergoes a longer fermentation period than other oolongs and therefore is darker in appearance. It has a bright, brownish-amber brew and possesses a delicate, “fruity,” sometimes “nutty” taste and a superb aroma.
- Pouchong (China) — the least fermented oolong, therefore it falls somewhere between green and oolong tea. It’s often used as a base for jasmine tea as well as other scented teas. It has a very mild, smooth, sweet flavor, and gives a pale, orangy-brown brew.
Green Tea
Green tea totally skips the oxidation process. After it’s been withered, if at all, it’s immediately steamed or heated via firing or pan frying to prevent oxidation. It is then rolled and dried. Green tea most resembles the tea leaf in its natural state. Higher grades of green tea have a fuller, more complex flavor, and can usually be steeped more times than the lower grades. Green tea should give a pale, yellowish-green brew, and the taste should be smooth and fresh — very light and delicate.
- Bancha (Japan) — very similar to Sencha but of a lower quality and caffeine content, and a weaker flavor.
- Chun Mee/Precious Eyebrows (China) — gives a smooth taste with a clear, pale yellow brew.
- Genmaicha (Japan) — a medium quality Sencha tea, mixed with toasted rice and popped corn. It gives a light brown, refreshing brew with a slightly “smoky” or “nutty” flavor.
- Gunpowder/Pearl Tea (China) — gives a strong, greeny-coppery brew with a pungent taste.
- Gyokuro (Japan) — is the most refined and expensive of Japanese tea. It has a subtle aroma and a very smooth, sweet, mild taste.
- Lung Ching/Dragon Well (China) — has a delicious aroma and fresh, mellow flavor. The brew is clear yellow with a slightly sweet aftertaste.
- Matcha (Japan) — powdered tea made from Gyokuro leaves, used in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. The brew has a jade green color and the flavor is very strong — makes excellent iced tea.
- Sencha (Japan) — has a mixture of subtle sweetness, bitterness and fresh green scent. The taste varies in strength according to the season in which it is plucked. The brew is a clear and bright, light green.
White Tea
White tea is unfermented — it goes through the least amount of processing of all the teas. The young tea buds are plucked before they open and receive no oxidation or rolling; they are simply withered and then immediately dried by steaming. The curled up buds have a silvery, white appearance, thus the name. White tea is produced mainly in China (Fujian Province) and Sri Lanka. It is produced in limited quantities and is therefore more expensive than the other three types of tea. It produces subtle flavors in the cup — fresh and mellow with a hint of sweetness and a slight “flowery” taste. The color of the brew should be very pale — straw-colored. White teas are extremely rich in vitamins.
- Yin Zhen/Silver Needle (China) — its flavor is flowery and sweet, and the brew is very pale.
- Pai Mu Tan/White Peony (China) — has a very smooth, velvety flavor with a fresh aroma. The brew is clear and pale.
Once through the production process, and depending on its quality, each variety of tea is then either marketed as a single source tea, or mixed with teas from other countries/regions to form a blend. Many consumers prefer purchasing single source tea from specific estates or plantations, and quite enjoy the slight taste variations that can occur from year to year, due to that tea’s regional climate fluctuations. On the other hand, some retailers of fine tea like to offer their customers tea that always tastes the same, from the first purchase to the fiftieth, so they blend together a number of different teas to ensure a consistent quality and taste from year to year.
Whether choosing your tea by type or by taste, it totally depends on your own personal tastes and preferences. Those who prefer a very light tea that has little caffeine and a mild taste should lean towards purchasing white or oolong tea. Those who enjoy an aromatic, “herby,” yet refreshing tea should purchase green tea, and those who prefer a darker more robust brew should look to purchase black tea.
Nonetheless, once you’ve made your tea type or taste choice, and are ready to purchase, check that the tea leaves smell fresh and are roughly the same size. Never buy tea that looks dull. The leaves should be glossy, and there shouldn’t be any twigs or stalks in the mix. And finally, when brewing your tea, always look for a bright, clear infusion — teas of high quality and taste should never have a dull, muddy brew.
Mary E. MacDonald
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/tea-basics-101-tea-type-or-taste-how-do-you-choose-133644.html
History of tea drinking in England
January 29, 2010
For the context and further films, please see www.alanmacfarlane.com
Duration : 0:3:40
What makes tea red or why are some kinds of tea red?
January 28, 2010
Is it iron (since iron makes things red like in blood of hemoglobin and in “red” dirt)? Is that the same in red tea or different? Also what are the benefits of tea, and what makes up tea (red tea components)?
Hi Adam,
The tea that you are probably referring to is Rooibos tea, which in fact does not come from the traditional tea plant at all (aka Camelia Sinensis) but rather is an herbal tea. Many people are enjoying the benefits of this tea because of its unique taste, fragrance, lack of caffeine and deep hue.
The tea gets its color from the oxidization process (where the tea is plucked and dried). The tannins give the tea its rich colour.
Rooibos tea is native to the Cape Town region in Africa and loosely translated means ‘red bush’. There are many benefits of drinking Rooibos/Red bush tea. In addition to being extremely high in antioxidants, it has been said to help alleviate allergy symptoms, treat irritated skin, help with kidney stones and is rich in minerals including zinc and magnesium.
What kinds of tea help with the symptoms of asthma?
January 27, 2010
I have heard that tea could help relieve asthma symptoms, but I don’t know if it’s green or black, and if there are any herba/ teas that might help.
In theory, there are two things about tea that can help: the steam/hot liquid (which is a wash in comparison) and the bromoxanthines like caffeine. These chemicals have weak bronchodilator properties, enough for people to talk about but not enough to be useful. Your rescue inhaler is several orders of magnitude more potent.
There may also be something immeasurable here. Before rescue inhalers were ubiquitous, the primary drug used for asthma was a stronger bromoxanthine-type drug, theophylline. It’s fallen out of favor in both asthma and COPD for the most part, because the combination of theophylline and albuterol, as an example, shows no measurable benefit over albuterol alone. And yet some patients, more with COPD than asthma, feel like they’re breathing better even when their spirometry shows no improvement.
If you want to experiment, I’d think the strongest, blackest tea you can stand would be the thing to try first.
Halitosis- Is Green Tea An Effective Bad Breath Cure?
January 19, 2010
Many people all over the world are plagued by bad breath. This can be extremely embarrassing, and victims of halitosis suffer, especially if they have tried everything to eliminate their bad breath. While there are many different types of things that might be called bad breath ‘cures,’ many people are looking to something different. Some are saying that using green tea to eliminate this smelly condition really does work. Studies suggest people have been drinking different types of tea for somewhere around 5,000 years.
Green tea has been used for everything from preventing cancer, heart disease and stroke to helping people lose weight. The antioxidants found in tea can be extremely beneficial to a person’s health. There are claims that this type oftea can even protect the cells from the oxidation process which causes free radicals in our bodies. But, does green tea get rid of bad breath? According to recent studies, it actually can.
Among many other things, bacteria that live in the mouth can cause tooth decay, and bad breath. One recent study at Pace University tested the idea that such tea is great for getting rid of smelly breath. What they did was mix green tea with certain bacteria that invade the mouth and cause tooth decay and even strep throat. The findings were very interesting, as the tea actually inhibited the growth of the bacteria, therefore successfully fought against it.
In fact, that same study showed something very interesting. Toothpaste alone is not very effective against viruses in the mouth. However, when researchers added green tea to the toothpaste, the extra ingredient killed inhibited the bacteria to a certain extent, which allowed the toothpaste to effectively fight off the viruses in the mouth. Researchers say that pathogens which breed in the mouth produce compounds that cause bad breath. In studies, such tea helps inhibit those pathogens, and also help destroy the compounds that the pathogens produce. This effectively helps control halitosis.
Here is how you can use green tea to fight halitosis:
* Before and after brushing your teeth, rinse your mouth out with it.
* Drink plenty of such tea.
* Use it like a mouthwash. Swish it around and then spit it out.
* Mix it in with your toothpaste before brushing your teeth.
Experts have noted the beneficial effects of all Kinds Of Tea for many years now. It’s exciting that added to that list is the fact that we can effectively use green tea to eliminate bad breath!
Kelvin Ho
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/halitosis-is-green-tea-an-effective-bad-breath-cure-234342.html
