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 ABOUT TEA
Tea
Tea is a beverage made from the leaf of the Camellia
Sinensis bush, a warm weather evergreen, which can grow to 90 feet and
higher.
In the past, some countries trained monkeys
to pick the tea leaves and toss them to the ground. Today, the Camellia Sinensis
bush is grown to a height of three feet for easy cultivation.
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Types of Tea
All teas come from the Camellia Sinensis
evergreen bush, it is how the leaves are treated once plucked that
determines the type; Black, Black Flavoured, Oolong, White & Green.
Herbal and Tisane Teas are herbs, fruits, spices, plants or flowers that
are used to create a beverage and are referred to as Tea.
Black tea leaves are withered, rolled or cut, fully fermented
and then fired (dried)
Oolong tea leaves are withered, shaken or rolled, short
fermentation, pan fried and then dried
Green tea leaves are withered, panfried/steamed or fired,
rolled/shaped and dried
White tea leaves are steamed and dried
Herba/Tisanes are blends of flowers, herbs, spices, berries,
fruits and other plants
Rooibos is a natural herb only grown in the South African Cedarberg
Mountains. It is rich in vitamins and minerals including vitamin C,
antioxidants, and flavanoids
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Brewing the Perfect Cup of Tea
- Fill
kettle with freshly drawn cold water
(fresh & filtered water is recommended)
- Measure
one teaspoon or one teabag for each cup
A tea ball or filter may be used for removing tea leaves
from the pot after brewing time
- Bring
water to a full rolling boil
- Pour
water onto the tea:
Blacks & Herbal Tea; pour boiling water onto the leaves or tea
bags
Green, Oolong & White Tea; allow boiled water to sit just under
1 minute (or to 180 degrees F.) before pouring onto the leaves
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Brewing Time
Guide
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Black Tea
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3-5 minutes
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Black Tea Flavoured
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3-5 minutes
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Oolong Tea
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4-6 minutes
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Green Tea
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1-3 minutes
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White Tea
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1-3 minutes
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Herbal Tea
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4-5 minutes
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- Adjust
brewing times to suit your taste for stronger or weaker tea.
Within each type of tea, there may be exceptions to the guide.
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Caffeine in Tea
All Tea of the Camellia Sinensis bush contains
caffeine.The amount is based on many factors; brewing time, length of time
of fermentation, where the leaf is picked from the branch, cut or size of
the leaf.
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Caffeine
Comparison (based on 5 oz cup)
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Green Tea
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8-16 mg of caffeine
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Oolong Tea
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12-55 mg
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Black Tea
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25-110 mg
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Decaffeinated Tea
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2-5 mg
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Instant Coffee
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30-120 mg
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Drip Coffee
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60-180 mg
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As much as 80% of caffeine can be removed
from regular tea by pouring hot water over the leaves. To decaffeinate a regular
tea, pour boiling water over leaves and let brew for30 seconds. Remove
water from tea leaves and re-use leaves.
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Storing Tea
The enemy of tea is air, moisture, odors and
direct light. To preserve your tea’s shelf life, store in a cool dry place,
in a container that is airtight. Do not refrigerate or freeze tea.
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Tea Terms
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Agony of the leaves
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The unfurling of tea leaves during steeping. Certain
teas provide a show if steeped in a glass teapot
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Antioxidant
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Compound that retards oxidization
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Aroma
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Also known as the nose, the odor of brewed tea
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Assam
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Tea growing region in India
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Astringency
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Dry mouth sensation caused by certain teas
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Autumnal
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Tea produced late in the growing season – often used
in reference to Darjeeling 4th flush teas
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Bergamont
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A citrus oil from the bergamot orange used to flavor
black tea to make Earl Grey tea
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Black Tea
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Fully oxidized leaves of the Camellia sinensis
bush. Also known as Red tea in China referring to the color of the Tea in
the cup
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Blend
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Method to establish consistency between lots of teas.
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Body
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Term to denote strength and viscosity of a brewed tea.
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Brick Tea
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Tea leaves that have been steamed and compressed into
bricks.
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Caffeine
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An alkaloid which acts as a Central Nervous System
stimulant and diuretic
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Catechins
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The class of polyphenol found in tea which function as
antioxidants
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Ceylon tea
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Tea from Sri Lanka
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Chai
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The word for tea on the Indian subcontinent. In the
west it generally means a spiced black tea (masala chai).
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Chest
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Traditional container made of wood with a metal lining
used to ship tea from tea estates
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Chesty
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A term for an odor in tea absorbed from the wood of a
traditional storage chest
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Congou
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Chinese Black, or Red, Tea
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CTC
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Acronym for Cut, Tear, and Curl, a machine process
which cuts the withered leaves into uniform particles for a complete
oxidation.
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Darjeeling Tea
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Tea grown in the Darjeeling Hills of India. These teas
are renowned for their muscatel flavor
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Dust
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The smallest grade of tea, typically associated with
lower quality. Dust is prized for its quick extraction and is commonly
used in teabags
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Fannings
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Small particles of tea one grade larger than Dust
produced as a by product of the tea making process
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Fermentation
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Also termed Oxidation. Describes the process of enzymic
oxidation, where elements in the leaf react with air to the resulting tea
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Firing
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The process where the tea leaves are dried to stop
enzymic changes. This makes the tea fit for packing and storing
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Flush
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Flush refers to the four separate plucking seasons
throughout the year, each known for it’s distinctive flavor
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Formosa Tea
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Tea produced in Taiwan, typically oolong teas
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Genmaicha
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Green tea blended with roasted rice
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Golden
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Refers to the orange colored tips present in high quality
black tea
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Gong Fu
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Meaning skill and patience. The style of brewing tea
with a high proportion of leaf to water and repeated short infusions.
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Green Tea
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Un-oxidized, dried tea
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Gunpowder
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Green tea rolled into pellets
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Guywan
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A traditional Chinese lidded tea drinking vessel with
accompanying saucer
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Keemun
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Chinese Black Tea from Anhui Province and often used
in English Breakfast blends
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Lapsang Souchong
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Chinese Black Tea, leaves are smoked over pine fire giving
strong smoked flavour
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Muscatel
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A muscat grape like taste associated with many
Darjeeling Teas
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Nose
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Aroma of brewed tea
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Oolong
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Derived from ‘wu long’ the Chinese term for black dragon.
A type of tea that is semi-oxidized resulting in a brew that is between a
Green and a Black Tea.
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Orange Pekoe
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The larger leaves of the tea bush
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Pekoe
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A term used to describe the largest leaves used to
produce whole leaf teas.
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Plucking
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The process of harvesting and collecting tea leaves
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Polyphenols
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Antioxidant compounds present in tea
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Pu-erh Tea
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A type of tea originally from the Yunnan province of
China.
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Tippy
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Term for the tea leaf that contains white or golden tips,
indicative of high quality
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White Tea
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Similar to Green Tea. Identifiable by the presence of
the white hairs on the leaf tips, and a light infusion
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Withering
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The operation which removes moisture from the plucked leaves
making them less brittle and preparing them for processing.
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Yunnan
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A province in southwestern China known as the
birthplace of tea.
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