Q & A

What is tea?

Tea is a drink made by infusing leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis, or Thea sinensis) in hot water. The name 'tea' is also used to refer to the leaves themselves; and it is also the name of a mid- to late-afternoon meal in the British Isles and associated countries, at which tea (the drink) is served along with various foods.

What are the different kinds of tea?

The three main categories are green, black, and oolong. All three kinds are made from the same plant species. The major differences between them are a result of the different processing methods they undergo. Black teas undergo several hours of oxidation in their preparation for market; oolongs receive less oxidation, and green teas are not oxidized at all.
There are, of course, many different varieties within these three main categories.

Where does tea come from?

Tea has been an item of trade and tribute for at least three thousand years. It was first cultivated and brewed in China, and many of the best varieties still come from China. Some of the finest oolongs in the world are grown in Taiwan. Japan also produces a considerable amount of green tea, most of which is consumed domestically.

After the British took up tea drinking, they began cultivating the plants native to India in order to have more control over the trade. India, Sri Lanka, and other South Asian countries produce a large portion of the world harvest.

Where did the name 'tea' come from?

The word for tea in most of mainland China (and also in Japan) is 'cha'. (Hence its frequency in names of Japanese teas: Sencha, Hojicha, etc.) But the word for tea in Fujian province is 'te' (pronounced approximately 'tay'). As luck would have it, the first mass marketers of tea in the West were the Dutch, whose contacts were in Fujian. They adopted this name, and handed it on to most other European countries. The two exceptions are Russia and Portugal, who had independent trade links to China. The Portuguese call it 'cha', the Russians 'chai'. Other areas (such as Turkey, South Asia and the Arab countries) have some version of 'chai' or 'shai'.

'Tay' was the pronunciation when the word first entered English, and it still is in Scotland and Ireland. For unknown reasons, at some time in the early eighteenth century the English changed their pronunciation to 'tee'. Virtually every other European language, however, retains the original pronunciation of 'tay'.

How is tea produced?

The first step in tea production is the harvest. Most harvesting is still done by hand, which (as you can imagine) is very labor-intensive. Some growers have had success using a machine that acts much like a vacuum cleaner, sucking the leaves off the branch. The latter method is used for the cheaper varieties of tea, as it is not capable of discriminating between the high-quality tip leaves and the coarser leaves toward the bottom of the branch.

The harvested leaves can be processed in two ways: CTC or orthodox.
CTC, which stands for "crush, tear, curl," is used primarily for lower-quality leaves. CTC processing is done by machine; its name is actually fairly descriptive. The machines rapidly compress withered tea leaves, forcing out most of their sap; they then tear the leaves and curl them tightly into balls that look something like instant coffee crystals. The leaves are then "fired," or dehydrated.
Most tea connoisseurs are not very interested in CTC tea, since this process does not allow for the careful treatment that high-quality leaves merit. But CTC has an important and legitimate role in the tea industry: since it is a mechanized process, it allows for the rapid processing of a high volume of leaves which otherwise would go to waste. It is also good for producing a strong, robust flavor from leaves of middling quality; in fact, for many varieties of leaf CTC is the preferred processing method.

The orthodox method is a bit more complex, and is usually done mostly by hand. The process differs for black, green, and oolong teas. The basic steps in the production of black tea are withering, rolling, oxidation, and firing.

First, the leaves are spread out in the open (preferably in the shade) until they wither and become limp. This is so that they can be rolled without breaking.
Rolling is the next step. This is rarely done by hand any more; it is more often done by machine. Rolling helps mix together a variety of chemicals found naturally within the leaves, enhancing oxidation. After rolling, the clumped leaves are broken up and set to oxidize.

Oxidation, which starts during rolling, is allowed to proceed for an amount of time that depends on the variety of leaf. Longer oxidation usually produces a less flavorful but more pungent tea. Many texts refer to the oxidation process by the misleading term "fermentation." However traditional and evocative the term may be, I think it is best avoided. Oxidation of tea leaves is a purely chemical process and has nothing to do with the yeast-based fermentation that produces bread or beer.
Finally, the leaves are heated, or "fired," to end the oxidation process and dehydrate them so that they can be stored.

Oolong is produced just like black tea, except that the leaves are oxidized for less time.
Green tea is not oxidized at all. Some varieties are not even withered, but are simply harvested, fired, and shipped out.

How is tea graded?

The first thing to keep in mind is that these are descriptions of the dry, cured leaf only. They have no necessary relation to the aroma, color, or flavor of the end product. It is possible to get a delicious cup from ugly, broken leaves; it is possible to get an awful cup from well-handled, beautiful whole leaves. But since you may have little information to work with other than the grade, let's look at the various grades.
There are different grading schemes for black and green teas.
Here are the basic grades of black tea:
Flowery Orange Pekoe (peck-oh), Orange Pekoe
Pekoe
Souchong
Broken Orange Pekoe
Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings
Broken Pekoe
Fannings
Dust

'Pekoe' (pronounced 'PECK-oh') is derived from a Chinese word meaning 'white'; this referred to the white hair on the leaf bud. Early Western merchants used the word to mean that the leaves so graded were exclusively plucked from the tip of the branch: the leaf bud and the two leaves below the bud. Its use in India and Sri Lanka broadened to mean whole leaves of a uniform size, and this is what it generally means now. This may include leaves picked from lower on the branch.

'Flowery Orange Pekoe' is often abbreviated 'FOP'. The term 'flowery' apparently refers to the leaf bud, since actual tea flowers are not used in the preparation of the drink.
'Orange' is variously described as a reference to the Dutch House of Orange or as a reference to an old Chinese practice of including orange blossoms as a flavoring agent. Whichever story is true, Orange Pekoe leaves are higher quality than Pekoe leaves.
'Souchong' means large leaves, generally not from the tip of the branch.
Processed tea is sieved to insure that leaves of uniform size are packaged together. Fannings and dust are bits and pieces of tea leaves left over from the sievings that separate out whole leaves and large pieces of leaf. Fannings are slightly larger than dust.
Loose tea is generally whole leaves. Bagged tea is usually Broken Orange Pekoe and Broken Pekoe, fannings, and dust. The broken grades are created by mechanized crushing of the leaves. Broken leaves infuse more quickly, which is desirable in a tea bag. But because of their larger surface area, broken leaves also become stale more quickly.
Since much of the bagged tea sold in the US is marked "Orange Pekoe," many people think that Orange Pekoe is a special kind of tea. But it is not. It is a grading measurement that applies only to the size and physical condition of the leaves, not their kind or quality. Most tea that is labeled "Orange Pekoe" is blended black tea, typically from India and/or Sri Lanka.
High-quality Darjeelings are often graded according to a complex (one is tempted to say baroque) system including terms such as TGFOP and FTGFOP. One r.f.d.t reader was under the impression that these abbreviations stood for "Too Good For Ordinary People" and "Far Too Good For Ordinary People." Not a bad guess, in my opinion. Here's what they actually stand for:
·  TGFOP: Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe. 'Tippy', 'Golden', and 'Flowery' are all references to the leaf bud at the tip of the branch. (Buds have a lighter color than fully formed leaves, hence 'golden'.)
·  FTGFOP: Fancy [or Fine] Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe. 'Fancy' is a term also used in the grading of oolongs.
·  SFTGFOP: Super-Fine [Fancy] Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe.
When dealing with Darjeelings, you may also see the following terms:
·  Estate: names the plantation where the leaves were grown.
·  Vintage: means that the leaves are the product of one harvest, and are not blended with any others.
·  First Flush: the leaves were plucked in the first growth of the season. It usually produces a very light, delicate drink.
·  Second Flush: second-growth harvest. More robust and complex than first flush.
·  Autumnal Flush: harvest after the rainy season.
Green tea: There is no uniform grading terminology for green tea. Chinese greens are graded differently depending on where they came from. Japan may have a more universal grading scheme, but my information is incomplete on this subject.
Some terms that you may find with regard to Chinese green teas are:
·  Gunpowder: (pellets, tightly rolled from young leaves and buds)
·  Young Hyson: (young leaves rolled long and thin)
·  Imperial: (pellets loosely rolled from older leaves)
·  Twankay: (unrolled leaves of poor quality)
Gunpowder is rolled very tightly; the leaves look like small pellets. The Chinese term for this tea, Zhucha, means 'Pearl Tea'. It is grown in Zhejiang province, near Shanghai.
Oolong: Grading for oolongs goes from Fanciest or Extra Fancy (best) to Common (worst). Unlike other grading systems, this one actually rates the quality of the drink you can get from the leaves. The top grades are Fanciest or Extra Fancy, Fancy, and Extra Choice (or Extra Fine).

How should I make a perfect cup of tea?

1. Always start with spring water or distilled water (ideally spring), and make sure it's fresh and cool. Bring the water to a full, rolling boil in a stainless steel kettle, and then remove the kettle from heat immediately, as water that is allowed to boil too long loses the oxygen gas dissolved in it and can cause your tea to taste rather flat.
2. When using loose tea depending on the tea type measure applicable number of teaspoons of loose tea for each teacup of water (about 250 ml) and place it into the teapot. A good rule of thumb is to use "one teaspoon of tea for each person and an extra one for the teapot," but you can tweak this depending on your tastes.
· Oolong and green teas - one teaspoon for one cup.
· Black tea - a heaping teaspoon for a cup.

3. When you pour the water over your loose tea in a teapot or a mug, make sure the pot/mug is preheated. Pouring hot water into a cold pot/mug drastically lowers the water's temperature in the first few seconds and could affect the predictability of the steeping time for your tea as well as the quality of the flavors that get steeped out. The easiest way to preheat the pot/mug is to pour a bit of your heated water into the pot/mug and rinse it on all sides, discarding the water once you're done. THEN you can put in your tea, and finally, the water. Different tea types require different temperature:
· Greens/White: 50-70 C
· Oolong/Scented Oolongs: 80-90 C
· Blacks: 95 C
4. It is very important to note that if the tea you're making has WHOLE tea leaves in it as opposed to tea leaves that have been CUT, the steeping times will vary. Cut leaves release their essences more quickly and completely than do whole leaves, and therefore require much shorter steeping times than teas that use whole leaves. Not surprisingly, water temperature should be higher when one pours the water over whole leaves than when one pours them over cut leaves, as the higher temperature will facilitate a quicker release of the essences from the whole leaves.
· Greens/White: 3-7 min
· Oolong/Scented Oolongs: 5-6 min
· Blacks: 4-6 min
· Flavored tea: 3 min
· Tea like drinks: 4-6 min
5. When making iced tea, you should use more tea in proportion to the water to make it stronger (it's important that you don't necessarily steep the tea longer to make it stronger, which could increase the bitterness in some teas - just use more tea in the water instead), since it's harder to detect the fragrances and flavors of many teas when they're cold and not steaming with warm vapor. Make the tea at double strength if you're going to pour it over ice cubes of plain water; alternatively, if you freeze some tea in ice cube trays in advance, you can use those cubes instead when you're having your iced tea and you wouldn't have to increase the strength of the tea so much.

How hot should the water be?

Most black and oolong tea should be infused in water that has just achieved a vigorous boil. You may want to place a tea cozy over the teapot during infusion in order to avoid heat loss.
Green teas, however, are generally better suited to water that has cooled off slightly from the boiling point. This holds especially if the tea is high-quality (e.g. Japanese Gyokuro). The same is true for Baozhong, lightly oxidized oolong such as Tung Ting, and first flush Darjeeling. In general, the closer a tea is to green, the cooler the water should be. Experiment and see how you prefer it.
If you are concerned about overheating these sorts of delicate leaves, do not place a tea cozy on the pot during the infusion, as it keeps too much heat in the pot. (Using the cozy to keep tea warm after it has finished infusing is fine.) Some authorities even suggest leaving the lid off the teapot when infusing green tea, to let some heat escape.

How should I store tea?

Tea should be stored in an airtight, opaque container in a cool, dry place. Many tea retailers sell tea in metal tins that close tightly, which seems optimal. Clear glass jars are acceptable only if you can keep them in a closed cupboard away from light. If you reuse containers, avoid using materials that retain odors, as the tea will pick them up.
The refrigerator is not a good place. The cold encourages water condensation, which can ruin the tea. You can freeze tea for long-term storage if you tightly seal your container and wrap it in plastic. Before you open a container of frozen tea, let it warm to room temperature in order to avoid contaminating the tea with condensation. (You may also want to do this on a dry day.)

Tea and health

Healthy
Tea leaves contain essential vitamins and mineral salts:
notably vitamins A,B1,B2, B12, C (especially green tea), E, K, P and PP,
calcium, potassium, manganese, copper, zinc, nickel and phosphoric acids, plus fluoride (helps prevent tooth decay),
carotene and chlorophyll.

Stimulating
Tea stimulates rather than excites. Both of its main components, theine and tannin, have marked stimulating effects. Theine has a remarkable effect on the brain and a central nervous system. Tea efficiently stimulates intellectual activity and clearly alleviates fatigue.

Diuretic
The theine and theophylline in tea stimulate kidney functions. Tea has no calories, is salt free, dissolves fats and aids digestion. Tea is perfect for salt-free diets.

Alkaline
Drunk in normal quantities, the alkaline components in tea help limit acidification of the human body.

Beneficial
Tea acts on the circulatory system. Chemists have confirmed the presence of theine and theophylline, which are cardiac, cerebral, and diuretic stimulants, as well as flavonoids, which inhibit cholesterol build-up and lower blood pressure. Tea also contains fluoride (three cups a day efficiently protects tooth enamel), catechins, which have antiseptic effects, and vitamin C (especially green tea). Tea is also perfect for health diets: it has no calories or salt, dissolves fats and aids digestion.

What is Tea Processing?

Processing tea is generally considered the art of tea. It is where many of the subtleties in taste, body, and overall character are created.
In its most basic form, it is taking the raw green leaves and deciding whether or not, and how much oxidation (or fermentation) should take place before drying them out. Tea leaves have enzymes in their veins. When the leaf is broken, bruised, or crushed, the enzymes are exposed to the air resulting in oxidation.
The amount of oxidation depends upon how much of the enzymes are exposed and for how long.

What is White Tea?

White tea is nothing more than the leaves of the camellia sinensis that have been processed a certain way. It is the least common of the four types of teas (white, green, oolong, and black).
White teas are the least processed of any tea and therefore taste the most like fresh leaves or grass. They also have the lowest amount of caffeine and most likely have the highest antioxidant properties.

How is White Tea processed?

First of all, white tea starts with just the tightly rolled buds of the White tea does not go through any oxidation at all.
In order to prevent oxidation, white teas are immediately fired or steamed after letting them wither (air dry) for a period of time. There is no rolling, breaking, or bruising of any kind.
The dried buds have a silver-like appearance because the tiny white hairs of new growth are still present. This is probably why the most popular white tea (at least in the US) is called Silver Needle.

What is Green Tea?

Green tea is nothing more than the leaves of the camellia sinensis that have been processed a certain way. It is one of the four types of teas (white, green, oolong, and black).
Green teas, like white teas, are closer to tasting like fresh leaves or grass than the black or oolong. They are also lower in caffeine and have higher antioxidant properties.

How is Green Tea processed?

The processing of green tea is similar to that of white tea in that it does not oxidize. After the leaves are plucked, they are (sometimes) laid out to wither for about 8 to 24 hours. This lets most of the water evaporate.
Then, in order to neutralize the enzymes thus preventing oxidation, the leaves are steamed or pan fried.
Next the leaves are rolled up in various ways and tightness. After that, a final drying takes place. Since no oxidation took place, the tea has more of a green appearance. From there, it goes off to be sorted, graded, and packaged.

What is Oolong Tea?

Oolong tea is nothing more than the leaves of the camellia sinensis that have been processed a certain way. It is one of the four types of teas (white, green, oolong, and black).
Oolong teas are the most difficult of the four types of teas to process. The best way to describe oolong tea is that they are somewhere in between green and black tea. This is because they are only partially oxidized during the processing.

How is Oolong Tea processed?

The processing of oolong tea requires only a partial oxidation of the leaves. After the leaves are plucked, they are laid out to wither for about 8 to 24 hours. This lets most of the water evaporate.
Then the leaves are tossed in baskets in order to bruise the edges of the leaves. This bruising only causes the leaves to partially oxidize because only a portion of the enzymes are exposed to air.
Next, the leaves steamed in order to neutralize the enzymes and stop any oxidation. Oolong tea can have varying degrees of oxidation. Some are closer to black teas, and some are closer to green.

What is Black Tea?

Black tea is nothing more than the leaves of the camellia sinensis that have been processed a certain way. It is one of the four types of teas (white, green, oolong, and black).
Black teas are the most consumed of the four types of teas. They are the highest in caffeine, but still have antioxidant properties, just not quite as much as others.

How is Black Tea processed?

The processing of black tea requires a full oxidation of the leaves. After the leaves are plucked, they are laid out to wither for about 8 to 24 hours. This lets most of the water evaporate.
Then the leaves are rolled in order to crack up the surface so that oxygen will react with the enzymes and begin the oxidation process. The leaves are left to completely oxidize, thus turning the leaves to a deep black color.
After that, a final drying takes place. From there, it goes off to be sorted, graded, and packaged.

What is the difference between Arabica and Robusta?

Arabica
This is the first type of coffee bean known to the mankind. Arabica is more valuable since it’s more aromatic, less spicy and has less caffeine. The Arabica bean is larger than of Robusta. It has more stretched shape and curved cut. Arabica beans ripen during 9-11 months. On the world market, share of Arabica is about 60% and the main producers are Brazil, Columbia and Central America.
Robusta
Robusta contains twice as much caffeine and less aromatic oils. This type of bean is more stable to high temperatures, diseases and parasites. It has a round shape and straight cut.  Robusta beans ripen in  6-8 months. Share of Robusta is about 40% and the main producers are Central and Western Africa, South-West Asia and Brazil.