What is Tea?‘TEA’ Defined The term “tea” is used to describe just about any drink made by combining hot water with leaves, flowers or roots, i.e. herbal “tea”, but true tea is made only from the leaves and buds of the Camellia sinensis bush, an evergreen shrub.
All tea originates from the same plant species, the Camellia sinensis. Although the Camellia assamica plant, native to India, was originally thought to be a distinct tea variety, botanists have concluded that these two plants actually both belong to the Camellia sinensis species. From the plant reproduction process of cross-pollinating, multitudes of varieties of tea plants have originated, each with unique growing characteristics and flavors. Teas are typically named by the region they come from, a legendary story about the tea itself, a literal Chinese translation, or a combination of these. Back to the Top How Tea is HarvestedToday, the majority of tea harvesting (plucking) is still done by hand. The uppermost section of the shoots of the tea plant, where the young, tender new leaves and buds are found, are plucked for making tea. The development of the new buds and leaves is called the flush. Thus the term first flush refers to the first development of buds and leaves, generally occurring in the Spring.
The grade of tea depends on the time of harvest (Springtime first flush generally being the best), what part of the tea plant is plucked, and the quality of the plucked leaves. For superior teas, the bud or the bud plus youngest leaf is plucked. For most good to average teas, the bud and top two leaves are gathered. And for average to below average grade teas, plucking may consist of the bud, top two leaves, and the older leaf below them, plus some of the twig. Back to the Top Tea Types Among the many famous varieties of loose leaf tea are the basic types, black, green, oolong, and white tea. The difference in the basic types is determined by the manufacturing process that each type undergoes. Back to the Top Green TeaGreen tea leaves are dried immediately after the leaves are picked to prevent the oxidation process and seal in much of the flavorful essential oils. The leaves are either pan-fried, roasted or steamed, which also makes the leaves soft and pliable. They are then rolled by hand on heated trays to reduce their moisture content. For the final stage of green tea manufacturing, the freshly rolled leaves are dried in large mechanical dryers until only about 3% of their original moisture remains.
The resulting tea flavor depends greatly on where the leaves come from, and on how they are initially dried after being picked. In China, the leaves are rapidly pan-fired or roasted over wood or charcoal. In Japan, they are steamed for 20-50 seconds in large rotating cylinders. In India, they are rotated in heated cylinders for 7-10 minutes.
The beverage made from green tea leaves is clear light green to light golden brown in color, with a refreshing, slightly bitter, but smooth taste. Back to the Top Oolong Tea Oolong tea leaves are gently rolled after picking, preparing them for the oxidation process. In traditional oolong manufacturing, the leaves are spread three to four inches deep in large bamboo baskets and placed in direct sunlight for four to five hours. The baskets are shaken frequently to “bruise” the leaf edges, causing them to oxidize faster than the leaf centers. When the oxidation of the leaves is approximately half complete, they begin to give off their characteristic fragrance, often compared to apples, peaches, or orchids. The leaves are fired to prevent further oxidation, and then hand rolled into their final shape. Depending on the processing method used, the resulting tea leaves can range anywhere from green to black in color.
The beverage made from oolong tea leaves is bright and golden to reddish brown in color, with a smooth finish and lingering aftertaste. Back to the Top Black (Red) TeaBlack tea (or red tea, as it is known in China because of the golden red liquor it produces when steeped) follows all four of the steps of tea manufacturing. The leaves are first withered to remove moisture and to make them soft and pliable. The second step, rolling the leaf, readies it for its transformation in the oxidation stage. The rolled leaves are spread on cement or tile floors and tables in a cool, humid room. When they have reached the desired color and pungency, they are fired. Firing takes place in hot pans (similar to woks) or in large modern dryers where a constant temperature of 120°F can be maintained. The leaves turn black and lose all but three percent of their original moisture.
The beverage made from black tea leaves is a brilliant reddish color, with a distinctive mellow scent and smooth finish. Back to the Top White Tea Although white tea is similar in appearance to green tea, there are definite differences. White tea leaves are typically picked while the buds are tightly enclosed in new leaves. They are immediately fired after picking, and they are not rolled, a process which allows the release of essential oils from the leaf and promotes oxidation. Because they undergo little processing, the leaves often retain the silky white hairs that signified their new growth while on the plant. Because white tea is the least processed of all the teas, it comes the closest to tasting like the fresh pure tea leaves, with a much lighter flavor than that of green tea. Another effect of less processing is that white tea generally contains the least amount of caffeine of all the teas, ranging from 5-15mg per cup, as compared to an average 50mg per cup for other teas. White tea is a great alternative for those people who want the health benefits of green tea without the stronger green tea taste.
The beverage made from white tea leaves is a light green color, with a mild and delicate flavor. Back to the Top Flower Tea Though sometimes referred to as (scented) green tea, flower teas are technically scented oolongs because of the way the leaves are semi-oxidized with the flower blossoms to infuse the flower scent into the tea. Flower teas often contain the dried flowers used for scent infusion. Jasmine tea is one of the most famous of these teas.
To create fine jasmine tea, the leaves are plucked in April and May and stored until August when the finest night blooming white jasmine flowers are in bloom. The jasmine blossoms are picked in the morning when the tiny petals are tightly closed and kept cool until evening when they are mixed with the tea leaves. In the early evening, the blossoms open with a popping sound and as the tea leaves dry, they are infused with the sweet jasmine aroma. In the morning, the spent flowers are removed and fresh blossoms readied for the evening. This process is repeated a number of times, depending on the grade of tea desired. For top jasmine grades, the nightly infusion continues for twelve consecutive nights. Low grade jasmine tea is scented only once with jasmine petals and is typically packed with the flowers included. For the most standard grade of jasmine tea, the leaves are scented seven times. Back to the Top Pu’er Tea Pu’er is a type of black tea that can be kept for a long time, and does not lose its flavor with age. The glossy black or brownish red tea leaves are processed by fermenting them in piles. These piles are then compressed into a circular “cake” shape or brick shape. Pu’er is reputed to have many health properties such as aiding fat reduction and food digestion, preventing bacterial growth, dispelling the effects of alcohol, and relieving fever. It is recorded in the most famous Chinese medical book ‘Ben Cao Gang Mu’ that Pu’er tea “acts as a detoxifier, cleans the stomach and intestine, removes fat, and cures many kinds of diseases”. Because of this, Pu’er has been called many good things such as “Cosmetology Tea”, “Fat Reducing Tea”, “Longevity Tea”, etc.
The beverage has a sweet and mellow taste, and the fragrance wafts up from the cup to greet you. Back to the Top Tea Processing DefinitionsWitheringThis step is performed in order to remove moisture from the freshly plucked tea leaves. The leaves are spread uniformly on trays or racks in a cool room for 18-24 hours. Through evaporation, they lose from 1/3 to 1/2 of their weight and become soft and pliable. Green tea does not go through this process. RollingThe purpose of this step is to break apart the cells in the tea leaf to release the enzymes that will interact with air and promote oxidation of the leaf. OxidizingIn this step, the chemical structure of the leaf is changed (by oxidation), allowing the key flavor characteristics to emerge. The rolled leaves are spread out and carefully monitored for one to five hours until they achieve the desired color and pungency. Green tea does not go through this process. Drying or FiringThis is the step that prevents oxidation (green tea leaves) or stops further oxidation (oolong and black teas). The tea leaves are exposed to heat (by various methods) to destroy the enzymes that promote oxidation. It is also during this part of the process that leaves are rolled, shaped and styled. Back to the Top
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