Tea

A little bit on tea

Green and black tea is made from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis and Camellia Assamica or their hybrids. The difference results from different procedures that follow the picking of the tea leaves.

Teine and caffeine are the same substance, but they affect us differently. The caffeine (teine) in tea works slower but its effects are longer lasting.

     WHITE TEA

White tea is harvested only a few days each spring. Very important is the selection of the leaves: only the youngest leaves, still covered with silky white hair are plucked. After the picking only two steps follow: the steaming and the drying. White teas are known for their pale color and mild flavor. They contain the highest amount of antioxidants and the lowest amount of teine.

back to the top

   GREEN TEA

The plucked green leaves are first spread out in the hot air to wither, until they become soft and pliable. To prevent them from oxidizing they are pan-fried in woks. The next step is rolling; leaves become curly, balled or twisted. This also affects the release of natural substances during the steaming. Afterwards the leaves are dried by firing (they are moved trough hot air chambers), whereby the leaves and flavors are stabilized. Because they were not allowed to oxidize (ferment) fully the tea leaves remain green.

back to the top

    OOLONG TEA

Oolong means “black dragon” in Chinese. Oolong teas are made from larger and more mature leaves. The process again starts with spreading the leaves out in the sun to wither. The leaves are then put into bamboo baskets and shaken. The shaking damages the leaf edges and those edges then turn red during the oxidation, while the rest of the leaf remains green. The leafs are spread out to dry once more before fermentation.  The fermentation process is at some point stopped by pan-firing (when the desired amount of fermentation is reached, usually after some 4 or 5 hours).

Oolong teas are placed between green and black teas and have characteristics of both; they have more color and stronger flavor then the green teas, but are softer and lighter then the black teas.

back to the top

   BLACK TEA

After the picking the leafs are placed in a room to wither for about 12 to 18 hours. When they become soft they are rolled, which breaks the leafs. They are then spread out and the oxidation process begins. The fermentation process stops when the proper aroma, flavor and color are fully developed. Finally the leaves are sorted by size. The steeping time increases with the size of the leafs.

back to the top

   TYPE OF LEAVES

P = Pekoe = basic quality, short leaves

OP = Orange Pekoe= large, thin leaves

FOP= Flowery Orange Pekoe= contains more tips (not yet fully opened leaves) then OP

back to the top

    THE SIZE OF LEAFS

OPF = Orange Pekoe Fannings = small size

BOP = Broken Orange Pekoe= larger size

OP= Orange Pekoe= full-leaved,  largest leaf grade

back to the top

    THE AMOUNT OF FINEST LEAVES

GFOP= Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe= very young tips that have been picked early in the season

TGFOP= Tippy Golden FOP= larger amount of golden tips then GFOP

FTGFOP= Finest TGFOP= very high quality TGFOP

back to the top

      LIST OF SOME TEAS 

Pai Mu Tan (also known as White Peony): white tea from Fujian province in China. Only the gentle young tips are picked in April. It is a high quality tea, delicate and gentle in flavor and light yellow in color. Only true tea lovers can really appreciate it.

Steeping time: 1.5 – 2 minutes Brewing temperature: 70˚C Recommended quantity: 15g/l

Bancha: green tea from Japan, late harvest. It is a tea with larger leafs and contains less caffeine. It has a mellow sweet flavor and light golden color.

Steeping time: 1 – 1.5 minutes

Brewing temperature: 60˚ – 70˚C

Recommended quantity: 15g/l

China Gunpowder: Dark green tea leafs are rolled into balls; this way  the tea remains fresh for a longer time period. It has a strong flavor and works as a stimulant.

Steeping time: 2 – 2.5 minutes

Brewing temperature: 70˚ - 80˚C

Recommended quantity: 15g/l

Lung Ching: Long dark green leaves. It has a sweet and delicate flavor and jade color.

Steeping time: 1.5 – 2 minutes

Brewing temperature: 70˚ - 80˚C

Recommended quantity: 15g/l

Formosa: Oolong tea from Taiwan with a very special aroma, Long dark leaves and bitter, sometimes sweet flavor and has a fuller aroma.

Steeping time: 3 – 5 minutes

Brewing temperature: 70˚C

Recommended quantity: 15g/l

Ceylon: black and green tea from Sri Lanka. Grows in the altitude from 650 to 2000 meters. Higher grounds usually give higher quality Ceylon. Gentle flavor

Steeping time: 3 – 4 minutes Brewing temperature: 95˚ - 100˚C Recommended quantity: 15g/l

Assam: black tea from Assam province in northeast India. The finest Assam teas are obtained from 2^nd harvest (June/July). Assam has a strong flavor and dark color. It is known as the strongest black tea.

Steeping time: 3 – 5 minutes Brewing temperature: 95˚ - 100˚C Recommended quantity: 15g/l

Darjeeling: Black tea from Darjeeling province in northeast of India.  It has a mild and flowery aroma. First flush (spring harvest) darjeeling has a very light color and aroma, the second flush (summer harvest) is a bit stronger.

Steeping time: 3 – 5 minutes

Brewing temperature: 100˚C

Recommended quantity: 15g/l

back to the top