Tea Categories

Tea comes from the Camellia Sinensis bush which is grown in over 30 countries around the world, typically between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. The three main tea categories, green, black and oolong, 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.

Green Tea
Green tea is picked and then quickly dried, either pan-fried, steamed or fired in an oven. The goodness of the leaf is sealed inside. Because the leaf is so delicate, the tea should be brewed in water that is well below boiling to prevent cooking the leaves and destroying the subtle notes of the tea. Green tea has a short life span - it doesn't stay fresh long. Given the high levels of polyphenols, it is believed to have the greatest amount of health benefits. Green tea leaves are not oxidized and thus have less caffeine than other types of tea.

For years, green tea was relegated in consumers' minds to the menus of Chinese and Japanese restaurants across the country. People looked at green tea as a highly specialized Asian beverage, not worthy of interest to the average American consumer. Then the media started shaking the tree. People's perceptions of green tea are changing. Consumers are paying attention to newspaper write-ups, magazine articles and television reports on the cancer-preventing agents of green tea. But green tea is much more than a healthy tonic. It is also a flavorful beverage that has delighted humans for 5,000 years. The majority of green teas (about 94 percent) are imported from China, with the remainder coming from Japan and Brazil. Green tea is the next big boom of tea consumption.

First, a basic definition. Green tea, like black and oolong teas, come from the Camellia Sinensis plant. The difference is that green tea is not withered or oxidized, whereas black and oolong teas are oxidized to various levels. This does not necessarily mean that green tea processing is simpler or less time-consuming than black tea processing. Top-grade Japanese green tea, for instance, go through seven different drying and rolling processes. Green tea come in a surprising variety of shapes and sizes - flat, rolled into sharp needles, formed into pellets, mixed with roasted rice or barley, powdered, or crinkled. The names given to green tea are usually based on their origin or appearance. Green tea is graded by very subjective means based on the cup quality of the teas and other factors. The first picked tea leaves and buds, usually in early April, are typically the most delicately flavored and expensive.

Oolong Tea
Oolong tea is gently rolled after picking allowing the essential oils to react with the air and slowly oxidize. This process turns the leaf darker with time and produces distinctive fragrances. When the leaf has reached the desired oxidation the leaf is heated, in a process called "panning," to stop the process. It is then rolled to form the tea into its final shape. The resulting tea can be anywhere between a green and a black, depending on the processing method. This tea is handcrafted, undergoing a labor-intensive process. The tea-maker must carefully balance many elements in the critical few hours after the leaf is picked including weather conditions, quality of the leaf, and the time the leaf oxidizes. The finest oolongs are often prepared and enjoyed Gongfu style to savor their complex tastes and fragrances.

Black Tea
Black tea or red tea as it's known in China, is the result of a complete oxidation of the leaf before being fired. First the leaf is spread out and left to wilt, losing some moisture, stiffness and much of its weight. Then it's rolled, exposing essential oils to the air and starting the oxidization process. When this is complete the leaf is heated to stop the process, graded for quality and packed. Black teas are full bodied and are able to withstand the addition of sweeteners and milk.

Other Tea Categories
White Tea
White tea is minimally processed - generally only air-dried. The highest quality white teas are picked before the leaf buds have opened, while still covered with silky white hairs. Of all teas, whites have the least amount of caffeine. These teas should be steeped in water well below boiling.

Pu-erh Tea
Pu-erh tea comes from Yunnan, China and Tibet. Pu-erh has been praised for generations for its flavor and health benefits. Pu-erh, however, is relative unknown in the U.S., and its strong, earthy flavor is often difficult for Westerners to appreciate.

It is processed according to an ancient technique that involves aging the leaves. This tea which begins as a green tea is not fully fired like other green teas. The stilt-moist leaves are instead, loosely stacked and allowed to age. During the aging process, the tea turns from a green color to a deep reddish earthy tone. This aging process is unique among teas. Most other teas cannot handle the aging process. Some prized Pu-erh teas can be 50 years old. Pu-erh tea is often formed into bricks. In ancient Chinese time, brick tea allowed tea to be transported easily in harsh conditions.

Their flavors can range from boldly fecund to much more subtle gradations of earthiness. Their strong flavors and heavy liquors appeal to coffee drinkers, who appreciate their robust character.

If you think tea is effeminate, you haven't tasted Pu-erh. People can brew this tea strong. To really go the authentic route, instead of using sweetener, try adding a pinch of salt. This is the preferred additive among Tibetans.

Herbal Tea
Hundreds of different herbs have been used in beverages. These are called herbal teas. Tea professionals and connoisseurs usually prefer to restrict the name "tea" to real tea - the leaves from a Camellia Sinensis plant. In the tea industry, herbal tea is often called:
A) Herbal infusion which simply means a drink made by steeping an herb in hot water.
B) Tisane (pronounced "tee-zahn") which in French means any herbal drink.

Some common herbs that are used as tisanes are peppermint, chamomile, rose hips, lemon verbena, and fennel. A number of companies specialize in producing herbal blends. Many tea companies also sell tisanes. Some exaggerated claims have been made for the medicinal properties of herbal infusions. Even so, some herbs do have generally recognized benefits. For instance, rose hips contain vitamin C; chamomile helps with relaxation; and peppermint has a noticeable soothing effect on the stomach. Herbs can also cause problems. Chamomile, for example, can cause allergic reactions in people who are allergic to ragweed. There are no absolutes in tea. Of the hundreds of millions of people around the world who savor tea on a daily basis, each interprets it slightly differently. Some love the flavor, some the ceremony, some the meditative state of mind it fosters.

Tea Blends
Some teas possess unique characteristics, which make them ideal for consumption in their pure state. Others offer an excellent balance of color, brightness and weight that yields a complex cup and an interesting or unique liquor. These teas, although not rare are certainly not common. In the tea trade they are referred to as self-drinkers. There are any number of teas which may have one or more positive characteristics, but come up short in other areas. These teas lend themselves to blending. The goal of tea blending is to achieve one of two outcomes. The first is to create a blend in which the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. This is a task which is not easily achieved. Often, what would appear to be an ideal marriage of two or more teas results in a cacophony of discordant notes or a pale and listless brew which is considerably less palatable than any of its parents. Thus, a truly exceptional blend is a relatively rare accomplishment. The second, much more common and generally more successful objective in blending is to create a tea with a particular flavor profile which can endure though frequent substitution of one component for another. This blending arises out of necessity as there are finite and sometimes very small quantities of certain teas available each year. Most medium to large tea concerns will blend to establish a flavor profile and then work with a wide variety of different teas to maintain that flavor. This enables the tea purveyor to maintain a consistent cup of tea from season to season, year to year.

This approach to blending may cover a wide variety of origins or may be confined to a small region within a given origin. For example, a small quantity of Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP) teas from each of several Darjeeling estates might be blended to produce a tea which is clearly a Darjeeling tea, but which cannot be identified as the produce of any one estate. Conversely, a tea purveyor might blend teas from China, India, Ceylon and Kenya from a large selection of estates and cooperatives to produce a distinctive flavor. Here the art of blending becomes a science. Tasters who have developed a vast sensory memory are employed to sample from an enormous array of teas, and then create constantly changing formulas which are consistent with the original flavor profile. One tea may be added for its color, another for its weight, and yet another for its brightness. As available supplies of one tea are consumed, one or more replacements are added to the melange, and others may drop out.

Flavored/Scented Tea
In addition to blending teas to achieve unique flavors, there is a long tradition of flavoring and scenting teas with other botanical components. As early as the fifth century, ginger, oranges, onions, and salt had all found their way into teas. By the 12th century, scenting with jasmine, rose, and other flowers had become popular. There are still many examples of teas which have been flavored botanically or scented with flowers in production today, jasmine being one of the most widely appreciated. Much more common today is the addition of naturally or synthetically produced flavoring oils to produce an intensely flavored tea of almost any profile. Passion fruit, mango, orange, vanilla, bergamot, and countless other flavors are sprayed on to dried tea leaves and then homogenized in some fashion. Flower petals may also be added for flavor or appearance. Imagination is the only limit to what flavors might show up on tea.

Another approach which is becoming more common today is the blending of green, oolong, or black teas with a wide variety of botanical components to produce not only unique new flavors, but a wide variety of colors in both dry blends and brewed liquors. Regardless of what approach one takes in tea blending, it is ultimately a matter of trial and error. The successful tea blender will have a good basic knowledge of the flavors inherent to his ingredients, plenty of time to experiment, and perhaps most importantly, the ability to make an objective judgment of the results.

Chai
Chai, the Indian word for tea, is identified in North America as a sweet, spicy brew often combined with milk and sweetener. The more authentic term in India is "Masala chai," as this is the actual Indian beverage. Traditionally, chai is made by adding a variety of spices, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, anise, peppercorn, ginger and fennel, to a black tea brew. The final stage of chai manufacture is to add the mixture to milk and then add a sweetener. In India, sugar is the preferred sweetener. U.S. manufacturers, however, usually use honey, sugar, fructose, or a combination of all three. Many U.S. companies also experiment with the base, using green tea or herbals rather than black tea, and they vary the spice levels depending on the desired flavor. Most opt for sweet over savory spices.

Organic Tea
Organic tea is grown without using any chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. As such, producers must develop more creative techniques of tea cultivation, such as finding natural methods of pest control that will protect the plant and the environment surrounding it. Organic tea must be certified by an independent certifying agency, and it takes three years of chemical-free production for a plantation to be considered. Organic tea, like most other organic foods, is a growing category as consumers continue to buy products that are better for the environment. Also, like other organic foods, the organic label is not a guarantee of quality; some organics taste great, some taste bland.

As organic foods continue to migrate from the aisles of health-food stores to the shelves of major grocery chains nationwide, organic tea has the opportunity to become a standard-bearer for the entire natural foods industry. Tea is already on the public's mind as a healthy, refreshing alternative to the beverages currently on the market. Now comes word that tea can be more than just good for you - it can be good for the environment. The recognition is helping spur both domestic tea manufacturers and tea growers in Asia to improve their environmental practices. Many growers already know that organic agriculture will improve the health of their land and their workers. But as they continue to watch the burgeoning market for organic tea in consuming countries, they are realizing they can satisfy demand on both sides of the globe. And that market is indeed growing.

Decaffeinated Tea
Decaffeinated tea is marketed to consumers who want to limit their caffeine intake. In the U.S., there are two primary methods of decaffeination: ethyl acetate and carbon dioxide. Both bond with the caffeine molecule and are fairly safe and effective. Most experts agree that all teas lose some aroma and flavor during decaffeination. Another method is to decaffeinate teas during the steeping process. Caffeine extracts from tea leaves very quickly. 75 - 80 percent of the caffeine is dissolved into the water in the first minute if you're using water just off the boil. So by pouring out the first infusion after the minute has elapsed and resteeping the tea, you will have a tea with very little caffeine.

(Cited from L'Amyx Inc.)