White tea, green tea, yellow tea, oolong, black tea, and pu'erh
plus scented teas and tisanes (herbals) including rooibos, and yerba mate Many of the teas you will purchase are actually blends from many different growers, rather than single estate teas. The blends may include teas from several gardens or regions or occasionally even different countries. Blending is intended to ensure that the flavor of your tea will be the same each time you buy it even if there are seasonal or regional changes due to a weather or production issue. A blend could include 15 - 35 different teas. (Pettigrew) White tea is the least processed of all of the teas. White teas are produced in small amounts in China and Sri Lanka, and more recently in India. Harvesting from the tea bushes occurs before the tea leaves open. The buds of the tea leaves can look silvery and have a soft fur on them. The leaves are allowed to wither and then they are dried, sometimes in circulated warm air and other times in the sun. Some oxidation does occur during this withering process. The tea liquor is a pale straw color. Chinese white tea, from the Fujian region, is the most valued white tea on the market. Called Yin Zhen or "Silveer Needle" it is harvest only once per year over a period of two days. If winds or rain interrupt the picking, the harvest is canceled for the year. White tea is the most expensive and rarest of Chinese tea. There are white teas now being grown in India at the Poobong Estate in Darjeeling which use no chemicals in their production. Green tea, the oldest form of tea, is an unoxidized tea. It is the most popular tea in China and it is the only type of tea produced in Japan. Chinese greens tend to be mellower than the grassy Japanese greens. Green tea is also produced in Taiwan, Korea, and India. In total, green tea makes up only 20% of the world's tea production. (Perry) According to a study at the University of Kansas, the major polyphenol in green tea, ECGC, is 20 times more powerful an antioxidant than Vitamin E and 200 times more powerful than Vitamin C. It is thought that these properties of green tea may help in lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. (Pruess) Producing Green Tea As soon as a leaf is picked, enzymes within the leaf begin a process of oxidation (the process which turns the leaves brown.) To make green tea, this oxidation must be halted through steaming or roasting the fresh leaves to kill the enzymes. (Japanese tea producers and a few Chinese producers steam the leaves. Most other Chinese producers roast the tea.) The leaves must remain in constant motion over heat so they do not blacken. The leaves are then taken to a tea-rolling table where they cool and are rolled in a worker's palms to extract moisture and to twist the leaves. A worker may roll one tray of tea more than 200 times to achieve the final tea. (Perry) (A few producers roll by machine, but most still roll by hand.) The roasting and rolling process is repeated several times until the moisture had been eliminated. In the final drying process the leaves are shaped into their final form. The leaves are then roasted for at least one hour. The tea is a dull green, although Japenese greens may be more vivid than Chinese greens. The leaves are sorted and graded and the dust is sieved out. All green tea except matcha is sold as whole leaf. Grading Japanese Green Tea There are four types of green tea: kuko-cha, bancha, sencha, and gyokuro. Kuko-Cha or "stem tea" (aka Kukecha, Kukicha, or Twig Tea) is the last flush of Japanese green tea, meaning it is the last fresh growth of the season. It has a woody, nutty flavor, but may be harsh and astringent. Bancha is ordinary green, harvested late in the summer. It is coarse in flavor and in appearance. It is harvested from the 3rd or 4th flush of the season. Sencha, meaning "precious dew," is the next highest grade. Sencha teas may be from the 1st or 2nd flush. This is the most popular tea in Japan. It is a grassy scented green tea with a pale color. The bud and first leaf are harvested once per year for sencha. Gyokuro, meaning "pearl dew," is the most valued. It brews to a pale green or yellow liquor and the flavor is clean and brisk. The buds are shielded by canvas (or bamboo or reed) for the last 3 weeks before harvest to increase chlorophyll production (and, therefore, green color.) Green tea can be further graded as such: ◦ Extra Choicest ◦ Choicest ◦ Finest ◦ Fine ◦ Good Medium ◦ Good Common ◦ Common Grading Chinese Green Teas There are three main types of Chinese greens based on their place of origin: Hoochows, Pingsueys, and Country Greens (those not from Hoochow or Pingsuey). The teas are then graded based on the age of the leaf, preparation style and leaf shape:
The better quality Chinese teas are flat leaf Dragonwell teas. The lower quality teas are rolled into gunpowder. Yellow tea is unoxidized. The tea is fired at very high temperatures then wrapped in a special yellow paper in which the leaves dry for several hours. This process is repeated until the tea leaves become light yellow. The resulting tea has a less "grassy" flavor than greens. The liquor is pale yellow. Yellow tea is processed in very small batches so it is time and labor intensive to make. It is becoming much more rare as a result. Oolong tea has characteristics that are between black tea and green tea as it is semi-oxidized. This means that the enzymes are allowed to break down the tea, but only partially. The oxidation is halted much earlier than during the production of black tea. Oolong generally originates from China or from Taiwan. Taiwanese oolong will be labeled as "Formosa Oolong." It is sometimes called "brown tea." The word "Oolong" is Chinese for "black dragon." Pouchong is very lightly oxidized, less than a typical oolong. It has qualities that make it more similar to green teas. It originally was produced in the Fujian province of China but is now mostly produced in Taiwan. It is a light and flowery tea that is frequently used as the base for jasmine and other scented teas. Producing Oolong Tea Tea leaves intended for oolong must be processed immediately after harvest. The leaves are placed in the sun and shaken in bamboo baskets so that the edges of the leaves will bruise. The leaves are then dried and shaken again. The process is repeated until they are approximately 12 - 20% oxidized and are yellowish with red edges. This takes 1 1/2 - 2 hours. They are then fired to halt oxidation. The leaves remain long and whole. Formosa oolongs are oxidized much more, 60 - 70%. This yields a blacker tea than Chinese oolong. The liquor will be quite dark compared to the orangy-brown Chinese brew. (Pettigrew) Oolong has its own categorizations based on quality of the tea. The grade reflects the character of the leaf, the time of year it is picked, and which part of the leaf was picked. The best Formosa Oolongs are generally harvested in the summer while winter harvests generally only yield Good to Standard teas. • Choice (or Fanciest or Extra Fancy) • Finest (or Fancy) to Choice • Finest • Fine to Finest • Superior to Fine • Superior Up • Fully Superior • Superior • On Superior • Good to Superior • Good Up • Fully Good • Good • On Good • Standard (or Common) Black tea is the fully oxidized form of tea. It is rich and full bodied. Producing Black Tea Tea leaves are harvested and placed on bamboo trays or in troughs or baskets where they will wither in the sun (or in the shade for finer varieties). They are tossed by hand to bruise the leaves, encouraging the release of enzymes that brown (oxidize) the leaves. The leaves are then roasted and rolled using the "Cut Tear Curl (CTC)" method or the traditional/orthodox method. The "Cut Tear Curl (CTC) method" is performed by a machine, creating small pellet-like pieces of leaf primarily used for tea bags. The traditional/orthodox method is performed by hand or by orthodox rolling machines and yields much larger leaf pieces. The traditional method is common in China, Taiwan, and some of India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. The leaves are then spread out to oxidize, turning from green to coppery red, over a period of 10 - 20 minutes. The final step in producing black tea is a roasting by funneling hot air from a charcoal fire up through the leaves which are in a sieve. The enzymes are killed so decomposition stops and the tea develops its classic blackened color. (Moxham, Pettigrew) The finished black tea leaves will contain just 2 - 3% moisture content. (Pettigrew) Grading Black Tea Black teas are graded by the size of the leaf. Its grade does not reflect the quality of the tea. Actually, because the grade is by size alone, the same batch of tea from the same estate may have produce multiple grades of tea. When purchasing tea, you will sometimes see the grade of the leaf documented by its abbreviation after the name of the tea. Whole leaf grades, from largest leaf to smallest (Pettigrew): • Flowery Orange Pekoe (FOP) - end bud and 1st leaf • Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (GFOP) - golden tips and very end of golden yellow buds • Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (TGFOP) - large golden tips. Finest TGFOP and Special Finest TGFOP may be used to designate the highest quality leaves of this grade. • Orange Pekoe (OP) - long, pointed leaves harvested when end buds open • Pekoe - shorter than OP • Flowery Pekoe - leaves are rolled into balls • Pekoe Souchong - large leaves rolled lengthwise to make coarse, ragged pieces Broken leaf grades, from largest to smallest (Pettigrew): • Golden Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe (GFBOP) • Golden Broken Orange Pekoe (GBOP) • Tippy Golden Broken Orange Pekoe (TGBOP) • Tippy Golden Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe (TGFBOP) • Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe (FBOP) • Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP) • Broken Pekoe (BP) • Broken Pekoe Souchong (BP Souchong) • Fannings/Fines/Dust – finest siftings; used in tea bag blends because they brew quickly • Pekoe dust or fine broken tea Grading for fannings/dust (Pettigrew): • Orange Fannings • Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings • Pekoe Fannings • Broken Pekoe Fannings • Pekoe Dust • Red Dust • Fine Dust • Golden Dust • Super Red Dust • Super Fine Dust • Broken Mixed Fannings
UNDER CONSTRUCTION. Please be patient.
In the final stage of processing, flavors can be added to the tea by layering in flowers, mixing in essential oils, or adding dried fruits, spices, or other flavorants. For jasmine tea, whole jasmine blossoms may be added. Rose petals and orange blossoms are other frequently added flowers. Scented teas can be made with green tea, black, oolong, or pouchong. The flowers are placed beside or mixed in with the tea. The process is repeated until the tea absorbs the aroma and flavor. Chai tea is a very popular Indian tea which combines black tea with spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, and black pepper. Many households have their own blends. The tea is traditionally steeped in milk and sweetened with honey. In order to be called tea the blend must include leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis. Therefore, there really can be no such thing as an "herbal tea." I prefer to use the term "tisane" or "infusion." Tisanes can be made using flowers, leaves, fruit, spices, or essential oils. Commonly used flowers include chamomile, chrysanthemum, hibiscus, jasmine, lavender, orange blossoms, rose, and lichee blossoms. Popular leaves are basil, bay, dandelion, marjoram, peppermint, raspberry, spearmint, and thyme. Europeans prefer tisanes to black tea. Chamomile is most popular in Italy. Rose hip tea is a popular Finnish beverage. "Mountain tea" prevails in Greece. It is a blend of sage, lime flowers, and other herbs, served with honey and lemon. Apple, lime, and mint teas are French favorites. (Israel) Yerba Maté (also called Paraguay tea, Brazilian Tea, or Jesuit Tea) is an infusion that is found in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina. It is gaining popularity here in the US as well. Maté is made from a wild bush called Ilex paraguayensis that looks like holly. The leaves are ground and powdered. It is high in caffeine and sometimes flavored with lemon or orange zest. It is consumed through a metal straw with a strainer from a bottle-shaped gourd. (Ukers) Rooibos (pronounced "roy-boss") is only grown in the Western Cape, a province in southwest South Africa. It is made from Aspalathus linearis, a member of the legume family. In South Africa it is consumed with milk and sugar but in the US is often drunk plain. It has a naturally sweet flavor and is caffeine free. Israel, Andrea - Taking Tea: The Essential Guide to Brewing, Serving, and Entertaining with Teas from Around the World - 1987 - Weidenfeld & Nicolson: New York, NY Melican, Nigel - "Monitoring in Tea Production" - Tea & Coffee Trade Journal - Vol. 172, No. 11 - Nov./Dec. 2000 Perry, Sara – The New Tea Book: A Guide to Black, Green, Herbal, and Chai Tea – 2001 – Chronicle Books: San Francisco, CA Pettigrew, Jane – The Tea Companion: A Connoisseur’s Guide – 1997 – MacMillan: New York, NY Pruess, Joanna with John Harney – Eat Tea: A New Approach to Flavoring Contemporary and Traditional Dishes – 2001 – Globe Popular Press: Guilford, CT Tea Talk - www.teatalk.com T Ching - www.tching.com Ukers, William H. – The Romance of Tea: An Outline History of Tea and Tea-Drinking through Sixteen Hundred Years – 1936 – Alfred A. Knopf: New York, NY KAM, Copyright 2007 Last update January 2010 |
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Types of Tea |