What are the different types of teas?
Contrary to what most people think, all tea comes from the same plant, Camelia Sinensis, the tea bush. The differences in teas are the levels of processing of each type of tea.
There are four basic types of tea classifications, black tea, green tea, oolong tea, and white tea. Each of these teas comes from the Camelia Sinesis tea plant or tea bush. They are however, processed differently to reach their desired state.
Teas are processed in four basic steps, withering, rolling, fermenting, and firing. The tea leaves are first picked and spread out to wither. Once the leaves have withered, they are rolled, then spread out to ferment, or oxidize. The fermentation step is where tea leaves are treated differently to develop the desired result. The degree of fermentation generally determines the basic type of tea. Once the tea leaves are fermented to their desired state, they are fired, or dried. This firing process stops the fermentation of the leaves and offers the desired result of color and flavor.
* Black Tea - the most fully fermented tea. The leaves are completely fermented to a black color.
* Green Tea - essentially the opposite fermentation process of black tea. The leaves are non-fermented and dried just after they are rolled. The leaves still have a green color since oxidation of the leaves is minimal.
* Oolong Tea - sometimes called semi-fermented because they are fermented in a state between a black tea and a green tea, or half-way fermented. Oolong teas tend to be delicate teas that can be green in color to a slightly darker color.
* White Tea - the tea bud is picked before it actually opens and the bud is allowed to dry. White tea produces a very delicate flavor with a very slight coloring.
What about herbal tea?
Herbal teas are not technically classified as a tea because they are not produced from tea leaves. Instead, herbal teas are made from roots, bark, flowers, etc. and combinations of these. Since herbal teas are not produced from the tea plant, they are naturally caffeine-free.
There are variations of herbal teas including flavored herbal teas and rooibos herbal teas. Rooibos tea, sometimes called Ted tea, is quickly growing in popularity here in the U.S.. Rooibos teas come from South Africa and produce a reddish color. Many rooibos teas contain flavorings.
What about flavored teas?
Flavored teas are simply teas with added flavorings. The flavorings can be natural, artificial, or a combination of both. The most common type of flavored tea is flavored black tea, but flavored green teas are growing in popularity. Herbal teas, especially rooibos herbal teas are quickly gaining popularity for their flavored versions.
What makes tea a healthy beverage?
Over the past decade, many health studies have shown that foods and beverages containing anti-oxidants contribute to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The primary anti-oxidant in tea is called tannin. When teas were first being recognized for their health benefits, research focused on green teas. Recent studies have also discovered many health benefits from all teas, green, black, oolong, and white teas.
How much caffeine does tea contain?
The four basic types of teas contain differing levels of caffeine, but they all contain significantly less caffeine than coffee. Many people that drink coffee and develop adverse effects from caffeine switch to tea. A person that becomes very intolerant of caffeine should consider switching to herbal tea, which is naturally caffeine-free.
Standard Levels of caffeine
* Coffee - 80 mg
* Black Tea - 40 mg
* Oolong Tea - 30 mg
* Green Tea - 20 mg
* White Tea - 15 mg
* Decaf Tea - 5 mg
* Herbal Tea - 0 mg
Is loose leaf tea better than tea bags?
In the past, the tea used in tea bags was typically considered to be of lower quality tea. In today's world, gourmet tea used in tea bags is of much higher quality and tends to equal the quality of loose leaf tea. To purchase good tea, choose a gourmet tea merchant over typical grocery store tea from mass-produced manufacturers.
How much loose leaf tea should I use?
When using loose leaf tea, we generally recommend using 1 teaspoon of tea leaves for 1 cup of water. This standard would be for most typical black teas. Many teas, especially herbal teas and some green teas tend to weight much less and consume much more volume per the same weight of black teas. When using these lighter teas, you should add more tea, about double the amount.
How long should my tea steep?
Whether using loose leaf tea or tea bags, we offer these guidelines for steeping times:
* Black Tea - 5 minutes
* Green Tea - 3 minutes
* Oolong Tea - 3 minutes
* White Tea - 7 minutes
A good rule of thumb is to use a lower water temperature for lighter teas. Green tea, oolong tea, and white tea shoud be steeped with cooler water (180 degrees) than black tea (210 degrees). Oversteeping tea also tends to make the tea bitter.
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