Specialty Tea Info

Did You Know... Tea

Home Brewing
Each variety of tea has a different method of brewing preparation.

All Purpose
FOR HOT TEA:
1. Use a teapot.
2. Start with fresh-drawn cold water and bring to a rolling boil. (NOTE: If your water is heavily chlorinated or contains other objectionable odors, filter before boiling for best tasting tea).
3. Use one teaspoon or one tea bag per cup; pour boiling water over the tea.
4. Brew by the clock -- 3 to 5 minutes and serve! For the best flavor, preheat the teapot with a little hot water prior to use and cover your teapot with a cozy to retain heat during the brewing process.

FOR ICED TEA: For small quantities, proceed as for hot tea and pour over ice. For large quantities, prepare a concentrate as follows: Concentrate: Bring one quart of cold water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add 8-10 tsp./teabags per quart of brewed tea desired. Steep 5 minutes or desired strength and pour over remaining cold water or ice cubes. [A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water.]

Tea Types...
All tea comes from the Camellia sinensis bush, a warm-weather evergreen, which in the wild can grow 90 feet and higher. In the past, in some countries, monkeys were trained to pick the tea leaves and toss them to the ground. Today the Camellia Sinensis bush is grown as an important plantation crop and is kept to a height of three feet for easy cultivation. Fresh leaves of the tea plant are processed and their level of contact with oxygen determine resulting types of tea. The oxidation process is also known as fermentation. During oxidation, tea leaves undergo natural chemical reactions that result in distinctive color and taste characteristics.
Over 3000 varieties of tea are available and depending on the time of day and personal preferences, there is a blend to suit everyone's taste.

The main tea types include: Black tea, Oolong tea, Green tea, White tea.

Black Tea: Black tea is made from leaves that have been fully oxidized, the leaf is spread out and left to wilt naturally, before being fired, producing a hearty deep rich flavour in a colored amber brew. It is the oxidation process, oxygen coming into contact with the enzymes in the tea leaf, that distinguishes black teas from green teas. The oxidation process is also known as fermentation.

Green Tea: Green tea is not oxidized. It is withered, immediately steamed or heated to prevent oxidation and then rolled and dried. It is characterized by a delicate taste, light green color and is very refreshing.

Oolong Tea: (semi-fermented) Oolong tea is gently rolled after picking and allowed to partially ferment, only until the edges of the leafs start to turn brown. After the tea has developed properly the oxidation is stopped by being fired, a process called 'panning'. Oolong refers to partly oxidized leaves, combining the taste and color qualities of black and green tea. Oolong literally translates as "Black Dragon" and usually served in Chinese Restaurants. Oolong teas are consumed without milk or sugar and are extremely flavorful and highly aromatic.

White Tea: White Tea is the rarest and most delicate of tea. Plucked forty-eight hours or less between the time the first buds become fully mature and the time they open, they are covered with silky white hairs. Unlike black and green teas, white tea isn't rolled or steamed, but simply aired dried in natural sunlight, "this preserves more of its antioxidant properties" - about three times as many antioxidant polyphenois as the green tea and the least amount of caffeine.

White tea leaves are bigger, lighter and more delicate than that of Black, Oolong and Green Tea, therefore you should use more leaves per cup than with other teas.

Flavored Gourmet Teas: Flavored teas are real teas (Camellia Sinensis), blended with fruit, fruit peel or flavored with the natural oil, essence, spices or herbs, such as Earl Grey Tea , Berry Twisted, Chocolate Shake

Chai Teas: Chai tea is basically a black tea brewed with selected spices and milk. Blending different ingredients changes flavors and brewing methods may vary. Chai teas Masala Chai Tea or Xocatlatl Chai Tea,

Scented Teas: Scented teas are teas that have been scented by flowers such as jasmine tea , lychee tea. Layers of blossoms are spread between layers of tea. This is done reapetedly with fresh blossoms until desired flavor. The blossoms or petals are sometimes used to decorate the tea.and

Herbal Teas or Tisanes: Herbal Tea infusions or tisanes such as Chamomile Tea or Spearmint Tea do not contain any real tea leaf. The term " herbal tea " is somewhat of a misnomer, since these products are not really tea at all. Herbal Tea beverages or infusions can be derived from a single ingredient or a blend of flowers, herbs, spices, fruits, berries and other plants. Herbal teas have soothing, uplifting and medicinal qualities.

Rooibos Tea (ROY-boss") (also known as Red Bush Tea)
Rooibos Tea is an herb that is rich in Vitamins and minerals including Antioxidants, Flavanoids, Vitamin C. NO Caffeine! Very Low Tannins! No oxalic acid!
100% Natural - no colorants or preservatives.

Organic Teas: Organic teas are becoming a healthy choice for many consumers. To be recognized as "organic Tea", it takes years for a tea estate to become even considered for certification. Usually after organic tea certification the yields of crop drop, but the estate is compensated for the higher price.

Flower Scented Teas: Scented teas were developed by the tea masters of China using a purely natural technique of infusing the essential aroma of fresh picked flowers into tealeaves. This artisan process dates back many centuries and involves only the careful mixing, curing and drying of tea with fresh flowers. No perfumes or added flavors are used to make traditional flower scented teas. The properly crafted tea is infused with the natural and pure essence of aromatic flowers. After the final scenting the dried flowers are picked out of the tea leaving only a small percentage of flowers in finest grades of the finished tea. Flower teas are typically scented between 3-5 times before they are finished and packed. Flowers used for scenting teas include but are not limited to jasmine, osthmanthus, wild rose, orchid, lotus, magnolia and various citrus blossoms.

Grades of Tea...
PEKOE - Leaves of similar size from the same branch
TGFOP - (Tippy golden flowery orange pekoe) highest grade Usually full leaf tea from India: Darjeeling and Assam. Golden refers to light colored buds.
ORANGE PEKOE (OP) - Leaves are long, thin and rolled lengthwise. Generally higher quality than pekoe leaves
FANNINGS - very small, broken leaves slightly larger than dust
DUST - the smallest broken leaves after all manufacturing processes are finished. LOOSE TEA - Generally refers to whole leaves
PROCESSED TEA - refers to leaves that have been sieved to sort leaves to uniform sizes.
SOUCHONG - grading refers to large, intact leaves, curled up at edges, twisted lengthwise.
BROKEN GRADES - refers to teas that have been mechanically crushed. Generally used for tea bags or flavored/scented tea

Orange Pekoe is grade. Interestingly, the term Orange Pekoe has little to do with quality as it is a size grading term. Orange Pekoe in true tea jargon stands for whole leaf. When you pour boiling water on this tea you will see how the leaf uncurls and expands quite dramatically, a process called "the agony of the leaf".

About Green Tea...
Green and black tea come from the same plant. Green tea is steamed and then dried after plucking and retains a lighter color and flavor. Black tea is allowed to wither and ferment before drying, resulting in a darker leaf color and a more pronounced flavor and aroma.

Green tea is not allowed to go through fermentation process, (fermentation causes tea to turn black during the drying process) but it is steamed before drying. This is the primary difference between green and black teas. Green teas tend to have a light body. Some green teas however, can be quite pungent with a surprising amount of body to the cup.

Caffeine In Tea...
Tea contains 2 to 3 times less caffeine than coffee. According to the Food Guide Facts, a component of Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating, moderate daily intake of up to 400 to 450 mg of caffeine is within the recommended limit for most people. This represents an average of 10 to 12 cups of tea per day.

Caffeine levels may vary depending on the type of tea (origins, growing conditions, etc.) or brewing time.

Green tea is generally thought to contain less caffeine per cup than black tea, this is only true if it is brewed in the traditional green tea (170°F to 180°F) method because more caffeine is released with higher water temperature ( black tea 200°F and 212°F). Since green and black tea come from the same plant - Camellia sinensis, the amounts of caffeine levels are virtually the same. But some say, the more oxidized (or fermented ) the tea, the more caffeine it contains.

Traditional brewing of green tea at 180'F for 2 to 3 minutes yields about 15 - 25 milligrams of caffeine per 6 ounce cup.

Several decaffeinated tea blends are available for caffeine-sensitive individuals. Decaffeinated teas provide comparable antioxidants.

Approximately 80% of caffeine can be removed from regular tea by pouring hot water over the leaves.
Caffeine in tea is released during the first 30-seconds of steeping, therefore to remove most of the caffeine from any tea. Pour boiling water over the tea leaves or teabags. Allow to steep for 30 seconds. Pour out the brew, saving the steeped leaves or teabag. Re-steep the same leaves or teabag with more boiling water for the recommended steeping times.

Antioxidants In Tea....
click to enlarge
A growing body of research indicates that the tannins in tea are naturally-occurring flavonoids which have strong antioxidant properties. Drinking tea is a natural and pleasant way to increase dietary intake of antioxidants. There is mounting evidence that suggests that antioxidant-rich foods may play a role in reducing the risk of certain cancers, heart disease and stroke.

Researchers indicated that black and green tea have comparable health benefits and that adding milk to tea, does not inhibit the body's ability to benefit from the antioxidants in brewed tea.

About three times as many antioxidant polyphenois is found in white tea then green tea. White tea is simply dried in natural sunlight, "this preserves more of its antioxidant properties"
Drinking white tea besides being more beneficial is that the pale amber liquid is a lot more palatable than green tea and doesn't have the same cabbagy smell.

Recent research exploring the potential health attributes of tea is leading many scientists to agree that tea, both black and green, may contribute positively to a healthy lifestyle. "Fruits, vegetables, and tea all contain important antioxidants. Research suggests these phytonutrients may contribute substantially to the promotion of health and the prevention of chronic disease. For example, recent research studies reveal the antioxidants in tea may inhibit the growth of cancer cells and support cardiovascular health," stated Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., F.A.C.N, Chief of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.

From The Atlanta Constitution -
July 1999 ASSOCIATED PRESS

Drinking at least 8 ounces of tea a day - whether hot or cold - appears to cut the risk of heart attack by 44 percent, a study suggests.

The beneficial results probably are due to the powerful amounts of natural substances in tea known as flavonoids, vitamin-like nutrients that make blood cells less prone to clotting.

Flavonoids are one of the most powerful antibodies. Flavonoids are also found in fruits and vegetables and red wine.

While several studies have suggested that drinking teas could be good for the heart, the latest findings indicate the most dramatic effect.

The study by Dr. Michael Gaziano, a heart specialist at the Harvard Medical School affiliate Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, was presented at a Royal Society of Medicine conference in London.

It examined 340 men and women who had heart attacks and matched them by age, sex and neighborhood with people who never had heart attacks. It then investigated their coffee and tea drinking habits over the year. .

The study involved regular tea from black tea leaves, as opposed to green or herbal teas. Scientists say black tea contains the most powerful flavonoids.

Other studies have shown that adding milk, sugar or lemon to the tea does not diminish the effect of the flavonoids.

The study did not compare the benefits of one cup vs. two, three or four.

Other Facts...
Water quality effects how a tea will taste. Spring water is recommended because of the Mineral content and lack of additives like chlorine and fluoride, which harm tea taste.

Why is tea sometimes bitter? A. Tea contains tannins and if a tea is allowed to steep too long, more of the tannins are released causing what some people say is a bitter taste. A dash of sugar can reduce this bitterness or alternatively add some milk, as this will reduce the pH level of the tea.

Natural, Calorie-Free
Tea is an all-natural beverage, containing no additives, no artificial flavorings or colors. When tea is enjoyed without milk or sugar it has no calories and it's a tasty way to increase fluid intake during the day.

Tea is also rich in various vitamins and helps smokers discharge nicotine from their systems. After "wining", strong tea may prove to be a sobering pick-me-up. However, this does not mean that the stronger the tea, the more advantages it will yield.

Delicate, malty, smoky, full bodied, woodsy, fruity & aromatic are all words used to describe tea taste

Withering, Firing, Oxidation, Grading/Sorting, and Packing are the four steps in manufacturing Tea

It has been proven that the consumption of tea may prevent disease and prolong life

Darjeeling Tea is called the champagne of teas and is grown in India's Himalayas

The cosmetic industry has recently discovered the benefits of white tea. In addition to its anticancer properties, tea has a calming and detoxifying effect on the skin. White tea is especially potent in that it is has three times as many antioxidant polyphenols as green or black tea and has been shown to be 100% more effective in mopping up free radicals that cause skin to sag. Some of the world's top cosmetic companies are becoming very interested in white tea for skin creams and the result is that high grade white tea is becoming even more rare than before

Afternoon Tea! In the early 19th century, afternoon tea as a social custom, was originated by Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford. The Duchess began inviting guests to join her for a cup of tea and some sweets and savories in the afternoon, in order to fill the long gap between breakfast and late dinners. The ritual caught on in England and North America and soon became an afternoon tradition that remains today. Modern afternoon tea at trendy tea salons and cafés feature a wide variety of quality teas and fine finger foods.

How fresh brewed iced tea was born! An Englishman named Richard Blechynden was unsuccessfully promoting tea at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. You see, the sweltering southern heat did little to attract patrons to hot tea, so Mr. Blechynden added ice cubes and the crowds loved the new brew. Ever since this fortuitous discovery, iced tea has continued to grow in popularity.

The Art of Tea
The art of tea emerges from an intimate relationship between human kind and nature. The creation of tea begins when the forces of the earth combine with that of the heavens to create the proper growing conditions for tealeaves. It is then human kind that connects to their natural environment to determine the ideal time at which to harvest the leaves. In ancient times, reputable astrologers and fortunetellers planned the tea harvest. Today, the skilled tea makers rely on their sensitivity to the forces of nature, such as anticipating the weather and the effects it will have on the creation of tea. This understanding allows for the accurate planning of the tea harvest and finishing process. Working with the elements of nature to reveal the complex characters of one special leaf is the foundation of the art of the tea maker. A cup of tea reflects the earth, the weather and the human element.

Each class of tea has a specific method of preparation. Our website provides a simple guide to preparing most teas. - click on More info. about this tea... when ever you see it. Please use these instructions as a starting point and keep in mind that tea is celebrated in many cultures throughout the world each with a unique method of tea preparation.

Tea Quotes...
"Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea." - Rev. Sydney Smith

"Meanwhile, let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle. Let us dream of evanescence, and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things." - from "Book of Tea" by Okakura Kakuzo

"Christopher Robin was home by this time, because it was the afternoon, and he was so glad to see them that they stayed there until very nearly tea-time, and then they had a Very Nearly tea, which is one you forget about afterwards, and hurried on to Pooh Corner, so as to see Eeyore before it was too late to have a Proper Tea with Owl." - from "The House at Pooh Corner" by A.A. Milne

"The first cup moistens my lips and throat. The second shatters my loneliness. The third causes the wrongs of life to fade gently from my recollection. The fourth purifies my soul. The fifth lifts me to the realms of the unwinking gods." - Chinese mystic Tang Dynasty

"No," he said, "look, it's very, very simple ... all I want ... is a cup of tea. You are going to make one for me. Keep quiet and listen." And he sat. He told the Nutri-Matic about India, he told it about China, he told it about Ceylon. He told it about broad leaves drying in the sun. He told it about silver teapots. He told it about summer afternoons on the lawn. He told it about putting in the milk before the tea so it wouldn't get scalded. He even told it (briefly) about the history of the East India Company. "So that's it, is it?" said the Nutri-Matic when he had finished. "Yes," said Arthur, "that is what I want." "You want the taste of dried leaves in boiled water?" "Er, yes. With milk." "Squirted out of a cow?" "Well, in a manner of speaking I suppose ..." - from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", by Douglas Adams.