The hobby month is coming to an end. Actually, as a matter of fact, this morning @LilySensei prematurely killed January. But there’s still one more day left of it tomorrow. So, perhaps, there is time to discuss something else that might count as a hobby?
My kitchen cabinet is full of tea and some people claim I am a teaholic. I have several different types and flavours of tea. For different kinds of needs and moods.
The “genuine” types of tea are leaves from the same plant, the tea tree, processed in different ways. The botanical name for the plant is camellia sinensis. It originates from China, growing in there for thousands of years. The tradition of growing the tea bushes making a brew out of the leaves is hundreds of years old. Europe discovered the tea around 15th century when Portuguese started traveling to China. It took two more centuries to became the flagship drink of Britain. Tea has been in the center of many political events, one example being the Boston Tea Party.
There are two main varieties of the tea bush, one growing mainly in China and East Asia, known as camellia sinensis var. sinensis. It is characterized by mellow, mild taste. The other one is camellia sinensis var. assamica and most of it is cultivated in India. It has a more specific, bolder flavour.
The main differences between the teas come from differences in the oxidation process when processing the tea.
The most common type is black tea. It is this kind of tea that fills most space on the supermarket shelves. The characteristics are high caffeine in the brew (about ½ of the amount that the same amount of coffee would have), orange to dark brown colour and stronger taste, especially in the darker variety. The leaves are fully oxidized and lightly broken. Some blends of tea use the leaves chopped or ground into even finer pieces.
Black tea is produced mainly in China and India. Chinese teas are generally milder flavoured and have lighter hue. An example of a commonly known Chinese black tea is Golden Yunnan. It’s much lighter than Assam or Darjeeling, which come from India. These two are known for their sharp flavour, particularly Assam, and dark brown colour of the brew.
Oolong tea is partially oxidized, made exclusively in southeastern China and in Taiwan. Its traits are between black and green tea. The brew can be either green or dark amber, depending on the processing of the tea. Some Oolong teas are very traditional and can get really expensive.
Green tea is steamed or pan-fired right after harvest to halt the oxidation process, thus making it a very lightly oxidized tea. The brew is light green or yellow. Japanese teas, such as Sencha or Kukicha tend to be green, whereas Chinese teas, eg. Gunpowder, Chun Mee are shades of yellow. The variety in taste is surprisingly large, the steaming process causes the tea to taste somewhat similar to a herbal infusion, whereas the roasted version gets more rounded out.
Matcha is a powdered Japanese green tea made of plants that have been growing in shade for a good while before harvest, increasing the chlorophyll content in the leaves. The brew is emerald green and naturally high in caffeine, even more than black tea.
White tea is made of baby tea leaves or tips of the leaves and thus can only be harvested for a few days. It’s not processed and just left to dry on its own. Due to its scarcity it tends to be really expensive. Common ones are White Peony and Silver Needle. The brew is very light in colour and doesn’t have the bitterness of green tea, instead is slightly sweet.
Pu-erh tea is similar to black tea in the looks of the brew. However, the preparation process is like for green tea, except that it is partially fermented after the drying process. The teas are typically aged for several years. The fermentation process causes the tea to gain earthy notes that are not present in black teas.
Herbal teas are not actually related to tea tree in any way, the concoction is rather an infusion of spices mixed with herbs. Due to that, they usually contain no caffeine at all, making them a good option for people sensitive to caffeine. Popular herbal teas contain chamomile, peppermint, hibiscus, ginger, lavender, rosehip or liquorice root.
Rooibos is a type of herbal tea that’s made from a specific bush native to South Africa. The brew has similar appearance and scent to black tea, but has a milder taste and no caffeine content.
And before someone asks, generally yes, I can tell what I am drinking! Sometimes the teas are a blend though or the presence of spices and other aromas make it difficult to recognise the base.
My kitchen cabinet is full of tea and some people claim I am a teaholic. I have several different types and flavours of tea. For different kinds of needs and moods.
The “genuine” types of tea are leaves from the same plant, the tea tree, processed in different ways. The botanical name for the plant is camellia sinensis. It originates from China, growing in there for thousands of years. The tradition of growing the tea bushes making a brew out of the leaves is hundreds of years old. Europe discovered the tea around 15th century when Portuguese started traveling to China. It took two more centuries to became the flagship drink of Britain. Tea has been in the center of many political events, one example being the Boston Tea Party.
There are two main varieties of the tea bush, one growing mainly in China and East Asia, known as camellia sinensis var. sinensis. It is characterized by mellow, mild taste. The other one is camellia sinensis var. assamica and most of it is cultivated in India. It has a more specific, bolder flavour.
The main differences between the teas come from differences in the oxidation process when processing the tea.
The most common type is black tea. It is this kind of tea that fills most space on the supermarket shelves. The characteristics are high caffeine in the brew (about ½ of the amount that the same amount of coffee would have), orange to dark brown colour and stronger taste, especially in the darker variety. The leaves are fully oxidized and lightly broken. Some blends of tea use the leaves chopped or ground into even finer pieces.
Black tea is produced mainly in China and India. Chinese teas are generally milder flavoured and have lighter hue. An example of a commonly known Chinese black tea is Golden Yunnan. It’s much lighter than Assam or Darjeeling, which come from India. These two are known for their sharp flavour, particularly Assam, and dark brown colour of the brew.
Oolong tea is partially oxidized, made exclusively in southeastern China and in Taiwan. Its traits are between black and green tea. The brew can be either green or dark amber, depending on the processing of the tea. Some Oolong teas are very traditional and can get really expensive.
Green tea is steamed or pan-fired right after harvest to halt the oxidation process, thus making it a very lightly oxidized tea. The brew is light green or yellow. Japanese teas, such as Sencha or Kukicha tend to be green, whereas Chinese teas, eg. Gunpowder, Chun Mee are shades of yellow. The variety in taste is surprisingly large, the steaming process causes the tea to taste somewhat similar to a herbal infusion, whereas the roasted version gets more rounded out.
Matcha is a powdered Japanese green tea made of plants that have been growing in shade for a good while before harvest, increasing the chlorophyll content in the leaves. The brew is emerald green and naturally high in caffeine, even more than black tea.
White tea is made of baby tea leaves or tips of the leaves and thus can only be harvested for a few days. It’s not processed and just left to dry on its own. Due to its scarcity it tends to be really expensive. Common ones are White Peony and Silver Needle. The brew is very light in colour and doesn’t have the bitterness of green tea, instead is slightly sweet.
Pu-erh tea is similar to black tea in the looks of the brew. However, the preparation process is like for green tea, except that it is partially fermented after the drying process. The teas are typically aged for several years. The fermentation process causes the tea to gain earthy notes that are not present in black teas.
Herbal teas are not actually related to tea tree in any way, the concoction is rather an infusion of spices mixed with herbs. Due to that, they usually contain no caffeine at all, making them a good option for people sensitive to caffeine. Popular herbal teas contain chamomile, peppermint, hibiscus, ginger, lavender, rosehip or liquorice root.
Rooibos is a type of herbal tea that’s made from a specific bush native to South Africa. The brew has similar appearance and scent to black tea, but has a milder taste and no caffeine content.
And before someone asks, generally yes, I can tell what I am drinking! Sometimes the teas are a blend though or the presence of spices and other aromas make it difficult to recognise the base.
Last edited by DoctorEldritch; 18-03-24 at 15:12.
Unamused Snarktooth. Advocate for hearing loss & accessibility. Person, friend and a terrible/terrific* artist.
*delete as appropriate
LilySensei
