Last week, we discussed about refined and unrefined salt. Before I dive into comparing organic vs. conventional tea, I’m starting with the basics and the health benefits of tea (and some concerns) so I can [hopefully] understand tea a little better.

Are you a tea drinker? Hot or iced? Black, fruity, or light?

I’m not a tea drinker. There. I said it. My whole family enjoys tea, my best friend loves tea, and I only drink it a few times a year. I guess I just haven’t found one I like, but I am curious about tea.

Tea 101

If you’re a total tea novice like me, you walk into the tea aisle and feel totally overwhelmed. I see several different types of tea, countless flavors, and all sorts of packaging (and prices). If you are new to the tea world, here are a few of the basics.

There are 5 different types of tea: black tea, white tea, green tea, oolong tea, and pu’erh tea. The differences lie in the content (tea bud vs. leaves) and oxidation (0%-100%).

White tea comes from the young, unopened bud of the tea plant. It’s picked before the bud ever opens and is lightly oxidized through a 1-3 day withering process. White teas have the highest concentration of polyphenols.

Green tea is a combination of a bud and a leaf from the tea plant. It is picked at varying times during the season, air dried, and then heated with steam or heated. Green tea undergoes the least amount of oxidation. There are thousands of varieties of green tea available. In some higher quality green teas, the leaves and bud are hand rolled into pearl-sized spheres before heating. Another variety of green tea is scented with jasmine in an amazingly laborious way: night-blooming jasmine flowers are picked during the day and placed upon the dried tea leaves, the flowers open during the night, and the tea absorbs their scent. The scenting process is repeated 3-5 times and the whole process takes about one month.

Oolong Tea is made from the bud and upto 3 tea leaves or just the leaf itself. Oolong tea is only partially oxidized and then stopped for final shaping (spheres, rolls, etc.) and firing. The flavor of oolong tea varies by the amount of oxidation (ranging from 5-70%) and firing of the tea.

Black Tea consists of the bud plus 1-2 leaves or sometimes just leaves. It is 100% oxidized. The process begins with bruising, macerating, cutting, crushing, or rolling the leaves to release enzymes to accelerate oxidation (and create tannins). After reaching full oxidation, the tea is dried. Different varieties of black tea vary based on the bud:leaf ratio, the method of oxidation, and the origin of the tea (country, region, etc).

Pu’erh Tea is the only variety of tea that is fermented. The tea is packed tightly, moistened, and then allowed to ferment for 60 days. It is then dried and packed into bricks or left loose for bagged tea. The flavor is described as having a hint of malt, and the tea is reported to have additional health benefits.

Do you have a favorite tea? Any recommendations? Read More→