A Beginner's Guide to tea

There are so very many types of tea. Some I love while others I have had negative experiences with subsequently, I hesitate to try again, even if it is a different blend. The tea types available to a new tea drinker can get a little bit confusing. I will explain here the six major tea types as well as a guide to my favorite tea, which isn’t really tea but a *tisane*, herbal blends and I shall share flavored tea information as well. There are so many choices!

What do you really need to know about the different tea types to enjoy a good cup of tea?

The four basic facts you need to know about tea:

1.        All tea comes from the same plant, Camellia sinensis.

2.        There are six main styles of tea from the Camellia sinensis plant: green, yellow, white, oolong, black, and pu-erh. The difference is in the way they are processed or manufactured.

3.        Herbal teas are called tisanes and are not considered tea in the context of this definition.

4.        Flavored teas can be from the Camellia sinensis plant, an herb or fruit. Many are a mixture of all three.

Tea

Tea comes from the evergreen shrub called Camellia sinensis. There are two varietals: Camellia sinensis var. sinensis (Chinese tea) and Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Assam or Indian tea).

All tea comes from this plant. The differentiation between green, yellow, white, oolong, black, and pu-erh is strictly based on the process of manufacturing.

It’s simply amazing to me how so many different types of tea liquor can all come from the same plant. This is what makes tea so fascinating. The region in which the tea is grown and subsequently processed gives its own distinctive flavor.

Thousands of tea estates around the world produce tea. Each estate masterfully crafts a unique tea all originating from the Camellia sinensis plant. It is the process for picking and drying that determines the type of tea; green, yellow, white, oolong, black, and pu-erh.

Herbal Tea

Herbs are plants that are used for their aromatic or medicinal properties for use in foods and medicines. Throughout history, humans have used herbal infusions for their medicinal benefits.

To create an herbal tea, plant parts such as the leaves, bark, stems, roots, berries, flowers or seeds are infused in boiling water for a period of time.

The resulting herbal tea is called a tisane (pronounced ti-zahn). There are hundreds of herbs used to make tisanes such as hibiscus, chamomile, mint, tulsi, rooibos, and yerba mate. They are often prepared as a wellness remedy. (I had a very bad experience after a cup of chamomile. Now I hesitate trying a cup of tea that contains chamomile.)

Flavored Tea

Dry tea leaves can act like a sponge and absorb the flavors and scents with whatever they come in contact. This can be good or bad.

The reason for storing your tea in sealed airtight containers is so that it will not pick up unwanted surrounding flavors.

Tea can be flavored in a variety of ways. Traditionally, the Chinese have added flavor to teas through scenting.

Flower Scented Tea

The most famously scented teas are Jasmine teas. Many other flowers are used to scent tea leaves such as rose, marigold, lily, magnolia, chrysanthemum, and orchid.

Scented teas are made by adding fresh or dried flowers to dried tea that is already processed. This can be done with black, green or oolong teas.

The finished scent is very light and pleasant. If you come across a tea that is very heavily scented, like you're drinking from a perfume bottle, it is most likely artificially scented.

In large commercial settings, scenting is done by spraying the dried tea leaves with a liquid flavor or scent. This can be done with a natural or artificial flavor.

Traditional scenting is done by simply combining the dried tea leaves with the desired ingredients together and sealing them in a container for a period of time.

Fruit Scented Tea

Just about any fruit can be used to scent a tea, such as apples, plums, peaches, apricots and berries of all sorts. Fresh or dried fruit can be used.

Dried fruit or the dried fruit peel is called a fruit-infused tea.

 Adding fruit juice to a brewed tea creates a flavored tea.

Earl Grey is the most famous fruit-scented tea. It is made from a blend of black tea leaves that are scented with the oil from the rind of sour bergamot oranges.

Smoke Scented Tea

Lapsang Souchong is a traditional Chinese black tea from the Fujian province. The tea is smoke-dried over a pinewood fire giving it its distinctive smoky flavor.

Genmaicha is a Japanese green sencha tea that is blended with puffed rice kernels to give it a smokey taste. This gives it a light nutty flavor.

Spice Tea

In the Indian culture, spices are often added to flavor tea, the most popular being masala chai.

Herb and Tea Combinations

Moroccan mint is the most famous herb-tea combination. Dried mint leaves are blended with dried tea leaves for brewing. A sprig of fresh mint is added for serving.

The most commonly used tea for Moroccan Mint is a gunpowder green tea. It is one of the easiest green teas to brew and very forgiving in its nature.

Blending and infusing teas with flavors is a culinary art form. As you can see, the possibilities and combinations become endless. And it can be quite fun.