Loose Leaf Tea explained
What is Loose Leaf Tea or Specialty Tea?
When you dine with us we serve you a loose leaf tea. How is it different than the tea bag you buy from the grocery store?
Specialty tea is high-grade loose leaf tea, usually from small tea estates. It is the segment of the tea industry that produces high-quality premium tea, usually from single tea gardens, single estate tea, fair trade, organic tea, and rare tea such as white or Puerh. Let me share with you what I have learned about the different types of loose leaf tea, and how to brew specialty tea.
The Tea Association of the USA divides tea into four segments of the market:
Supermarket - food service - ready-to-drink - specialty tea
But specialty tea is much more than that.
Much like wine, the region in which the tea is grown and processed provides its' distinctive flavor, its terroir.
Specialty tea or loose leaf tea is produced for its exceptional qualities. Unlike mass-market or commodity tea, specialty tea consists of whole leaf or partial loose leaf tea. Most commodity tea is finely cut and blended for use in tea bags.
teabag vs loose leaf tea
Thousands of tea estates produce tea. China, Japan, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, and Kenya are the major tea producing countries. Other countries producing tea on a smaller scale are Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Some regions of the Americas are experimenting with growing tea, including Hawaii, Mississipi, South Carolina, and Columbia.
Did you know that some areas of British Columbia, Canada are now successfully growing the Camellia Sinensis plant?
Each estate masterfully crafts a unique tea, all originating from the Camellia sinensis plant. It is the process of picking and drying that determines the type of tea; white, green, yellow, oolong, black, or Puerh. It is incredible to me how one plant can produce so many different varieties of tea.
No pleasure is simpler, no luxury cheaper, no consciousness-altering substance more benign.” – James Norwood Pratt, New Tea Lover's Treasury
Loose-leaf specialty teas have a superior flavor because the leaves are larger. They are not cut up into tiny little pieces, and so they impart more flavor than the finely cut leaves of teabag tea.
Also known as loose-leaf tea, specialty teas are left loose for ease of brewing. They usually come from a single estate, and each estate is revered for its unique flavor profile.
I enjoy my loose-leaf tea, teatime ritual. How about you? Do you prepare your tea with a tea bag or loose? If loose, which strainer do you prefer to use?
