Q: How
many different teas are there?
There
are literally thousands of different teas in the world. Each tea plantation is producing tea
that it slightly different from that of other plantations. However there are 5 major kinds of tea,
namely White Tea, Green Tea, Yellow Tea, Oolong Tea and Black Tea.
Q: What
is the difference among Green, Black, White, Oolong and Yellow tea?
All
tea comes from the plant Camellia Sinensis. Variations among the different teas
depend on post harvest processing of the leaf. In short, green, white and yellow
teas are unfermented; black tea is fully fermented whereas Oolong tea is semi
fermented. Please see the
processing chart for a detailed overview.
Q:
Why are some teas so much more expensive than others?
Many
factors contribute to the price of tea.
The most important are availability or rarity, labor costs and quantity
of production. Demand for high
quality tea is sometimes higher than supply. That will result in a more expensive
tea. Some teas, such as Wuling Oolong from Taiwan are expensive because they are
grown in difficult to reach tea plantations. For such teas harvesting is rather
expensive. Transportation for tea pickers
as well as for the plucked leaves has to be paid. Teas that are mass-produced are usually
machine harvested to cut labor costs.
Those teas are usually of lower quality and thus cheaper. Some teas that are very rare and
auctioned to the highest bidder can cost several thousand US dollars per pound.
Q:
I can buy a box of tea bags for about $4.00 in my local
supermarket. That’s much cheaper
than the tea you are selling.
Tea
sold in grocery stores is actually not as inexpensive as it appears. One package of Jasmine Green Tea bags
may sell for about $4, - per pack.
However most packages only contain about 25 grams of tea. That means 100grams will cost $16, -. Therefore our loose leaf Jasmine
Green Tea, at a price of $13.40 per 100 grams is cheaper than the tea sold in
grocery stores. In addition to that
one has to consider that the highest expense for the teas sold in grocery
stores is packaging material and advertising expense. Regarding freshness and quality of
leaves one should also consider that harvest dates are not mentioned on the
grocery store teas nor are there any specifics about origin. If a package states an expiration date
more than 1 year from the time of harvest, the tea cannot be of high quality
since green tea last for only about half a year. After such time it becomes stale. Thus not only are most supermarket teas
overpriced, they are also of low quality.
Q:
Is it ok to eat tealeaves?
We
do not recommend eating tealeaves. Tealeaves
themselves have little or no nutritional value since the beneficial properties
of the leaf is released through infusion in hot or boiling water. Also tealeaves, when eaten have shown to
cause stomach problems in some people.
Q:
What is the best way to make Iced Tea?
Measure
the total amount of finished ice tea that is desired (e.g. 30 oz.). Then use 1 teaspoon of tea per 6 ounces
(in this case 5 tea-spoons) and brew it in a no more than half the amount of
the desired finished amount (15 oz.) hot water (see brewing instructions). While steeping fill any desired
container with ice (fill your 30oz tumbler with ice). When steeping is done pour the brewed
tea (without leaves) over the ice.
Stir if needed. The tea has
been shock frozen than and is ready to drink. If you like to add honey make sure to
add it to the hot tea before pouring over ice since it will not melt in the ice
tea itself. Ice tea should be
consumed within 12 hours of brewing.
Q:
Why is loose-leaf tea better than tea bag tea?
Tea
bags contain what is called tea dust or fanning. That is not necessarily bad but also
decreases the quality of the tea experience. Full leaf tea is less adulterated than
tea dust. Cheap tea bags often
contain the undesired leaves and stems of poor quality tea. Those are often blended together to
attain a standardized flavor. High
quality tea is made from single estate tea leafs that have been harvested at
the same time. One really doesn’t
know which teas are in tea bags.
The tea dust may consist of teas from different plantations, harvested
over several years. Such blended
tea may have a mediocre taste but can never compete with full leaf single
estate tea in flavor, quality and perception. In addition, tea bag tea usually becomes
bitter within 30 seconds of brewing.
This has to do with the increased surface area of the tea as compared to
whole leaves. Such a resultant
taste often necessitated the addition of sweeteners to overcome the
bitterness. It is a sad state of
affairs to see even top restaurants serving cheap tea bag tea.
Q:
What are some health benefits of tea?
In
short, tea has been shown to have many positive effects on human health,
including reduced risks of certain cancers, weight loss and Central Nervous
System health. Mostly it is the
antioxidant and GABA content in tea that is beneficial. See more in our health section.
Q:
What is the best way to store tea?
Tea
should be stored in airtight containers, preferably stainless steel, porcelain
or glass. When stored in glass
containers light exposure should be limited since light speeds up the “decay”
of tea. The containers should be
kept away from direct heat and stored in an odor neutral place.
Q:
How long can I keep brewed tea?
It
is best to consume brewed tea as long as it is warm.
Q:
What is the shelf life of tea?
Tea
actually doesn’t get bad like other foods do. However when stored incorrectly it can
grow mold or loose its flavor rather quickly. White and Green tea is best when
consumed within 6-10 month after harvest.
Oolong tea can last up to 8 months before it looses most of its
flavors. Flavored and black teas
retain flavor for up to 1 year. It
is important to note that fresher teas are better than older teas. Like everything, tea looses flavor by
the day. The only way to extend
tea’s shelf life is to store it right.
Q:
Is it ok to refrigerate or freeze dry tealeaves for freshness?
Although
there may be some specific teas that demand refrigeration (I once had one like
that) it’s not recommended. Tea
leafs will collect condensation and easily grow mold when not proper dried
after having them removed from the refrigerator. Also, remember that tea should be stored
in a dry and odor neutral place. If
it is stored among odorous food items tea tends to absorb such odors. Thus, we strongly caution not to store
tea in freezers or refrigerators.
Q:
What is single estate tea?
Single
Estate Tea refers to tea that has been harvested at one estate. Many tea-growing areas, such as
Darjeeling in India have different tea gardens. A tea that has been harvested from a
particular tea garden is called Single Estate Tea. Those teas are not blended with teas
from other tea gardens. Examples
would be Avangrove, Darjeeling. Here Avangrove
is the name of the tea garden and Darjeeling is the name of the tea-growing
region. Each tea garden or estate
produces slightly different tea, even in the same region.
Q:
What is blended tea?
Blended
tea refers to a tea product that consists of different teas. These teas can be from different regions
or different tea gardens. An
example is English Breakfast Tea, a popular blend consisting of teas from
India, Ceylon and China. Blended
teas usually have the same flavor and taste from year to year.
Q:
What is flavored tea?
Flavored
tea is any tea that has been adulterated with either natural or artificial flavors. Earl Grey is considered a blended and
flavored tea since it is a blend of various black teas fro various tea growing
regions and has the oil of bergamot added to it.