Classifications of tea

Tea can be classified into 8 groups.

They are green, yellow, red, white, oolong, black, compressed aged and scented teas.

These groups have varieties that are based on geographical production,

elevation, curing and processing techniques.

Green tea

•  Non-fermented variety or least processed and raw.  
• The main goal is to retain the pure and natural flavor of the chlorophyll in the green leaves.
•  The scent is usually a fresh green, slightly floral with a refreshing, mellow and rich taste.
•  Taiwan oolong green tea and Japanese green tea is set apart by the latter being raw,unseasoned and uncured ground leaves, and the former being slightly cured. 
• Japanese green tea is harder on the digestion due to the fact that it is raw and uncured. 
• Excellent with salty foods or savory desserts.

Yellow tea

•  Mildly processed and fermented.
• Processing is quite similar to green tea.
• Appearance is usually straight and furry with a refined refreshing taste.

Red tea 

• To achieve the strong sometimes mellow but harmonious taste of this tea, the green leaves are left to turn black by piling them up for fermentation.

• The scent of this tea can range from a smoky pine to camphorous with a rich liquor aftertaste.

• Excellent with sweet desserts.

 White tea

• The processing in this group entails drying in the shade and curing it in the breeze.

• Made from tender shoots of the tea trees.

• Has the lowest caffeine content.

• It has a furry, silvery appearance.

• The taste is refreshing, refined and mild.

• Excellent to stimulate the digestion after a heavy meal.

Oolong tea/Semi-fermented

• This is a semi fermented tea.

• This is not green tea contrary to the popular misnomer.

• Oolong means black dragon due to its curled and twisted dried leaves and not for its color.

• The processing is a combination of techniques used for green and black teas.

• Processing techniques may be any of these techniques of air drying, hand rolling or hand twisting.

• After curing, the appearance of the leaves will vary from tightly curled rolls or fine,

round, twisted and with a green luster.

• This is a delicately seasoned tea.

• The appearance of the tea is usually tightly twisted, hand rolled naturally.

• The flavor ranges from a mellow sweetness, very moistening with a floral and honey overtones.

• The best of this tea comes from Taiwan.

• Excellent after a seafood meal.

• Has properties to emulsify fat and cholesterol.

Black teas

• This is a fully fermented and highly cured tea.

• Among the Chinese this sometimes known as "red tea."

• The processing entails drying, rolling, firing and aging.

• Has an appearance that ranges from a fine dust to solid and twisted.

• Aroma is usually rich, robust and fresh with hints of caramelized sugars.

• Excellent with or after a heavy, oily or greasy meal.

• Contains fat emulsifying and cholesterol properties.

Compressed aged tea

• This tea is made from processed tea leaves.

• Usually from tea trees that are between 150 to 1000 years old.

• It is then compressed into different shapes and has 3 classifications:

1.   Bing Cha means tea cake
2. Tuo Cha means peg-top (refers to the shapes of the tea) 
3. Zhuang Tea means brick tea

  • This tea is priced when it is given time to age and is therefore increase in value as it ages. Like fine wine.

• The fragrance of this tea ranges from an aromatic fruit to camphor to aged wood.

• Appearance of this tea is usually solid to rough roll.

• It has to be broken down into smaller parts with a tool that looks like a letter-opener.

• The flavor of this taste will range from a sweet to mellow with a dark liquor after taste.

Scented tea

• Sometimes also called flower scented teas.
• The base of the tea will range from any of the previous 7 classifications of tea.
• It is then scented with flowers - jasmine, rose, osmanthus or milk or pine needles or fruits.
• It adds higher floral notes to the existing tea.
• Excellent with pungent or spicy food.
• Popular in Northern China.

 

Tea Processing

Processing

The basic tea processing goes through these following steps:

1. Heating/pan frying

2. Rolling/shaping

3. Drying

The end product of the tea in the teacup

takes on the personality of the person who processes the tea leaves.

There are two methods to processing tea - hand processing and machine processing.

Hand processing has inconsistencies and the machine processing has the ability

 to maintain the consistency of the end product.

There are slight variations depending on the types of tea that

is being processed to achieve the end product.

Heating - to de-enzyme

To prevent the green tea leaves from turning black, the enzyme that

is present and responsible for this oxidation, has to go through an initial heating process.

To achieve green tea there must be no oxidation in its early stages of processing.

The tea is usually pan fried or roasted to achieve the right aroma,

as too little or uneven heating will cause this aroma to be lost.

Too much heat or over heating will yield a burnt flavor.

Rolling or shaping

Rolling or shaping the tea leaf is about timing and experience.

This part of the processing enables the tea leaf to attain a deeper flavor.

This is where the hard work is because knowing when to roll

 the leaves entails knowing how soft the leaves have to be between step 1 and step 2.

The rolling or shaping process helps to distribute the moisture

 evenly and prevents the tea leaves from prematurely drying out.

Failing to achieve this will lead to burns and powdering of the tea leaves.

Drying

This is the final part in removing the moisture out of the tea leaves,

as there are different moisture levels at different areas of the tea leaves.

This process has to be done evenly.

Uneven drying will cause the tea leaves to taste and smell musty and rancid.

Origin of the tea plant

The tea plant botanically has it origins in India.

According to Samuel Baildon, who wrote extensively on the tea industry of India in the 1870s, proposed the idea that tea was indigenous only to India.

His theory was that the plant was introduced into China and Japan from India about 1200 years ago.

He presented that there was but one species of tea, the Indian.

The smaller leaves of the China tea plant were the result of the unfavorable geologic conditions of soil, disharmonious climatic conditions and the inappropriate growing methods.

The native assamica tea plant was discovered in 1823 in China.

It was also in that year that the China plants were transfered to India.

Local Chinese legends abound with regards to how the tea plant came to China from India in ancient times.

Nonetheless, mother nature's original tea garden is said to be found in the monsoon district of South east Asia.

Specimens of the wild tea jungle are still to be found in the forests of the Shan States of northern Thailand, eastern Burma, Yunnan, upper Indo-China and India.

This is considered one primeval tea garden with prime conditions of soil, climate and rainfall that promotes the natural propagation of tea.

Tea is grown in the highlands of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, East Africa, Argentina and Brazil

Tea cultivation history

Chinese historical records indicate that the first tea cultivation began in the interior of the province of Szechwan in about A.D. 350.

The tea cultivation spread down the Yangtze valley to the seaboard provinces.

Sri Lanka

The British introduced tea cultivation to the island of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka produces mostly black teas. They are classified according to the altitude at which the plants grow (the low-grown varieties are cultivated up to 600 meters, and yield a strong, dark infusion used mostly in blends; the mid-grown from 600 to 1200 meters and the high-grown, between 1200 to 2300 meters, give the best quality).

The major producing regions are Uva and Dimbula and these include many large gardens.

The teas of Sri Lanka have an international reputation that places them among the World's greatest teas.

Taiwan

Cultivation of tea in Taiwan began in the latter half of the 19th century.

Taiwan produces both green and black teas.

It is the semi-fermented Oolongs.

Fine and delicate, with a unique, naturally fruity taste, these teas are appreciated mostly in the United States.

Japan

Japan is a special case, producing almost exclusively green teas.

97% of which are consumed locally.

The powdered Matcha tea is kept for ceremonies.

For every day use, there is Ocha, drunk as an infusion of leaves.

In addition, in decreasing order of quality, are Gyokuro, Sencha and Bancha.

China

China is one of the largest suppliers of teas.

China's current consumption of green tea is between 75% to 80 %.

The rest of the production of green teas, and all of the black teas, are exported.

Chinese teas come from five provinces.

Yunnan - is located close to the Himalaya.

Picked at high altitudes, this black tea has a rich flavor and no astringency.

Other tea-producing provinces are situated in eastern China.

The low-lying Anhui region produces Keemun,

a black tea that gives a slightly chocolaty-flavored drink.
The region also produces Chun mee and Sowmee, green teas.

Fujian and Jiangxi produce less spectacular black teas, used mostly in blends.

The Zhejiang region is reputed for its gunpowder tea.

China also produces semi-fermented teas, but they are far from equaling those made in Taiwan.

India

India is the second largest producer and exporter of tea in the world.

Most of its tea production is consumed at home.

Many varieties of tea are produced in India.

Since the country is large, the producing regionsare subject to widely varying climatic conditions.

Some plantations are situated very high, others in the plains;

some of the plants are from original Chinese stock, others are indigenous,

and still others are hybrids.

As a result, the quality of Indian tea varies considerably, and it is important

 to know an Indian tea's region of origin.

Teas from South India come from Travancore and Nilgri,

 regions of plateaus similar to those in Sri Lanka.

These teas have a pleasant, gentle beverage
with a good color but little character; they are most often combined with more robust teas.

Northern India produces tea in Darjeeling, Assam, the Doars and Terai.

The latter two regions are not well known, being situated on flatlands and producing

medium-grade teas used in blends.

On the other hand the teas of Darjeeling (or western Bengal) are considered

by some to be the best in the entire world.

These teas favor quality by fine plucking. The plantations produce low yields per hectare

(40 to 50 tons per year, or 3% of all Indian production).

The first plucking gives a very light, aromatic tea, while the second offers tea with more bite,

coppery in color, with the taste of ripe fruit.

The autumn harvest gives a tea whose aroma

and color are more highly developed but whose quality is slightly inferior.

Assam is a forested low-lying region in India's northwest, an area very difficult to clear,

but one that is among the most fertile in the country.

Africa

The British introduced tea farming to their East African colonies

 (Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, and Tanzania) in the 20th century.

These plantations were able to take over a good segment of the world market thanks to mechanization.

However, they did not achieve the quality of teas like Chinese Yunnan or Indian Darjeeling.
The African teas are black teas presented as broken or powdered leaves reduced to very small particles.

Vietnam

Vietnamese green teas have been largely unknown outside of mainland Asia until the present day.

Recent free-enterprise initiatives are introducing these green teas to the world.

The lotus tea is a specialty product of the Vietnamese tea industry.

Generally, high-quality green tea leaves are placed within lotus flowers

for a day to acquire the scent, then are removed and packaged.

A higher grade of lotus tea is made with lotus petals mixed in with high quality green tea leaves.

Keeping tea fresh

Enemies of tea

Air, light, temperature fluctuations and moisture are the enemies of tea.

When properly stored, tea leaves will mellow and enhance their aroma and flavor.

Improper storage will affect the quality, flavor and aroma of tea.

Tea can last up to a year or more when it is vaccuum sealed.

Best way

The best way to keep tea fresh is in a vaccuum sealed container.

The goal is to retain their original color, aroma, flavor and shape consistently until all the tea is used up.

The following are some good habits to practice in storing tea:

• Use clay, porcelain, glass, pewter or metal canisters with 2 airtight lids.

• Use foil bags or zip lock bags with the air let out of them.

• Use a vaccuum sealer before putting it in a canister.

• Use small to medium size canisters, as when the canisters are not full,

the air in the vacant spaces will effect the tea leaves.

• Pu errh teas are best kept in clay jars with a loose lid or a ginger jar.

• See Pu Errh storage.

• Keep the canisters in a cool and even temperatured area.

Avoid the following

1. Do not expose tea leaves to air. Prolonged exposure leads to oxidization and affects the tea leaves and will therefore affect the quality, flavor and aroma of tea.

2. Do not allow the tea leaves to absorb moisture.

3. Avoid the exposure of tea leaves to sunlight.

4. Avoid temperature fluctuations.

5. Avoid cross-contamination in storage. Do not store tea with other food item.

6. Do not use your hands to handle tealeaves. Use a tea scoop.

All tea is not the same

Quality of tea is determined by such factors as whether the tea
plants are wild harvested or cultivated on a tea farm,

elevation, harvesting and processing by hand or machine,

time of harvest and stress factors to the tea plants.

Wild harvested tea usually comes out of China.

It is considered the most flavorful and has more potency.

The wild harvested teas are rare and are of very high quality

due to the fact that the wild tea trees are not subject

to man made pollutants, over harvesting or artificial fertilizers.

Tea is usually harvested in the spring.

The spring harvested tea is considered

the best quality due to the weather conditions being

cool that cause the slowing down of the hardening of the tender shoots.

The flavor of a spring harvested tea has a more delicate one when

 compared to a late harvested tea, fall harvest.

Although, tea plantations have used seasonal harvesting to cultivate

 the different characteristics that are present within the influences of particular seasons.

Therefore, the distinction of the flavor is to be enjoyed seasonally.

Generally, there are two methods to harvesting tea - handpicking or machine cut.

Harvesting by hand indicates

the picking of the choicest part of the plant - the bud and the first 2 - 3 leaves.

The expression of this tea is usually sweet with floral notes and fresh.

This is the highest quality in the entire tea harvesting.

The harvesting of older leaves usually has a slight bitterness

 and astringency in the end product.

This is usually harvested by mechanical means - machine cut.

Hand picked

Hand picked leaves achieve better quality as there is selectiveness in the plucking of the teas.

The quality of the leaves picked is also determined by the experience level of the tea pickers.

The experienced tea picker has a subtle balance to the pressure applied to the tender shoots when plucked,

and this contributes further to the desired quality of the end product.

Inexperience in picking tea usually results in an inferior end product.

Machine harvesting

Machine harvesting or machine cut generally yields an uneven harvest.

Where the younger leaves and the young leaves are cut with some

of the older leaves incorporated into the harvest.

Machine cut harvest usually does not retain the leaf shape

Elevation, soil and stress

The flavor and the quality of tea is influenced by the amount of stress

that the tea plants encounter through elevation, soil conditions and temperatures.

The boldness and the superiority of the flavor emerges when these conditions of stresses are in balance.

The best quality teas come from higher elevation growth.

Low temperatures in the highlands keep the young shoots of the tea plant from hardening.

Frost can be the enemy of the tea plant as it likes sub-tropical conditions.

However, cross breeding of tea plants have yielded varieties that are able to withstand frosty conditions.

These tea plants have also as a consequence produced unique varieties in their flavors.

Lower elevations tea plantations causes the tea plants to grow faster due to higher temperatures.

Quality of tea is determined by such factors as whether the tea plants are wild harvested or cultivated

on a tea farm, elevation, harvesting and processing by hand or machine,

time of harvest and stress factors to the tea plants.

Green tea and oolong tea

There are 2 categories within this classification.

They are what is commonly known as green oolong and black oolong.

The green oolong is also commonly termed as green tea.

How green oolong is achived is dependant on the tea master who handles the processing.

like coffee crops that are sold prior to harvest,tea crops are sold only after the tea is harvested,

 processed and the taste test is conducted.

The final product sold is dependant on the quality of the end product.

Therefore, the tea quality of is dependant on

factors like weather, seasons and the final processing by the tea maker.

Freshly roasted green oolong is vacuum packed to preserve its freshness.

Black oolong is achieved by re-roasting the old green oolong.

Camellia thea sinensis

The leaves of the tea plant provide the tea of commerce.
The terminal shoots with 2 or 3 leaves are collected, every week or every other week.
They can be heated immediately to stop any fermentation, this provides green tea, or they can be rolled and fermented for several hours before being oven heated and dried, this provides the black tea.

 

 

 

Tea Plant - Camellia Sinensis  

Scientific Classification 

Kingdom:Plantae
Division: Magnoliaphyta
Class : Magnoliopsida 

Order : Ericales 

Family : Theaceae

Genus : Camellia 

Species : Sinensis  

Binomial Name: Camellia Sinensis  

Native to Southeast Asia 

Climate Tropical/subtropical 

Evergreen plants

  

Teas - Camellia Sinensis :

1.  oolong
2. green
3. black

Has a flowery scent and taste.

Varieties:

Camellia Sinensis Assamica

Prefers lowland growing

Higher yields

Most Indian and Sri Lankan teas are from this variety.

Has a malty and earthy scent and taste.

Camellia Sinensis Sinensis:

 Most tea plants in china are of this variety.

 They are the various cross breeds of the latter two breeds.

Camellia Sinensis Parvifolia:

This is a Cambodian variety.

 Cultural Practices:

The Tea bush prefers an acid soil rich in organic matter. 

The Tea bush prefers an acid soil rich in organic matter.

Blooming Habits:

The 1.5 inches-wide fragrant white flowers come in the fall.  

They are generally self-sterile and are pollinated by insects. 

The 1.5 inches-wide fragrant white flowers come in the fall.  

They are generally self-sterile and are pollinated by insects.  

The 1.5 inches-wide fragrant white flowers come in the fall.  

They are generally self-sterile and are pollinated by insects.

 

 

 

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