Coming To Terms With Tea

By:


Coming to Terms with Tea

There are many terms and words that are common to the growing and processing of tea. Some terms indicate when the tea is picked, some indicate from where on the bush the tea leaf is plucked and some terms are only used in the grading of tea. No boring term such as USDA grade 1 is used in reference to tea.

Tea is not picked, but it is plucked. There is a fine pluck which is consists of only buds of new growth. An example of a fine pluck is Darjeeling tea, which is described as subtle and delicate in flavor. There is a coarse pluck which is the older more coarse leaves and then there is a normal pluck which traditionally is two leaves and a bud.
You might be asking yourself what difference does it make what is plucked? The answer is the type of pluck directly affects the flavor, the color and the aroma of the tea. And to think that before now I thought pluck only referred to removing feathers from a bird!

In India a flush of tea is the first growth of the season which is small in quantities and yields a more expensive tea. The first flush will only keep for eight to twelve month then the flavor is lost. The teas from the second flush carry more body. In this case second doesn't mean lesser in quality. Teas from the second flush are often outstanding in their flavor and body. India is know for it high quality black teas.

Did you know tea can be choppy? This term refers to the various sizes of the leaves that are blended together. Tea that is called Finest Tippy is the best of the best from a tea estate. It is mostly comprised of golden flowers, leaf buds and the youngest tea leaves and is highly prized among avid tea drinkers. If your tea is FOP it includes leaf buds from the tea bush and if your tea is fanning it isn't hot, but it does consist of tea leaves that are very small and broken
.
Tea can be green, white or black. These terms apply to the way the leaves are processed and not the color of the leaves. White tea and green tea are rich in antioxidants which help your body to fight disease. Also white tea and green tea are usually light bodied and have light color and a fresh aroma and taste. Green teas such as Formosa Oolong and Japanese Sencha are excellent choices. Black teas have been processed in a way to cause them to loose some of the antioxidants that naturally occur in tea. Black tea is known for a full body and deeper color when brewed. It is the most popular tea in America. Some delicious black teas are China Black Tea and Assam Broken Orange Pekoe.

Don't worry if you don't know all the correct terminology that applies to tea. I could write for another hour and I still wouldn't have covered all the language of the world of tea. Here in the South the only tea terms you need are " Sweet tea, please, or Plain tea, please".

About the Author:
Nan's first venture in to the world of e-commerce is her online store, LotaJava.com. Even as a little girl I have loved coffee, so when I decided I to start an on-line store , coffee was my first choice. Since I live in the south where ice tea is a year round beverage, it only seemed natural to include tea. Someday Please check out my site. I would love to hear your comments on the site and my products.

http://LotaJava.com



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


Tags: , , , , ,

|

Loading...
Related....
Videos...

Recent Food-and-Drink Articles

Comments

Still can't find what you are looking for? Search for it!

Loading

Site Navigation:

Copyright 2005-2011 ArticleSnatch, LLC - All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service.