Eight Cups of Tea
Ever wandered what the differences between black and green tea or what on earth oolong, pouchong and, “did you say yellow” tea are?
1. White teas: The least processed, and therefore highest in antioxidants, is white tea. White tea typically contains a lot of “tips” which are the unfurled new leaves. These leaves are fuzzy, and this silvery/white fuzz is how the teas came to be named. The main difference though is the fact that white tea is in no way processed, other than dried, after harvesting. White teas are typically very mild and tend to sweetness. The most common complaint is “it doesn’t taste like anything”. Once you develop a taste for white teas though they can be quite extraordinary. If the taste is too mild for you try a lightly flavoured one. Examples: Silver needles, White peony, White wedding.
2. Yellow teas: until recently considered to be almost a myth these extremely rare teas have one additional step in their production. They are withered under piles of straw. This additional step makes the flavour more complex, gives the teas more body and removes any hint of astringency. Examples: Sparrow Tongue, Huang Shan Mao Feng
3. Green teas: There are thousands of different types of green teas, and that doesn’t include the flavoured ones. Green teas are produced by harvesting fresh tea leaves, allowing them to wither and then rolling the leaves, by hand or machine, to break down the cells. The leaves are then immediately dried with or without steaming first. Examples: Gunpowder, Sencha, Jasmine tea.
4. Pouchongs: Teas that are allowed to oxidize briefly before drying become oolongs. A sub-category of oolongs is pouchongs, comprising of teas that are oxidized less 20%. Pouchongs tend to have more body than green teas, less astringency and, often, notes of cream or butter. Examples: Formosa pouching, spring fling.
5. Oolongs: Some of the worlds most prized and complex flavoured teas are oolongs. Almost green to almost black depending on the degree of oxidation the best oolongs have strong floral or fruit notes. There is evidence that oolongs are particularly helpful with eczema, psoriasis and weight loss. Examples: Ti Kwan Yin, Oriental Beauty, Wuyi.
6. Black teas: Tea leaves that are allowed to completely oxidize before drying become black teas and are the most commonly consumed teas in the West. The traditional “Southern Iced Tea” is a black tea and so are all the “British Teas”. These teas have a lot more body and many hold milk well. Black tea has acquired a bad reputation mainly due to all the low quality teabag teas but black teas can be flavourful, complex and full of antioxidants. Examples: Darjeeling, Assam, English breakfast, Earl Grey, Southern Iced Tea
7. Puer teas: A pile fermentation step, before drying, sometimes followed by aging, much like a brandy, makes puer teas. Not for the faint of heard these teas can exhibit notes of “cave, mushrooms, fish, barnyard, earth” etc. Famous for settling an upset stomach after a heavy meal they are often used to lower cholesterol and aid in digestion. Examples: Tuocha, golden puer, Super Body Fat Burner.
8. Tisanes or herbal teas: Any tea prepared from a plant other than Camelia sinensis should be referred to as a tisane or herbal tea. Many of these teas have a variety of health benefits and wonderful flavours and can be blended with true teas or with each other for visual appeal, flavour or for functional reasons. Examples: Peppermint, chamomile, rooibos, Sleep Better tea.
