Tea
Information and Types of Tea
Tea
is the second most consumed beverage behind water. There
must be something special about this brewed beverage. If
we are to discuss tea and the different types of teas, we
must first cover what it actually is.
What
is Tea?
Tea is basically the dried and processed leaves of only
one species of plant called camellia sinensis. Interestingly
enough, herbal teas or herbal infusions are not really teas,
but simply dried flowers and/or herbs.
Even
though all teas come from only one species, there are three
major varietals:
The
China – Small leaves and generally thrives at higher
altitudes.
The
India (or Assam) – Larger leaves and generally
thrives at lower altitudes.
The
Hybrid – Kind of in-between the Chinese and Indian.
Earlier,
I talked about the processing of the camellia’s leaves.
There are four main methods of processing and each produces
a different type of tea. These four main types are:
A Tea
for Everyone:
Some
teas are flavored with oils or scented with flower petals
during the processing stage. Some teas are blends of the
four main types listed above. One of my favorites is chai
tea which is black tea brewed with various spices. Finally,
let's not forget refreshing iced
tea!
Fun
Tip:
One
of the neatest things I've come across in a long time is
a website that allows you to customize
your own teas!
They will literally add fruits, spices, and other flavors
to create truly personalized blends. You can even name your
creation. Surprise someone you love with this unique gift.
Soil
and climate conditions dramatically affect the taste of
leaves from different parts of the world. The way the tea
is processed also makes a dramatic different in the final
taste.
I
find it fascinating that with all of these combinations,
there are literally thousands of different teas produced
from the single species, camellia sinensis.
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