Click the following links or scroll down for a display of some great reference charts and Tea articles & info.    See more articles and news at the Tea Bureau link above.

Introducing Camellia sinensis

The first 3 charts have been reprinted with permission from The Tea Companion: A Connoisseur's Guide by Jane Pettigrew, Running Press, $18.95 U.S.  ©2004 See our review of this book and how to order--click here.  This is copyrighted property and may not be re-printed or used in any manner without proper authority from the publisher.  See below. The book also has a great flow chart showing methods and stages of tea production.  A great reference tool.

Grading Terminology for Tea leaves 

For the true connoisseur.  This helps you understand what you are ordering from companies with extensive selections of tea.

Tea Tasters' Vocabulary

How to best describe appearance and flavor of tea.

Tea and Food Pairings

A helpful guide to pairing the right tea with meals and individual foods.

Tea & Health--This links to our Tea & Health page with a preview of The Tea House Times Tea Health Guide which is free to subscribers of The Tea House Times.  The guide may be purchased or ordered in bulk also.  Please contact us for bulk pricing.

MORE TEA FACTS

from Tales of a Tea Leaf by Jill Yates.  Scroll down or click the 3 headings below.

Tea Processing, Reading Tea Leaves, Constant Comments

from A Little Indulgence -- TEA, CQ Products. Scroll down or click the 2 headings below.

Tea Timeline, High Tea, Low Tea, what's the difference?

Article Written by : Indi Khanna, Tea 'n' Teas.  www.teanteas.com  Scroll down or click article title.

The Art of Tea Tasting for Personal Pleasure.

Tea vs. Coffee~Respect in Brewing by Lady Gayle

HOW TEA IS MADE, TEA INDUSTRY FACTS

TOURS AT CHARLESTON TEA PLANTATION

Read all about this by clicking here.

TEAth Fact  ~ Article by Kristina Wiley, DDS

Introducing Camellia Sinensis

Camellia sinensis is the scientific classification for the tea plant. One of the most interesting and surprising facts about tea for newcomers is that ALL types of tea, white, green, oolong, and black, come from the same plant, the Camellia sinensis. What determines a type of tea's "color" is the processing the newly picked leaves will undergo before they reach your cup. Learn more about gourmet tea.

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The charts above have been reprinted with permission from The Tea Companion: A Connoisseur's Guide by Jane Pettigrew, Running Press, $18.95 U.S.  ©2004 See our review of this book and how to order--click here.  This is copyrighted property and may not be re-printed or used in any manner without proper authority from the publisher.  See below. The book also has a great flow chart showing methods and stages of tea production.  A great reference tool. Order The Tea Companion today.

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MORE TEA FACTS below from Tales of a Tea Leaf~The Complete Guide to Tea Cuisine by Jill Yates, Square One Publishers, $13.95 ISBN 0-7570-0099-1  ©2005 The following information is used by permission of Square One.  This is copyrighted property and may not be re-printed or used in any manner without proper authority from the publisher.  See below.  Order Tales of a Tea Leaf from Square One today.  See our review of this book--click here.  Click the following headings or scroll down for more info.

Tea Processing

Reading Tea Leaves

Constant Comment, what is it?

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Constant Comment®, what is it?  Ever wonder where the name of this tea came from?  We read about this in Tales of a Tea Leaf by Jill Yates and wanted to share this information with you.  Very interesting:

©2005Tales of a Tea Leaf~The Complete Guide to Tea Cuisine by Jill Yates, Square One Publishers

In the 1940s, Ruth Bigelow was a woman ahead of her time.  A generation before women demanded equal rights, at a time when many thought a woman's place was in the home, Ruth Bigelow was busy building one of America's most successful tea companies.  Pursuing her idea of the perfect cup of tea, Ruth was searching for a better blend when she found an old colonial recipe with orange peels and spices.  Working in her New York kitchen, she created a tea that generated "constant comments," thus the name for her signature tea, Constant Comment®.  By 1945, Ruth was packaging and shipping her tea and by 1950, she opened Bigelow's first factory in Connecticut.  In 1958, she bought Bigelow's first tea bag machine.  Sixty years later, R.C. Bigelow, Inc. is run by Ruth's son, David, and is one of the few remaining family-run tea companies.  Offering a wide variety of teas, Bigelow has manufacturing and distributing facilities in Connecticut, Idaho, and Kentucky, and claims to sell over a billion cups of tea per year.

Information and 2 charts above from Tales of a Tea Leaf~The Complete Guide to Tea Cuisine by Jill Yates, Square One Publishers, $13.95 ISBN 0-7570-0099-1  ©2005 The information is used by permission of Square One.  This is copyrighted property and may not be re-printed or used in any manner without proper authority from the publisher. Order Tales of a Tea Leaf from Square One today.

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MORE TEA FACTS BELOW: 

Timeline below from A Little Indulgence -- TEA ©2005 CQ Products. The information is used by permission of CQ Products.  This is copyrighted property and may not be re-printed or used in any manner without proper authority from the publisher. Order A Little Indulgence -- TEA from CQ Products today.

Timeline above from A Little Indulgence -- TEA ©2005 CQ Products. The information is used by permission of CQ Products.  This is copyrighted property and may not be re-printed or used in any manner without proper authority from the publisher. Order A Little Indulgence -- TEA ©2005 from CQ Products today.

AFTERNOON TEA/LOW TEA, HIGH TEA ~ WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

from A Little Indulgence -- TEA ©2005 CQ Products.

HIGH TEA:  The term "High Tea" is often misused because people think the names sounds lofty and regal.  High Tea, in fact, refers to tea that was served at a high dining table rather than a low tea table.  During the Industrial Revolution, the second half of the Victorian Era, working class families would return home exhausted after a long day.  The table would be set with foods like Welsh rabbit, shepherd's pie, steak, bread, butter, potatoes, pickles, cheese and tea.

LOW TEA: Also known as Afternoon Tea, Low Tea was usually taken late in the afternoon.  It was taken in the sitting room where low tables, like coffee tables, were placed near chairs and sofas.  Tiny tea sandwiches, scones and pastries were served with Afternoon Tea.  These finger foods were ideal, as the small bites allowed for guests to easily maintain conversation.

TEA ROOMS:  As teas became more popular, Tea Rooms sprang up throughout England and many served tea daily from 3 to 5 in the afternoon.  Today most Tea Rooms offer three basic types of Afternoon Tea:

        Cream Tea -- tea served with scones, jam and cream.

        Light Tea -- tea served with scones and sweets.

        Full Tea -- tea served with savories, scones and dessert.

This above description of High & Low Teas is from A Little Indulgence -- TEA ©2005 CQ Products. The information is used by permission of CQ Products.  This is copyrighted property and may not be re-printed or used in any manner without proper authority from the publisher. Order A Little Indulgence -- TEA from CQ Products today.

THE ART OF TEA TASTING FOR PERSONAL PLEASURE

Written by : Indi Khanna, Tea 'n' Teas.  www.teanteas.com  0309 4096254

For most tea drinkers, the mental picture that springs to mind when there is mention of ‘tea tasting’ is of some mysterious ritual beyond the lay person’s comprehension.  A ceremony which only the abstinent ‘tea taster’ fully understands the rules of.

Taste being perceptible only by the human palate and since that development of that sense is achieved only after years of dedicated training before one is able to develop oneself into a professional taster, is it any wonder then that the taster’s art form is viewed with a tinge of awe and wonderment.

Far from being shrouded in anonymity, the skill of tea tasting, much like the tasting of wine, is an art form acquired by the taster, who does not necessarily conform to the generally held picture of a ‘Tea Taster’ as a tea totaling introvert.  The tasters skill is acquired through years of practice during which the ‘taster’ slurps his/her way through countless cups of tea ranging from the very ordinary, watery brews to those sublime cups which transport one to a different level.  Tea tasting is after all, only a talent, albeit drawing upon an encyclopedic knowledge built up over years of slurping, which enables the expert to not only identify, but also intensify the subtle nuances and essences of a particular tea by comparing them to other teas.

From the time tea was introduced to the West, well into the early part of the 19th century, any tea sold was simply unblended leaf, shipped directly from the tea estates and consumed as such regardless of variations in taste or quality.  That there would be wide variations from one consignment to the next was a ‘hazard’, well accepted by the tea consumer.  Over the years, as with most other consumer products, the habit of tea drinking also matured.  This growing level of sophistication, lead naturally into a heightened expectation in the minds of the consumer with an unstated demand for uniformity.  And so, with the maturing of consumer tastes, evolved the practice of retailing a blend with a pre-set taste profile which would offset seasonal and other variances in characteristics, thereby providing the consumer with the ‘same’ cup of tea throughout the year.

This demand for a pre-determined standard to be maintained throughout the year is what created a new breed of professionals.  Tea Tasters!  The job demanded individuals who had their senses of sight, taste and smell developed to the highest possible level, since the job required not only a sharp eye, but also an equally delicate and discriminating nose and palate.

A cursory understanding of how the professional practices his art unveils the ‘mystery’, enabling the casual tea drinker to better enjoy a cup of tea as a multi-sensory experience.

The basic equipment which a tea taster uses, includes:

• A tea tasting set.  This includes a tasting bowl and a brewing cup with a lid.

• A weighing scale.  To measure accurately a similar portion of tea for each cup.  This is usually 3 grams of tea.

• A tasting spoon.  Similar to a soup spoon, though a mite deeper.

• A spittoon.  To spit out the tea after tasting it

• A timer.  So that the tea may be steeped for a precise time of 3-5 minutes. 

For the ‘lay taster’ a couple of small teapots, cups, spoons and any watch or clock serves the purpose just as well.

While tasting tea without adding any milk to the cup is preferable from the point of view of sharper judgment, it is a subjective choice to taste with or without milk, just so long as an equal quantity of milk is added to each cup.

Once the ‘equipment’ is ready, choose the teas you wish to taste.  Initially avoid being too expansive in the range.  Start with a few cups and gradually over a period of time, as your palate begins to discriminate the nuances, increase the number of cups in one session.  A thumb rule to follow is to set up the teas in a progression of increasing intensity.  If conducting a tasting across types, the general order to follow would be:

White

Green

Oolong

Black

Puerh

However, since each type of tea is so poles apart from the other, try as far as possible, to avoid tasting different types of teas in one session.  Then again, the size of the leaf being in inverse ratio to the strength of the cup, if it is blacks you are tasting, the larger sized leaf particle should be tasted first, followed by the smaller grades leading to the smallest sized grade at the end.

Basically Tea-tasting involves your three senses, smell, sight and, of course, taste. Let’s start with sight, look at the color of the teas laid out before you.  You may notice that the color of the teas can vary greatly, even within the same type of teas.  Now move a step forward, to aroma.   In order to intensify the smell of wine you swirl the wine in the glass and sniff.  Similarly with tea, the best way to release what is called the "bouquet" is to hold the lid onto the teapot, AFTER the liquor has been poured out, and shake. Now lift up the lid and inhale.  While you may not be able to describe the smell, take that as being a non-issue, because after going through the routine with many teas you will begin to notice similarities and differences.  Finally taste.  To experience the full taste of the tea, concentrate on the initial taste, the taste, and the aftertaste. Take a sip of a tea and hold it in your mouth.  Swirl or gargle in your mouth so the liquid is distributed throughout.  You cannot help but notice the flavor and texture left coating your mouth.  That’s about it!  Try not to be intimidated by the apparent number of steps involved.  Simply and very naturally allow the three senses of sight, smell, and taste to extract the most out of each cup. The more teas you try and the more attention you pay to each cup, the better you will become at appreciating each tea's distinct characteristics!  To take this step by step:

• Arrange your dry tea samples on plates or bowls for inspection of leaf grade, particle size, color, tips, and overall uniformity.

• Place approximately an equal volume, depending upon the size of the tea pots you have, of between 2-3 grams, of tea in each teapot.

• A thumb rule is to use approximately 2 to 3 grams of tea leaves per 6 ounces of water.

• Pour an equal amount of water which has ‘just boiled’ into each teapot.

• It is preferable to use the freshest and purest water available.  Hard water is best avoided.

• Depending upon the size of the leaf, steep the samples for 3-5 minutes, before straining out the leaves

• The soggy mess of leaf is eloquent to the extreme and has an interesting story to tell, so inspect the infused leaves for fragrance and leaf condition.  A bright coppery hue points to a ‘good’ tea.  On the other hand, a dull infusion means an unexciting cup!

• It is often helpful to cup your hand over the top of the vessel to funnel the vapor toward your nose.  It doesn’t take an expert to tell you what a good aroma, a good ‘nose’ in the taster’s parlance, indicates.

• The final step is to taste the liquor.  Professional tasters typically slurp the tea from a teaspoon.  This slurping, which children are constantly berated about, aerates the tea and sprays it across the entire palate, giving the mouth a full bodied ‘taste punch’. 

• Once the tea is sprayed into your mouth, swish the mouthful around your mouth, sucking in further short bursts of air, in order to release the more delicate characteristics inherent in the tea.

• While definitely not in the first couple of tastings, but as the palate begins to get used to the onslaught, your senses will automatically start recognizing and characterizing the subtle nuances.  The first step to YOUR encyclopedic knowledge!

• Having tasted the tea, like a true professional, you spit out into the spittoon.

Human perception and appreciation of flavor and aroma, like most sensory cues can, and do get easily swayed significantly by the time of day, mood and even inconsequential environmental factors such as the lighting, cleanliness and organization of the tasting room.  One of the key elements of professional tasting being consistency, wherever possible, tasting sessions should occur at the same time each day while the tasting room should be kept clean, clear and free of obtrusive odors.  It is needless to say that the taster(s) should refrain from the consumption of strongly-flavored foods prior to a tasting.

While the professional Tea Taster employs a bewildering vocabulary to describe the leaf, the infusion, the liquor and the whole experience in general, the lay person should be simply content with being able to differentiate between the good and the bad.  That very demarcation is, after all, exactly what the tasters confusing phraseology boils down to.

While any questions are welcome, the author is also available for professional tasting sessions or consultancy.  For details, please write to indi@teanteas.com

Check out these photos sent in by Indi.  Click photos to enlarge.

Camellia sinensis                    The bewildering array which the professional taster faces.

Above article Written by : Indi Khanna, Tea 'n' Teas.  www.teanteas.com  0309 4096254

©2006 Indi Khanna -- May not be re-printed or used in any manner without prior permission from the author.

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TEA VS. COFFEE~RESPECT IN BREWING by Lady Gayle

©2006 The Tea House Times

Do you know how to brew a proper cup of tea at home?  Does your restaurant or tea shop offer a properly brewed, decent cup of tea?  You certainly know how to brew a pot of coffee; tea isn’t any more difficult.  It’s time to train restaurant staff in proper tea brewing techniques to satisfy the growing consumer trend towards a healthy, tea drinking habit.

In the tea industry there is a lot of talk about properly brewing a tasteful cup of tea; and to tea professionals it comes easily, naturally.  Tea has come a long way since the invention of the tea bag.  Before tea bags, everyone used loose leaf teas.  Now people are getting back to basics and buying loose leaf teas for the higher quality and freshness it provides.  If you can brew a pot of coffee, you can certainly give tea the same amount of respect and brew up a fresh, delicious, pot of tea.  The key to serving delicious tea is proper water temperature depending upon what type of tea you are serving, and proper brewing time.

The biggest no-no in tea brewing is brewing loose leaf teas or even tea bags in the bottom of a teapot and then leaving them there for an undetermined amount of time.  A lot of restaurants and high class hotels serving afternoon tea do this. ~ The pot is then served to the guest with no way of removing the leaves.  Those fancy little strainers are nice to strain the tea into your cup, but only good if you are serving the entire pot all at once to a number of people.  Otherwise, the entire pot should be strained off into a different pot and served without the leaves floating on the bottom of the pot.  If leaves are left in the pot, the pot keeps stewing and the brew becomes completely undrinkable, bitter, and wasted.  Some restaurants and hotels then proceed to offer you more water to add to the tea still floating on the bottom of your pot.  This does not help at all.  It only waters down the bitter brew remaining in your pot.

In general, green teas require water just under boiling.  Black teas require water that has come to a full boil.  Green teas may be brewed, leaves removed, and brewed a few times over; still producing a fine, tasteful cup of tea.  Black teas should be brewed only one time and leaves removed and discarded.  For convenience you may purchase sacs for your loose tea (at your local tea shop).  Measure approximately one teaspoon per cup of tea into the sac.  Place the sac into your cup or pot and allow to brew 3-5 minutes depending on preference of tea strength.  Remove the sac and enjoy your tea.  Reuse your sac for another cup of green tea. 

There are a lot of different ways to strain your tea leaves.  Baskets may also be purchased to nestle inside your teacup or pot.  Then when the tea is ready, remove the basket and discard the leaves.  You may also purchase a tea ball which serves the same purpose.  Just be sure whatever method you choose, that the basket or sac or tea ball is twice the size of your intended amount of tea leaves.  The leaves need room to expand and release flavor.

Now, does that sound so difficult?  If you can make coffee by measuring it out into a filter and brewing, you can certainly measure out tea and brew it with the same ease.  Gone are the days of thinking tea bags are the answer to a quick, good cup of tea.  Some tea bags ARE good, but loose leaf teas offer a longer shelf life and you also get more for your money, thus the best option for restaurants who wish to offer a fine cup of tea to their customers.

In the interest of time, restaurants may wish to allow customers to time their own tea, saving the server the time it takes to brew.  Serve tea in a pot (using a sac or basket for the leaves) along with a timer (set for when the server started the brewing) and perhaps a bread plate to place the sac upon when the tea has reached the consumer’s liking.  If the server will brew the tea, be sure it is fully strained into a different pot or use a sac or basket or tea ball and remove before serving.

Brewing up a proper cup of tea is not difficult.  Many people who have not yet become tea drinkers will likely change their minds if offered a properly brewed cup of tea.  It’s fun to experiment with tea and now loose teas and higher quality tea bags are being offered in tea shops and even supermarkets, making it very convenient for the consumer.  Enjoy your tea.

HOW TEA IS MADE, TEA INDUSTRY FACTS

TOURS AT CHARLESTON TEA PLANTATION

Read all about this by clicking here.

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TEAth Fact

by Kristina Wiley, DDS

CEO Linde Lane, 805 North Lincoln #A, Dixon, CA 95620 (916) 799-3315

www.lindelane.com

Following a surgical procedure in my dental office, a patient goes home with three items.  The first is a list of postoperative care instructions.  The second is cotton gauze.  The third is a black tea bag, in case of emergency.  Not a tea drinking emergency, but rather an uncontrollable bleeding emergency.  The tannins in black tea are beneficial in controlling bleeding.  Occasionally sutures can't even stop the heaviest bleeder, so we reach for the trusty tea bags.  Just a little warm water and a little pressure, and before too long a clot is formed and the bleeding will subside.  Works well on skin injuries too.  Of course, if they don't experience excess bleeding, then they can enjoy a cup of tea.

Article submitted and reprinted by permission of:  Kristina Wiley, DDS    www.lindelane.com

*All matters pertaining to your health should be supervised; consult your physician.* See reader notice below.

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READER NOTICE

The information here is not intended for use as a substitute for consultation with a qualified medical practitioner, medical treatment or medical advice. If you have symptoms of any illness, or a known disease, it is essential that you see your doctor without delay. You are unique, and your diagnosis and treatment must be individualized for you by your own doctor. You are encouraged to work closely with your doctor and other health care professionals to achieve optimum health and visit them on a regular basis to monitor your health. The Tea House Times, the Author(s), and their affiliates, successors, assigns and their respective officers, directors, agents and employees will not accept responsibility for injury, loss, or damage occasioned to any person acting or refraining to act as a result of material read or provided here, whether or not such injury, loss, or damage is due in any way to any negligent act or omission, breach of duty, or default.