Chinese Black Tea

Black tea, known in China as red tea, is the most common product produced by our favorite Camellia sinensis plant.   It’s the most consume type of tea in the world; however, it is the least popular style in China.  The quality range is also greater than any other tea grown.  It is the Chinese black tea that is known for its highest quality compared to the other mechanically harvested and grown in places like India, Sri Lanka and Kenya.

There is a lot of debate among tea scholars as to when black tea was actually invented.  But everyone definitely agrees that tea appeared in the Chinese market by the 16^th century.  Obviously for that to happen, the origin of tea production had to have gone back farther.

There are those who argue that black tea was created during the beginning of the Ming Dynasty around 1391.    Tea drinking in general had become accepted in Chinese society but was traded in the form of tightly compressed tea cakes.  These teas were considered worth their weight in gold.  At its peak, the tea trade was very well known for its wealth and corruption.

At the beginning of the Ming dynasty, under the rule of Ming Hong Wu Lian decided to put a halt to the corruption by ordering the end of the production of the tea cakes.  With the production halted, the monasteries that produced tea were stuck with tea and nothing to do with it.   The Wu Yi Shan’s monasteries began attempting to try pan-friend loose leaf green tea.   They were never successful because they could not get the teas to stop oxidizing.  This is typical of black tea.   Thus green tea was created by the time the 16^th century rolled around.

Fun history, no?  Are you a fan of black tea, dear readers?

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Chinese vs Japanese Green Teas

In the beginning there was a plant.  A green plant. Well…Green tea.   Grown in either Japan or China, this plant is harvested the same way but when it comes to the processing, there are differences:

Chinese – these green teas are mainly roasted or oven dried or sometimes steamed.  Other times the methods are combined.  Some examples are Biluochen (roasted then oven), Zhuyeqing (all three methods) or Houkui (simply ovened).

Japanese – is mainly steamed because it allows the tea to maintain its bright green color and more attractive.  There are sometimes that the tea is pan-roasted.

There are also a lot of varieties in the Chinese green teas.  There are about nine different shapes like loose balls (Dragon Pearls), tight balls (Gunpowder), or gently curled (White Monkey Paw).  There are those with flowers and fruits and others have jasmine.  It is also said that Chinese teas are more likely to be hand-processed instead of made in a factory; however that is only speculation.

Japanese green teas only come in two varieties: needles shaped pieces (Sencha and Gyokuro) and powder (Matcha).   There is also a type of green tea (Sencha) that is mixed with roasted rice that is quite popular in Japan.  It is called Genmaicha.  It is said that it goes quite well with stir-fried foods.

There is also the geographic variety between the teas.  In China, green teas are grown in 15 different provinces while Japan is not big enough to have 15 different provinces.

Who would have thought that there would be such a difference in green teas?  Here’s a challenge: the next time you go to buy green tea, try to found out its origin.  Is it Chinese?  Is it Japanese? Then consider and compare the flavors, do you notice a difference?

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My mug decided on a nice lightly floral Organic Green Jasmine from Hampstead Tea this morning.

This black tea blend has a wonderfully matched black tea with what taste like orange with a hint of pineapple. The aroma contains mostly orange and lemon scents. I think the black tea is a Ceylon, but I have no confirmation of that. Either way, give this one a try.

Morning Cup #54

What’s in your cup?

Posted in Bagged Tea, Chinese Tea, Fair Trade, Flavored Tea, Floral Tea, Green Tea, Morning Cup, Organic, Tea, Tea Bags | No Comments »

Blooming Flower Tea

There are those that believe that these beautiful works of art came from an ancient Chinese tradition; however it is widely considered to be developed in the 1990s in China and made its way to the west in the early 2000s.

It is popular to brew this type of tea in a clear pot or cup in order to watch the leaves unfurl as it steeps.  This tea is usually good for multiple brews so it’s better to brew in a pot.  The most common flowers used in flowering teas are chrysanthemums, jasmines, lilies, osmanthus and hibiscus.

They are created when artisans bunch the leaves into a ball and having them dry in that form, allowing the leaves to retain the ball structure.  When packaged, they are wrapped individually so as they are not jostled during transport.  There are some that say that there are artisans that can create little scenes with their teas (some say like a sailing ship, though I have never seen it for myself).  I will admit, half the fun is seeing what will unfurl from that tight little ball.

If you are finishing your tea and are finding it heartbreaking to lose the work of art…never fear! By using two spoons, you can transfer your tea from your teapot of hot water to another filled with cold water.  Some say that this can be maintained for weeks!

While digging up research, I also found that there are those out there that make their own tea balls.  In fact, I found instructions on how to do it myself!  Here’s the link for those willing to take on the challenge:

http://www.ehow.com/how_7661477_make-flowering-tea-balls.html

Cool, no? I managed to find a video on YouTube that allows you to watch this tea unfurl:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbRpdYRz1Y0

Posted in Article, Chinese Tea, Culture, Floral Tea, Stories, Tea, Tea 201, Tisane | No Comments »

Over the past year I’ve found myself really growing a side passion in Pu’erh teas such as this Magnolia Pu’erh from Numi Tea.

This Pu’erh is dark and earthy like others, but with a decidedly floral overtone with what I think are honeysuckle undertones. I’m pretty impressed with the flavor quality from a bagged tea, let alone a bagged Pu’erh.

This brew caught me off guard. Perhaps it will do the same for you!.

Morning Cup #52

What’s in your cup?

Posted in Bagged Tea, Chinese Tea, Flavored Tea, Floral Tea, Morning Cup, Numi Tea, Pu'erh Tea, Puer, Pu’erh, Tea | No Comments »