Types of Tea - Know your Teas
Do you sometimes feel a little overwhelmed with all the different types of teas that are in the market today, and the choices are many! I know I do. Especially when I’m faced with a decision on what to buy at a tea store or when I’m at a dinner party and the host offers me a slew of choices.
Some of the more common tea types are black tea, green tea, oolong tea, white tea, roobois tea, herbal teas, organic tea, gourmet tea, fair trade tea......and the list goes on. I find that as I expand my tea circle and learn more about this beverage, it helps me understand better what the different teas offer in terms of aroma, strength and taste and ultimately it helps with my choice.
Sometimes I weigh the benefits of the different types of tea depending on how I feel and what would suit my mood. There are also the many Health Benefits of Tea.
As you learn more about the different tea types and their medicinal properties, you can make more informed choices. All the teas offer varying healing properties. For example, if you are having digestion problems, try Fennel Tea. It helps to settle the stomach.
So, you love experimenting with different types of tea.....I mean if you're on a tea website, you must love the brew... BUT......
1. You don't want to spend too much money until you've at least had a taste to see if a particular blend pleases your palate and senses.
2. You don't have the time to go to a store and browse through all the different varieties and as I have said, that can seem a little overwhelming sometimes.
So, what's the solution.....Buy a "Taster's Sample". That is a great way to sample different teas and it doesn't put you out of the pocket too much and if you like a particular type of tea, you can order a larger quantity AND you don't have to figure out what to order. Here's how it works with the 2 samples I've chosen below. They both have their own unique attributes.
Tea Taster's Sampler from Golden Moon Tea. It's a best seller of 31 extraordinary whole leaf teas packaged individually in an elegant and beautiful hand crafted pandan leaf sampler box. It has a good rating and here are some of the comments:
"makes a great Christmas Gift",
"perfect for trying new teas to find new favourites - a real value for the money",
"each is really good, I would definitely order it again"
A little tidbit on pandan leaves. They are used in South East Asian cooking and have a distinct and wonderful aroma. They are usually added to curries and baking. When I go to Singapore, pandan cake (very green in colour), is a definite must for me. Pandan leaves are also used for making handicrafts, hence the gift box, an eco-friendly product.
Another sampling you can try is the Tea of the Month Club from Art of Tea. Each month, 2-3 ounces (approximately 30 servings) of a new tea will be shipped for a total of 12 months to your desired location. It's like receiving a new gift every month!
If you want samples for a shorter time period, there is also the Tea of the Month Club 6 Months Membership.
So, given the huge assortment of teas in the marketplace, it may be difficult to choose the right one for that “special” occasion, or if you are looking for something specific with tea health benefits or even just tea for everyday consumption. Based on my experiences, here are a few pointers:
Rule # 1: Have fun with it
Rule # 2: You don’t need to be a tea expert to enjoy tea
Start experimenting with the different teas, hence those Tea Samplers which are great. Try and distinguish the aroma and the body of infusion which is the taste and mouth feel. I’ll try and help define what is a good “morning tea”, a “dessert tea” etc but remember Rule #1 is to have fun with it so go with what you enjoy.
If you are hosting a party, this is information that you can share with your guests and it will make the process more entertaining, informative and interesting as your guests make their selections and you never know where tea conversations can take you.
One of my recent tea conversation took us to Sri Lanka, a country that my dinner host had visited just recently and she gave us insight into the tea plantations she had visited and the discussion then steered into an interesting chat around fair trade tea.
So, what are the more common different types of tea - basically, there are four types of tea:Black Tea
Green Tea
Oolong Tea
White Tea
These teas are all harvested from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis but are processed differently to attain different levels of oxidation. Black tea is oxidized for the longest period of time which produces the darkest of the tea. Green tea is steamed very soon after picking to stop the oxidation process. Oolong tea is left to oxidize a bit longer and is the type used by most Chinese restaurants. White tea is the least processed of all teas. Here is more information on a few other types of teas:
Fair Trade Tea
Bubble Tea
Organic Tea
Gourmet Tea
Nettle Tea
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