Wales Tea Merchant - Vegan Teas - Sourcing Teas From Around The World. Last Orders For Christmas 18th December. Orders after that date will be dispatched from the from the 28th December with a break for new year 1st & 2nd. Wishing Everyone Happy Holidays From Harrison Teas.
Green Tea is a very well-known form of tea. However, we ask the question more in the context of if all tea leaves are from a tea bush, how is green tea different from black tea or oolong tea or white tea? And in this context, it is the way the leaves are plucked and produced that results in green tea. The main difference is that the oxidization process of the leaves is halted – so they do not turn brown as with Oolong Teas or Black Tea. The leaves are plucked from the tea bush when they are fully open, sometimes left to wither for a short while, and then heat is applied to prevent oxidization, a chemical reaction that occurs between the moisture contained in the leaf and the oxygen in the air. The green tea leaves are then rolled or pressed to develop their unique flavors, before being dried and sorted.
Choosing Your Loose Leaf Green Teas
Green Tea Leaves are amazing in both their varied forms and the health benefits they give too. For the purposes of everyday serving, 3 – 5 cups of green tea a day is associated with health benefits, but which one should you choose? As the chemical structure of a green tea leaf is likely to be very similar from one to another, we would say the teas you should choose should be ones you really enjoy.
How To Infuse Loose Leaf Green Tea.
As with all tea infusions, we start with water. Wherever possible, use fresh, filtered water. The water temperature to use should not be boiling but around 80 Degrees. Infusion times for green teas are also less than for larger leaf black teas within a range of 1 – 4 minutes, but for a medium strength, we would suggest around 3 minutes in general.
Orthodox black teas are classified into grades to clarify the appearance of the leaves.
However, this classification does not reveal anything about the physical taste of the tea – this can only really be done by experienced tea tasters, but it does let you know the level at which the tea estate grades the leaves for their size and appearance.
This internal grading is always relevant to the individual tea estate and is not a general grading by which to buy. For example, a does not make the leaf equal to a TGFOP grade with another tea estate, but rather indicates the grade that estate has given the leaf.
This grading is used around the world where the British system of naming has been adopted and including India Sri Lancia ( Ceylon) & Africa.
The current Orthodox and CTC (Crush or Cut, Tear, Curl) black tea leaf grading terms are shown in the chart below:
lowery Orange Pekoe (FOP)
Denotes tea from the end bud and first leaf of each shoot. FOP contains fine tender young leaves rolled with the correct proportion of tip. The word pekoe is thought to be of Chinese origin referring to the silver hairs found on the young buds, whilst the word orange does not have anything to do with the flavor of the tea, but one suggestion is the Dutch East India Company may have marketed the tea as “Orange” to suggest a royal endorsement from The Dutch royal House of Orange-Nassau.
Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (GFOP)
This is FOP but with ‘golden tips’ which are the very ends of the golden yellow buds.
Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (TGFOP)
This is the same as FOP but the T for Tippy denotes a large proportion of golden tips present in the tea.
Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (FTGTOP)
This is excellent quality FOP
Special (Superior) Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (SFTGFOP)
This is as good as it gets! This is the very best FOP. The term ‘Superior’ is often used when describing other types of tea to denote the best quality within that tea.
Orange Pekoe (OP)
This kind of tea rarely contains ‘tips’ but has larger leaves than found in FOP that has been harvested when the buds open into leaf.
Pekoe (P)
This tea contains shorter leaves than OP, often much less fine.
Flowery Pekoe (FP)
Leaves for this classification are rolled into balls.
Pekoe Souchong (PS)
Contains shorter, coarser leaves than P
Souchong (S)
Most often, this term is associated with China’s smoked teas and describes large leaves that are rolled raggedly lengthwise.
Broken Leaf Grades
Broken leaf grades are divided into many categories but can best be identified by the last three letters ‘BOP’ – meaning Broken Orange Pekoe. There are many variations as for leaf grade, but the letter meanings are the same i.e. GFBOP means Golden Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe etc.
Fannings/Fines or Dust
These are teas made up of the finest siftings and are mainly used in blends for tea bags requiring a quick brew. Their presence is denoted by the letter ‘F’ for Fannings e.g. BOPF – Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings, or ‘D’ for Dust e.g. PD – Pekoe Dust.
CTC Grades
BP – Broken Pekoe, PF – Pekoe Fannings, PD -Pekoe Dust, F – Fannings, OF – Orange Fannings, GOF – Golden Orange Fannings, D – Dust, D1 – Dust 1, D2 – Dust 2, RD – Red Dust.
Tea Leaf Grading Terms In Other Tea Growing Regions
China
In China, primarily, tea leaves are identified by the region they were grown in, the time of year when the leaf has been harvested the method of manufacture, and the type of leaf used. In addition to this basic identification, the tea naming will also include reference to the tea’s mythical origin or tradition associated with the tea, for example, Golden Monkey Black Tea
A numbering system of grading is sometimes used using numbers 1 – 5 where 5 is the lowest grade and 1 is the highest.
Taiwan
Formerly known as Formosa, Taiwan is renowned for the quality of Oolong tea. Leaves are often identified by the growing region and also descriptive words from Good to Fancy to Super Fancy or Super Fine to Superior, Finest to ‘Top Super Fancy’ as is the case with Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea.
Japan
Tea naming in Japan indicates when the tea was picked and what sort of tea it is. For example, Sencha denotes a leaf picked in Spring whereas Bancha is the name given to a Sencha style leaf but picked later in the season, like a 2nd flush. Gyokuro is the name given to tea leaves that have been grown under shade picked in the early Spring and a Hoicha is roasted green tea using a leaf that has been roasted using a 3rd flush Bancha style leaf, Sanbancha..
Understanding how to make matcha or how to make matcha latte is really simple but the resultant drinks are amazing!
Traditionally from Japan, Matcha is the name given to tea leaves that have been processed into a fine powder, in fact so fine that when you drink it (or use it for cooking & the like) you actually consume the whole leaf.
The variety of leaves traditionally used to produce Japanese Matcha is pure Gyokuro leaves which have been shaded beneath special mats for 3 weeks prior to plucking this cuts out around 90% of sunlight. The result of this process is the leaves contain less bitter polyphenols and more L-theanine amino acids which add more sweetness to the tea.
There are varying grades of Matcha now available. Matcha can be brewed in many ways and does not necessarily have to be brewed to the strict guidelines of the Japanese tea ceremony. However there are a couple of tips when brewing that might help.
The first, Matcha is best brewed using good quality water that has been boiled and then left to cool for about 2 -3 minutes. The tea will be at its peak flavour and you will be able to consume it immediately.
Secondly, it’s a good idea to sift Matcha through a tea strainer so that it won’t form lumps when hot water is added.
The history of Matcha
Matcha has been used in the Japanese tea ceremony (or Chanoyu) for centuries. Tea was believed in ancient Japan to be a gift from the heavens that gave great spiritual power and restorative properties here on earth and as such Matcha has been revered as something very special. Whilst the Japanese tea ceremony is still highly placed in Japanese culture today, the consumption of Matcha in other situations has become commonplace.
How to make matcha in the traditional way
If you’d like to prepare in the traditional ceremonial way you’ll need a set of Japanese tea ceremony bowls, scoops, and a whisk.
Warm the tea bowls with boiled water.
Prepare your Matcha whisk by soaking the tip in one of the tea bowls filled with boiling water for approximately 10 seconds.
Now remove the water from the bowl and dry it with a paper towel.
Using a Matcha teaspoon, add 2 scoops of Matcha green tea powder to each bowl
Carefully pour about 1/3 of a cup of the boiled water into each bowl
Using the whisk, gently submerge any Matcha that may be floating on the surface of the tea.
Whisk more briskly in a back and forth motion until the surface of the Matcha is frothy.
Drink immediately – in Japan, it is custom to consume the whole bowl in 3 slurps!
How to make matcha lattes
There are many other ways to consume Matcha. Most popular at the moment is either hot or iced Matcha Lattes a great and healthy alternative to lattes made with coffee. Try with flavour shots, just as in normal lattes and you’ll be amazed at how delicious Matcha lattes can taste. Almond or Soya milk make a great alternative to cow’s milk if preferred. An easy way to make matcha latte is as follows:
Ingredients per cup/mug serving:
1 teaspoon (approximately 1g) of matcha green tea powder
Honey or sugar to sweeten
3 tablespoons of warm, filtered water (boiled and allowed to cool)
300ml of hot milk or 250ml of cold milk
Method:
Place milk (or soya/oat milk alternative) to heat on stove, or heat/froth if using a steamer.
Add 1 tsp of matcha green tea powder and place it into a cup or mug.
Boil around 3tbsp freshly drawn, filtered water, and let cool until warm.
Add the water continually stirring or whisking with a whisk into a smooth paste to avoid lumps.
Add hot milk (top with froth optional) – or if making an iced latte, add cold milk.
Sweeten to taste
Sprinkle with a little matcha for decoration
Matcha can be used in your cooking
Matcha can be used in bread, smoothies, chocolate, salad dressings, desserts, and many other recipes. There are now many varieties of matcha including Kenyan White teas and Peppermint herbal matcha both sold here at Harrison teas.
Why is Matcha so good for you?
Traditional Matcha is made using Gyokuro leaves which we’ve already mentioned are kept shaded for three weeks before harvesting. It is this shading that forces the tea bush to produce higher than normal chlorophyll resulting in the tea leaves becoming a very rich green colour. Once plucked, the leaves are steamed and dried and are known as Aracha.
The next stage of the process removes all stems and veins from the leaves to leave a very pure leaf known as Tencha.
It is this Tencha that is ground into a powdered format known as Matcha. As a powdered leaf, however you consume Matcha you are actually consuming the tea leaves which of course increases the levels of caffeine, L-theanine, polyphenols, and other nutrients in the tea.
Evening Repose Tea When the sun sets over the hill and the new moon dips her silver softness, savour the tranquility in our evening repose blend. It’s a perfect toast to the rising moon. A robust flavour of flowers and mint.
1 part roses 1 part lavender flowers 1 part lemon verbena leaves 1 part chamomile flowers 1 part each peppermint & spearmint leaves 1 part blue malva flowers pinch of stevia
Place all herbs in a tea ball or bag, put in your nicest or most favorite cup or mug, and cover with boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes. Remove tea ball or bag, and add sugar, honey, sweetener, milk, cream or whatever, to taste
Echinacea & Roots Tea A tasty way to help strengthen and support your natural resistance. A very popular tea.
1 partechinacea purpurea root 1 part pau d’arco 1 part dandelion root (raw and roasted) 1 part sarsaparilla bark 1 part cinnamon barks 1 part ginger root 1 part burdock roots 1 part sassafras bark a pinch of stevia
Place all herbs in a tea ball or bag, put in your nicest or most favorite cup or mug, and cover with boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes. Remove tea ball or bag, and add sugar, honey, sweetener, milk, cream or whatever, to taste
Dual Purpose Tea Do not drink more than 2 cups a day. 2 teaspoons dried German Chamomile flowers 1 cup boiling water Steep the flowers in the boiling water, covered, for 15 minutes. Strain, then slowly sip the infusion to relieve nausea, and stomach upset, and lessen menstrual cramps.
Tea For Health 1 tablespoon China black tea 2 teaspoon fennel 1 teaspoon mint 2 teaspoon rose hips 1 teaspoon elderflower 2 teaspoon hops 1 teaspoon mullein
2 parts Rose 1 part Mugwort 1 part Peppermint 1 part Jasmine 1/2 part Cinnamon Drink to cause dreams. Combine all ingredients thoroughly, fill tea diffuser @ 1 tsp. per cup of boiling water and as it steeps say;
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