Tea - A Guide for the Beginner TEA Drinker, What they are, How to Brew them, and TEA WARE

An initial Guide on TEA, Tea definitions, and Tea Phrases

When I initially started drinking Tea regularly, years ago, I was like a blind man reading a book. By that I mean that I just grabbed something off of the shelves, heated it, flavored it, and threw it down.

Today, there is so much information about Tea available that you can become your own tea expert very quickly.

I was just reading a Hub on flavored Tea, and I got confused over one of the actual names used in the Hub.

I didn’t know if it was; an actual variety of tea, a blend of teas, a flavored tea, or just a company name designed to sound Cool to their customers.

So, of course, I first went to my own book called Food Facts, that I have available on Amazon, by the Way. (In case you didn’t notice, that was a brazen attempt to get you, the reader, to check out my book on Amazon.)

Sad to say, my existing data, in my book was sparse on teas. So,in order to rectify that in my next revision of my book, I have just finished an attack on the subject via the great Google Search.

And, after several hours of research, I found out what I wanted to know about my original subject.

But, by that time, I had also gleaned enough information about Tea, in general, that I figured, rather than waste my new-found knowledge, I should share it with you.

So, here it is, a collection of basic information about Tea in general, as well as some specific Health information and more on popular flavors.

How the Major Teas evolved

First, you should know that Tea is made from the leaves of an evergreen bush or small tree from the genus Camellia sinensis, and has a history that goes back to 2737 BC in China. By around 300AD it was a popular daily beverage throughout China.

The name used today, TEA, is said to come from words of several Chinese dialects, specifically; Tay, Tchai and Cha.

The young leaves and leaf buds from the Tea bush are used to make the different varieties of Tea that are popular, and there are over 1500 types of Tea produced today.

There are three major varieties of tea (Black, Oolong and Green) that you will see as you start reading labels and selecting your favorite, with an unofficial fourth variety referred to as White Tea.

With all Teas, it is all about the Oils in the leaves and the Buds, and how they are processed and stored.

And, the level of the “magic health ingredient” in teas, Polyphenols, is relative to the fermentation level used in their processing.

To this end, you should know that; Black Teas are highly fermented (Low in Polyphenols), while Oolong Teas are only partially fermented (higher in polyphenols), and Green Teas are essentially unfermented (highest in polyphenols).

Black Tea gets its name from the black color of its leaves after they are oxidized. It is also known as Red Tea in the Far East and is made from the leaves of the Assamese plant.

The picked Tea leaves are allowed to wither and are then crushed to release the Oils. Then they are dried for specifically four hours before the tea is packaged.

It is the most popular variety of tea that is used today and accounts for over 90% of the teas used in the Western world.

Black Tea is the strongest flavored of the four varieties of tea and is used primarily to make Iced Tea in the US, typically utilizing Tea Bags. Black Tea is oxidized more than the other three major varieties of Tea and also has the highest Caffeine content of them all.

Black Tea, being the strongest of the Teas, stores longer than the others, often for several years. This longevity was one reason for the initial popularity of Black Tea in Europe, when Tea was first imported there in the 1600’s.

Oolong Tea is the more traditional Chinese variety of teas. The Chinese name actually means Black Dragon Tea in English.

The leaves and buds are dried in the Sun until they are withered and oxidized. It is roasted for anywhere from 12 to 36 hours.

Then the leaves are rolled in one of two ways; either into long curly leaves or small beads.

Due to the differences in methods of production used, Oolong Teas, are considered full-bodied and have a wide variety of flavors, ranging from; thick roasted aromas to sweet and fruity, while some even have fresh flowery aromas.

Oolong Teas have a lower caffeine content than Black Teas, but higher than the other varieties.

Green Tea is made by minimizing oxidation of the leaves during the production process and generally Green Teas have the highest levels of Polyphenols.

There is a wide variation in the distribution of Green Tea around the world. Often, this is due to the wide range of manufacturing processes used around the world, and which brands and types are made available.

As with other teas today, Green Tea can have a wide variety of flavorings added, but the dominant flavor of Green Tea is Light, Fresh and slightly sweet.

As you can see, I have listed below, a number of the accepted health benefits of teas in general ans specifically for Green Tea.

These benefits, it should be noted, are for people who have been consistent consumers of these teas for a relatively long period of time.

So, if you want to take advantage of these benefits, you should be a consistent consumer, and not someone who has a glass of tea every week or so.

White Tea is made from the young leaves and unopened buds on the tea plant.

It is called WhiteTea due to the light coloring of the strands on the unopened buds.

The leaves are withered in the Sun and only lightly oxidized to protect their flavor.

White Tea has a mild and Smooth flavor and is a light white color when brewed.

White Tea is often sold today as; Silvery Tip pekoe, Fujian White and China White, to name a few of the more popular sub-varieties.

Herbal Teas, typically,are not actually made from exclusively from Tea leaves.

Rather, they are called Tisanes, and a Tisane is made from combinations of Herbs, sometimes flowers, roots, Cinnamon, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, dried fruits and Spices as well as other natural ingredients.

And of course, with some brands actual tea leaves are added.

Whatever might be used in an Herbal Tea, it is often selected for their flavor and purported Health properties.

But some ingredients of Tisanes are used for such simple problems as; soothing an upset stomach, to help with constipation, or just to calm the tea drinker down.

There are a wide variety of popular manufactured Herbal teas, such as Mint Teas, Chamomile Teas, Jasmine Teas, and so forth.

Tea, and specifically Oolong Tea, contains high levels of Tannin, also characterized as Polyphenol.

In China, Polyphenol is purported to help the body get rid of Free Radicals which can thus delay the appearance of aging spots and wrinkles in the skin.

And the Polyphenol in Tea can also help reduce the level of Triglycerides and Fat in the body, as well as help in reducing the instance of Tooth Decay for long term tea drinkers.

Tea, in general, and specifically White Tea contains Catechins (polyphenol antioxidants) which have been found to lower Blood Pressure, lower Blood sugar, and reduce Cholesterol levels.

It can improve the function of the immune system, as well as reduce the pain of Rheumatoid Arthritis and can help block the effects of Ultra-Violet Rays on the body.

Long term drinkers of Green Tea are purported to have lower levels of heart disease, and certain types of Cancer.

A Green Tea extract containing polyphenols and Caffeine can boost the body’s metabolic rate by as much as 4% thus contributing to weight loss without increasing blood pressure.

All those other Popular Names for Teas

Once you get past these major varieties of actual Tea, you fall into the world of popular “named teas” These teas, all utilize one or more of the four varieties produced around the world and are either flavored or contain additives that have popularly given them their specific named category.

There is no way I can cover all of these here, but I will list some of the more well-known Teas and what makes them different.

Many people, especially in the US do not understand the popularity of Tea.

It is the second favorite beverage, in the world, second only to water.

It’s rich history and wide variety of blends, flavors and aromas are what have kept drinking Tea so popular around the world.

And, with the new data on the health benefits of drinking tea, health concious people around the world are sure to make it even more popular.

I must add, though, that a tea drinker today needs to take the time to carefully read the labels on products purporting to contain “green Tea”.

Too often, some companies feel that putting a green liquid into a bottle and labeling it as containing green tea, even if it only has miniscule quantities of the real thing, is all that they need to do to draw customers.

And, when you read the fine print, you will find that the actual green tea content in the beverage is inconsequential relative to that in an actual cup of green tea.

Me? Well, I am presently looking at what I now know about tea and am seriously considering its benefits versus those of my morning starter – Coffee! Sigh!

Send me your favorite!

By The Way! If you have information on teas in general, or a favorite brand, please send it to me or add it in a comment, and I will gladly update this Hub!

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