Category Archives: Types of Tea

Gyokuro – Japanese Shade Tea

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Gyokuro Loose Leaf Tea and Liquor

Gyokuro – Japanese Shade Grown Tea

Gyokuro is considered the best of the best of Japanese green teas, due to its sweet full-mouth feel.   The name Gyokuro translates into English as “precious dew”.  A rather fitting name for this special tea.

Flavor aside, what really makes this tea unique is how man intervenes in the tea’s growing process to assist in amplifying the flavor.  As written about in an earlier blog, Japan has been breeding specific tea cultivars for decades and the cultivar most used in Gyokuro is the Yutakamidori.  The cultivars used to produce Gyokuro do have a generally sweeter taste, but they also react better to shade.

Gyokuro – An Accidental Discovery

Gyokuro was supposedly created in 1835 in Uji province Japan, by a farmer that put hay on his tea plants to protect them from a late spring frost and did not remove the hay until harvest time.  The farmer discovered that the tea, when harvested and dried, had a much sweeter flavor than the usual Sencha.  By shading the tea plant, the farmer caused the plant to increase its theanine production, which makes it taste sweeter.  Today, most tea farms use shade cloth instead of hay, but some still use the hay.  The tea stays under shade around 21 days.  There may be some variation on the length because the farmers are waiting for the tea buds to get to ¾ inch in length before harvesting, and depending on the weather it could take the plants longer to get to the desired length (Kevin Gascoyne, 2011).  Unlike the rest of the teas in Japan, Gyokuro is harvested by hand.  Gyokuro is also only produced in one harvest each year.  The tea plant then goes on to grow leaves for Sencha or Bancha, in a later harvest.

Finished Gyokuro and Steeping Instructions

Once the tea leaves are plucked, the leaves are separated from the stem and then steamed in much the same fashion as Sencha.  The steaming processes will cause the leaf to fall apart, so the finished product has lots of different leaf sizes.

In making a cup of Gyokuro, the water should be well below boiling, somewhere between 149-170 degrees Farenhait.  To get this, pour boiling water into a ceramic cup and wait about 5 minutes before putting in the tea leaves.  Gyokuro being juried in a tea competitions in Japan are brewed even cooler, at 104 degrees Farenhait.  When steeping at this temperature the tea pot and cup are preheated and the water does not get to boil.  The tea is typically steeped for 90 seconds.

If you are even remotely interested in green tea, Gyokuro is a wonderful tea to try and nice change to typical vegetal and seaweed flavors of Sencha.

Gyokuro Japanese Tea

Works Cited
Kevin Gascoyne, F. M. (2011). Tea: History Terroirs Varieties. In K. Gascoyne, F. Marchand, J. Desharnais, & H. Americi, Tea: History Terroirs Varieties (pp. 98-99). Firefly Books Ltd.

5 Things About Orange Pekoe Tea

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We continue to be amazed by the wide variety of flavors found in the tea world. In an effort to differentiate themselves tea companies are always looking for new flavors and blends to set themselves apart. One thing that still amazes us is to hear people say they love the flavor of Orange Pekoe tea. Since it is not a flavor at all, it seemed inevitable that we would need to dedicate a blog to what Orange Pekoe actually is. In short:

  1. Orange Pekoe is a grade of black tea that a marketing department went wild with.
  2. There is no orange in Orange Pekoe
  3. Tea grading based on Orange Pekoe isn’t mandatory and is primarily for industry buyers.
  4. Grading based on Orange Pekoe generally follows British Colonial influence.
  5. Orange Pekoe says very little about the taste of your tea.

#1. Orange Pekoe is a grade of black tea that a marketing department went wild with.

Orange Pekoe is really a grade of black tea, not a flavor. Major tea bag producers did a disservice to the North American tea drinking public when it decided to market tea with the name Orange Pekoe. At some point they decided, like so many other companies, that marketing should win out over accuracy. At least one of the major brands refreshed their packaging a few years ago so that the word Ceylon (this is now the country of Sri Lanka) started to appear in the same size font in front of Orange Pekoe.

There is no orange in orange pekoe.

No Orange in Orange Pekoe Tea

#2. There is no orange in Orange Pekoe

There is no orange flavoring in the tea. How orange came to be attached to the grading system has several theories, ranging from a marketing ploy to just highlighting the variety of colors residing within the dried leaves. The marketing ploy is an interesting story theorizing that the Dutch East India Company added Orange to the front of the Pekoe, which is a mis-translation of the Chinese word for Bai Hao (Morrison, 1819), to honor the ruling Dutch family, Orange-Nassau.

#3. Tea grading based on Orange Pekoe isn’t mandatory and is primarily for industry buyers.

Grading around “Orange Pekoe” is not a mandatory grading system. Instead it is an agreed upon set of definitions in the industry around the appearance and size of dried black tea leaves. The system is followed by those in industry and anyone who abuses it are quickly corrected by their peers.  The system developed as a way for the Dutch and British to be able to communicate to the growers what they wanted in countries where they did not speak the language. It allows further description to their buyers what, specifically, they wanted.  The system helps to distinguish between the different sizes of whole black tea leaves. Leaf sizes are determined by sifting the tea through fine mesh strainers at the end of the production run. Ultimately, the grading system has nothing to do with quality or taste.

Grade Name Definition
SFTGFOP or SFTGFOP-1 Super Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe – The tea maker considers this to be the best of the best in both color variation, amount of unbroken leaf buds present and size of leaves
FTGFOP Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe – Shows the grower considers this a truly special tea both in both color variation, tea leaf size and the amount of unbroken leaf buds in the batch
TGFOP Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe – Not just unbroken whole leaves but leaf buds that have not unfurled are present and are typically gold or silver in color, shows an expert handling of the leaves, this is going to be a colorful tea ranging from silver to dark brown
GFOP Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe – Larger whole tea leaves, unbroken, with oxidized tips on some leaves that appear golden in color creating a wider variety in color in the dried leaves
FOP Flowery Orange Pekoe – Whole tea leaf with little to no broken parts that is more loosely rolled than orange pekoe so it appears wider in size than orange pekoe, more variation in shades of brown
OP Orange Pekoe – Whole tea leaf that may be slightly broken from processing but is generally whole.  Typically it is a tightly rolled leaf and the color is going to be consistent

 

#4. Grading based on Orange Pekoe generally follows British Colonial influence.

This system is typically used on black tea from India, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Kenya, and some South American countries. While the grading system outlined above is for whole leaf there is a grading system for tea that is crushed for tea bags.  China did not use this system until more recently, in response to market demand, and furthermore it is not used by all tea manufacturers in China either.

#5. Orange Pekoe says very little about the taste of your tea.

Kosabei Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe

Large full leaf tea with silver and gold leaf tips.

Experiment with the different grades of black tea and with the country your orange pekoe tea comes from and you may be surprised to learn how diverse orange pekoe flavors can be.  The OP is going to be a more robust blend with a malty flavor, while the SFTGFOP is going to be much lighter in flavor because of all the leaf buds.  Even within the same category the tea is going to taste different because it is an agricultural product and should vary in taste year to year just like the rainfalls and temperature that create the terroir of the tea.  I hope you enjoy the exploration!

Works Cited
Morrison, R. R. (1819). A Dictionary of the Chinese Language, Vol. 1, part 2. Macao: United East India Company.

Honeybush – The Other South African Tisane

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Honeybush is closely related to rooibos which also grows in South Africa

Honeybush, also known as Cyclopia, of South Africa

Rooibos is not the only tisane which calls South Africa home. While rooibos has captured the most attention, and been subject to at least two attempts to trademark the name, honeybush is a very close cousin. Honeybush is used as a base for a wide variety of products and can be used in cooking. It is also caffeine free making it popular in the afternoon. Although similar to rooibos in many ways, it is has a bit sweeter taste providing an equally delicious infusion.

Honeybush Production

There are many similarities between honeybush and rooibos. Not only are they both from South Africa but they both come from the Fynbos region. Specifically they come from the Western Cape, South Africa, around the Cederburg Mountains. The product is chopped into fine pieces and normally fermented before packaging and shipment. As a variation, green honeybush is produced without the fermentation step. Like rooibos it also comes from the legume family, though this family is quite large and includes 16,000 others.

Though there are many similarities, there is a large difference in cultivation.  Most honeybush is harvested from 20+ species of wild cyclopia bushes. About 70% is harvested by hand in remote regions of South Africa with about 30% coming from commercially planted bushes.  Global demand from the Germany, the US, and other locations is increasing however, so this plant is increasingly planted and harvested from commercial plantations.

History of Honeybush

South African castle built by the Dutch East India Company

Dutch East India Company – Castle of Good Hope

Like rooibos this tisane has its roots dating back hundreds of years to consumption by native bushman or Khoisan people. According to the Institute for Traditional Medicine, honeybush infusions have likely been around for hundreds of years. The Dutch “discovered” it while exploring the plants and animals around a fort near what is now Cape Town when it was a stopover for trade between Asia and the Netherlands. The purchase of the Cape Colony by the British and subsequent adoption of English helped further spread knowledge of honeybush and probably rooibos as well.

Honeybush Future

Production of honeybush has been rapidly increasing to meet growing international demand for this tisane. Not only does it make a great base for caffeine free tisane infusions but there is also potential for health benefits as well.  According to the South African Honeybush Tea Association (SAHTA) which formed in 1999, there is a substantial amount of research occurring around potential health benefits from anti-oxidants and other compounds. Its consumption may help prevent cancer or offer alternatives to hormone replacement therapy.  Much still needs to be done to validate these ideas as well as meet existing commercial demand. To satisfy these needs SAHTA also actively works to improve cultivation, biodiversity, and sustainability practices to increase production and ensure continued availability.

Honeybush tea infusions are often consumed straight, although they may also be consumed with milk and sugar. Honeybush blends well with a wide variety of ingredients including ginger, lemon myrtle, lemon grass, fennel, and even caramel pieces. Be sure to have a look at the recipes provided by SAHTA on its website for honeybush tea punch, tarts, and muffins.

Scented Tea – Creating Exquisite Tea Aromas

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Pearl shaped tea is often found scented.

Jasmine Scented Tea (Jasmine Dragon Tears)

Scented teas are certainly very popular. They have been around for hundreds of years and continue to be favored by many today. This isn’t really too surprising. We scent everything from moisturizers to dryer sheets and even pine scented air fresheners for our cars. In the case of specialty, loose leaf, teas, the most popular scent is jasmine though others may be used. Scenting is used to enhance the aroma and taste of many different types of teas including silver needle, oolongs, white teas, and of course pearl shaped green teas.

Most of the time loose teas are scented as a way to add value to the finished product. In other words, take an already good tea and make it a bit better through additional floral aromas. At the same time there certainly are producers who seek to scent teas as a way to hide defects or salvage teas that might otherwise not be sold. Attempts to cover up bad tea or hide defects have been occurring for hundreds of years and likely as long as scenting has been occurring. More than 120 years ago, Joseph M. Walsh noted in Tea, Its History and Mystery, “though scenting in general is supposed to be confined to the choicer grades of tea it is as often applied to the inferior sorts, with the object of disguising or concealing their defective or damaged condition, and imparting a pleasant odor, a much larger quantity being used in the latter.”

Scenting of teas is possible since tea is hygroscopic, meaning it readily absorbs both moisture and flavor. It is the same property that causes tea stored at home to readily absorb flavors and aromas from the mint or garlic stored nearby that enables tea to be scented.

Scented Tea from Jasmine

Jasmine flower for producing scented tea.

Scented tea is often produced using jasmine petals.

The production of scented tea, or huāchá, originated in China as early as the Song Dynasty (960 CE to 1279 CE) and quickly gained popularity.  During the Ming and on into the Qing Dyanasties, scented tea production continued to gain in popularity to be a large commercial endeavor with scenting of tea practiced throughout much of China.

The actual production of loose leaf scented tea begins with the tea maker selecting the type of aroma for scenting and acquiring the flowers.  In much the same way that specialized tea cultivars have been developed, so too have various cultivars of flowers used in scenting. Most notably in creating jasmine scented teas, several key cultivars have been developed for their aroma and flower style.  Similarly cultivars have been developed even to fine tune the time of day when the flowers will open after plucking with some opening earlier in the evening and others opening later.

Workers pluck jasmine blossoms early in the day looking for just the right size such that they will open that evening.  If the blossoms have already opened then they do not impart as much aroma and oils.  Blossoms that aren’t quite ready at the time of pluck will never open and thus don’t help with the scenting process.

Tea to be scented is heated to further reduce its moisture and cooled in preparation for scenting.  Jasmine flowers are selected for optimum size.  Tea is spread out in a layer and jasmine flowers spread on top.  Another layer of tea is added and so on to create multiple layers of tea and jasmine.  The mixture is left for several hours before the jasmine leaves are separated out and the tea is dried again.  Depending on the tea being made this may be repeated multiple times to create the finished product.  Great care is taken to ensure jasmine isn’t left too long with the tea and the tea is adequately dried for final shipping.

The result, of course, is a great jasmine scented tea, be it a simple green tea, jasmine scented pearls, or other types of tea.

Photo of a rose bud which can be used to create scented teas.

Scented tea can use other flowers or ingredients besides jasmine.

Scented Tea Using Alternative Ingredients

Jasmine may be the most well known flower used in the scenting process but it is by no means alone.  Since tea readily absorbs aromas from flowers, any number of things can be used in the scenting process.  After jasmine, scented teas one of the next popular teas today are rose scented teas.  Typically, black teas are scented with rose although increasingly some producers are scenting green and puerh teas.  In the case of scenting with roses some petals are often added back for aesthetic purposes. Other popular flowers for use in scented teas over the past 100 years include osmanthus, chlorantus, gardenia, and iris. Throughout history other things including seeds, roots, and dried fruits have also been used in scenting teas.

Last but not least, smoke can also be used in scenting teas, notably with Lapsang Souchong, a smoked black tea from China. Production of Lapsang Souchong occurs through the drying of tea in smoke produced from pinewood fires. It is a very distinct tea that has strong flavor and aroma and is certainly an acquired taste for some.  This tea is rumored to be one of the oldest teas still available today.

Scented teas are loved by many, though certainly isn’t for everyone. There are a great many options in scented teas and serves to add yet more avenues for exploration.  For many, scented teas may even be the first exposure to a broader world of specialty, loose leaf, teas, just as white zinfandel can be a first step toward fine wines.  If you are new to specialty teas, you may find that jasmine scented teas serving as an excellent gateway to a broader world of green and oolong teas.

Discover Oolong Teas

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Oolong teas are actually some of the youngest types of tea.  It is believed that the Chinese started to really understand and control oxidation of tea in the 17th century, leading to the first oolong teas.  Given that the first teas in China where documented over 3,000 years earlier, a few hundred years old is still young.  Highly regarded Taiwanese oolongs only began to make an appearance during the 1960’s, when the Taiwanese realized they were losing market share to Chinese and Japanese teas.  Taiwan needed to do something different to distinguish themselves in the marketplace.  Prior to the 1960’s, Taiwan was producing mainly green teas for consumption by the Japanese.

Ti Kuan Yin Dry Leaf and Liquor

Ti Kuan Yin, Balled Style Oolong

What’s in a Name?  Origin of the Oolong Name

The name oolong literally means black dragon, which refers to the shape of the hand rolled oolong tea leaves.  There are other theories that the name originates from the Wuyi Mountains in the Fujian Province of China where it is believed that the first oolong teas where made.  There is an alternative theory that it is named after the man who made the first oolongs, Wu Liang, and was later corrupted to Wu Long before being anglicized into oolong.  No matter where the name came from, this type of tea is worth exploring for every tea drinker.

Oolong Flavors

Ginseng Oolong Dry Leaf and Liquor

Ginseng Oolong, Rolled Oolong with Ginseng and Licorice

As discussed on an earlier post which covered the broader types of teas, oolongs are partially oxidized teas.  They can appear both black and green given their level of oxidation.  Due to the wide range of oxidation, the range of flavors is truly wide and complex.  Some oolongs are now flavored or rolled with ginseng and licorice powder to form small pellets.  Taiwan is continuing to innovate in oolong production by taking the finished product and baking it again to enhance the flavor and aroma.  From teas with a delicate taste of flowers to spicy finishing notes, oolongs provide a nice variety for everyone to enjoy and is a type of tea production that occurs in many countries.  Also, with cold brewing, the complex flavors produced in this manufacturing process can be enjoyed cold.

Oolong Styles and Brewing

Oolong teas usually take on two shapes.  The first is the tightly rolled balls, or balled style, with a stem tail.  While the second is a long curly leaf shape, or open leaf style, which can look like the dragons in Chinese mythology.  To get these shapes, oolong is typically harvested from older leaves on the tea plant, so don’t expect two leaves and bud.  It is more common to find four leaves and a bud or what is sometimes five older leaves.

Oriental Beauty Oolong Wet Leaf Up-Close

Oriental Beauty Open Leaf Style Oolong, Wet Leaf

Given the oxidation level of the oolong, it can be brewed with water ranging from 185-205 degrees Fahrenheit and for anywhere between 3-5 minutes.  Like any good tea, oolong deserves fresh water in the kettle to allow the oxygen in the water to carry out the complex flavors of this tea.  Also, this tea should be steeped multiple times to enjoy the wide array of flavors with each steeping.  So drink this tea when you have time to stop and enjoy the flavors being presented to you.

I like to think there is an oolong tea for everyone, whether you prefer subtle green or forward blacks.  So when you are looking for something new, oolongs are the best place to look and they rarely disappoint.  It’s unfair to pick a favorite oolong because there are so many to enjoy.  Is there one that you are curious about?