Herbalists make infusions of a huge variety of plants, Camellia sinensis included. While we commonly call those infusions tea, they’re actually tisanes or herbal infusions. To complicate matters, C. sinensis comes in a variety of colors and flavors, like black, green, and white. True Tea, no matter what color we call it, is made with C. sinensis. Much as we have with Coffee, we’ve developed a whole variety of ways to grow, harvest, process, and even brew Tea, producing loads of flavors and aromas from that one plant.
Kinds of Tea: Endless Variety from one Plant
Did you know that Green Tea and Black Tea start off as leaves from the same plant? Camellia sinensis offers us variety from the get-go. Leaves that are harvested early can taste quite differently than those that are harvested later. Through the ages, Tea Masters have learned how to not only choose the best time to pluck leaves to achieve the specific flavors they desire, but to also dry, pick or sort, oxidize, ferment, fry, cut, sift, roll, and age those leaves to enhance those flavors.
Green Tea: Bursting with Bright Sunshine
Green teas are typically made from C. sinensis leaves that have been plucked in the early morning and then lightly dried and gently sorted or picked to prevent oxidization. Green teas are known for a wide variety of processing methods, offering up flavorful outcomes. The processing for Green Teas can include further drying or sun-drying, pan- or basket-frying, tumble-drying or oven-drying, or steaming. The combination of processes used depends on the locality, varietal, and desired finished results. Green Teas may be made from buds, early leaves, or more established leaves plucked at any point in the growing season. The primary goal in all green teas is to minimize oxidization and maintain the green elements inherent in the fresh leaves.
White Tea: Where Tradition Meets Modern Sensibility
White teas are typically made from C. sinensis buds or leaves that have been plucked early. They are handled minimally, first withered in outdoor shade then dried indoors in a cool and dry environment. Modern-style White Teas are generally further dried with low heat briefly to handle the higher concentration of dampness derived from the longer time they’re given to grow. All White Teas are low in caffeine or stimulating properties and are generally handled minimally. Modern Blooming teas, also called Presentation Teas, are typically made with White Tea, often modern-style White Teas. Traditional White Teas are made from buds plucked early in spring while Modern-style White Teas are made from spring-plucked leaflets. The primary difference is that Traditional White Teas are often sweeter in flavor than their modern counterparts. White Teas are very lightly oxidized during the withering process, giving them a more full body and flavor than Green Tea. Because they’re typically shade-dried rather than sun-dried, they lack the strong green flavor that comes from chlorophyll and the strong astringency you might noticed in some Green Teas.
Oolong Tea: The Perfect Compromise
Oolong teas. traditionally called Blue Teas, are typically made from C. sinensis leaves that have been plucked after they’ve had a chance to become rather large, as opposed to the generally smaller sizes you’ll find in Green and White Teas. Oolong Teas are the most complicated of the Teas to produce. After having been plucked, Tea Masters may take leaves destined to become Oolong Teas through 18 distinct steps to produce the wide range of flavors and finished forms we expect from a good Oolong Tea. Picking, Primary Withering, Cooling Down or Secondary Withering, Rattling, Bruising or Tumbling, Firing, and Rolling or Finishing are among them. Each step can vary in approach and technique, depending on the Tea Maker, locality, and desired final outcome or style. Tea aficionados adore Oolong Teas for the endless complexity and playful nature of their aroma and flavor. They are typically not as astringent or stimulating as their Black Tea cousins, and they are often considerably more expensive for the same quality. The higher cost is partly a result of the amount of handling it takes to make a truly terrific Oolong Tea and partly because this is the class of tea that has earned the highest praise from Tea Masters.
Black Tea: Stimulating and Astringent
Black teas, traditionally called Red Teas, are typically made from C. sinensis leaves that have been plucked at any time in the growing season. For Black Teas, the key to a truly fine cup is in the withering process. Masters must judge how long to wither the plucked and picked leaves based on when and how they were gathered. Some leaves require more careful handling and more time based on how tender or tough they were when they were plucked. Once properly withered, the leaves are sorted, sifted, and separated depending on the intended style, rolled, and finally oxidized. The oxidization process is a key to making a fine Black Tea. Some folk describe this process as a fermentation process. Done properly, fermentation happens when no oxygen is present. For Black Teas, loads of oxygen is most definitely present, making this process one of oxidation rather than fermentation.
Pu’er Tea: With Age Comes Wisdom
Pu’er teas are typically made from C. sinensis leaves that have been fermented. The leaves can be plucked at any point, much like those for Black and Oolong Teas. Pu’er Teas are typically finished compressed into bricks or cakes in a variety of sizes and shapes. Pu’er Teas come in two primary types, Cooked or Raw Pu’er. Cooked Pu’er Teas are not aged and are oxidized before they are fermented, finished, and shaped. Raw Pu’er Teas are not oxidized and require aging to develop their flavor. They are fermented, finished, and shaped much like Cooked Pu’er Teas. Traditionalists typically eschew Cooked Pu’er Teas in favor of more traditional aged Raw Pu’er Teas. Modern tea-drinkers, however, have discovered Cooked Pu’er Teas in more recent years, and sales worldwide clearly vote in favor of them.
Yellow Tea: Say What?
Those of use who don’t live in Tea-growing regions may never actually taste or even see a Yellow Tea. Traditionally, Yellow Tea is a local affair. It’s plucked from early spring buds and treated much like early Green Teas, except there’s an extra step called men huan, which is a slow steaming process followed by a controlled cooling that allows the leaves to reabsorb their own aromatics. That extra process gives Yellow Tea a smooth, full flavor that can be almost sweet. Usually, Yellow Tea is made in limited quantities and sold locally rather than exported. If you have the opportunity to try a cuppa Yellow Tea, I highly recommend it. I’ve only had it a handful of times. Each cup was like the sweetness of a crisp spring morning in a mountain forest had been wrapped up and brewed to perfection: Simply Wonderful!
Why do Herbalists Care about Tea?
Tea spread across the world long ago in part because it’s delicious and in part because it’s got a whole lot of healthful properties. Herbalists in the past decade or so have quoted many studies done on Green Tea, linking this particular tea with anti-inflammatory properties. All varieties of Tea have antioxidant properties, each varying in chemical structure and offering differing potential benefits.
The Stimulant and Relaxation properties of Tea have been documented through the centuries, demonstrating the balance for which Tea is so famous. When one’s nerves are frayed, Tea offers nervine properties to soothe and relax. When one needs a mild boost, Tea offers a caffeine-like stimulant property that still allows for mental focus and clarity.
More recent studies have linked Oolong Teas with weight loss and improved metabolism, which may be in-part due to the nervine qualities of Oolong Teas working on the digestive nervous system. Certainly, Tea has been a key player in the lifestyle, culture, and diet of folks Asia, where we find some of the longest-lived and healthiest people in the world. Tea offers Herbalists today a window into the wisdom of our ancestors….and a mighty tasty herbal remedy that supports a healthy, long life.
Learn more about Tea this month in the Herbal Nerd Society!
Resources
- Tea and Herbal Definition
- The Story of Tea (affiliate link)
