The families
of tea
Black tea is completely fermented, which gives it both its dark color and its flavor. This requires five operations: wilting, which softens the leaves by drying them; rolling, which consists of rolling the leaves lengthwise to release the essential oils necessary for fermentation; sifting to separate the leaves according to size; fermentation, which in itself is in fact a series of chemical reactions which transform the tea and give it its characteristic flavor; and lastly desiccation, which interrupts the fermentation process by drying the leaves at high temperatures.
Green tea is obtained in the same manner as black tea, except that it is not fermented. To avoid fermentation, after being picked, the leaves are quickly roasted at very high temperatures. Specialists generally appreciate Gunpowder, perhaps the finest variety, Chun-Mee, Matcha, with its strong bitter taste used in Japanese tea ceremonies, Imperial, Young Hyson, composed of very young leaves, and Hyson, obtained from larger leaves.
Semi-fermented tea, is halfway between green tea and black tea. It is wilted, partially or totally rolled, and slightly fermented. The other operations are the same.
White tea, on the other hand, which is much more rare, is made exclusively of young sprouts, which do not undergo wilting or drying. The tea obtained is more pale, refreshing and slightly sweet.
As for red tea, (which comes from South Africa), it isn't really tea at all, as it contains no theine and no tannin. Overall, what you need to remember, is that the larger the leaves, the stronger the aroma and the sharper the taste. The younger the leaves, the more the tea is refined and delicate. This having been said, the way the leaves are harvested, the way they are fermented and the way the tea is infused will also have a big effect on your pleasure in drinking it.
Just as a Bordeaux grand cru cannot be served at 10กใ C, tea must be selected and prepared in a strict and rigorous manner, according to a ceremony which the ancient Chinese called Gong Fu Cha, an art and a refined social ritual.
Aside from their variety, teas are classified by "grade", which once again depend on whether or not the leaves are whole, broken or crushed, bearing in mind that the closer the leaves are to the tip of their stalk, the richer their flavor. This grade is indicated but some rather rudimentary initials, which correspond to their English names. For example, for whole leaf teas: S stands for Souchong, FOP for Flowery Orange Pekoe and SFTGFOP for Special Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe.
For broken leaf teas, there is BPS for Broken Pekoe Souchong or TGFBOP for Tippy Golden Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe. There is also a vast variety of names, which practically make up a veritable tea language. To these names is sometimes added the number 1 which indicates first quality tea, the letter B which means Broken and an F or a D (fanning or Dust) which corresponds to "crushed".
It is also possible to mix teas.
The most well known mixtures are English Breakfast which is made up of Ceylon, Assam and sometimes Darjeeling, Afternoon, which is a bit lighter, China Caravan, composed of un-smoked Chinese teas, or an Irish mixture made up of Assam teas.
The best known mixture in the world, nevertheless, is still Earl Grey, a combination of Chinese teas and essence of bergamot.
