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What is Green Tea? To produce green tea, the Camellia Sinensis leaves are lightly processed and undergo more oxidation than the ones used in white tea. This minimal oxidation allows green tea to retain a higher concentration of antioxidants and benefits. All leaves (not just the youngest) are used to produce green tea which makes it more widely available than white tea.

There are countless green tea varieties being produced in different regions of China and Japan. Many times I see tea marketed simply as Japanese or Chinese green tea, which is quite a simplification! You can check Wikipedia for a quick rundown.

(Sencha to the right, gunpowder to the left)

The most important thing you need to know- if you are just diving into the world of tea - is whether your loose leaf green tea comes in a gunpowder form or not. Gunpowder beaded or pearl tea, is loose leaf that has been rolled into a small pellet. These leaves will expand when brewed. This product is more condensed so if you are measuring your tea with a spoon, be careful and don’t use the same amount of tea you would use with “unrolled” leaves.

How does it taste like? It is hard to give an answer to that because each variety tastes different. Green tea is generally grassy in flavor which doesn’t appeal to everyone. The Sencha variety is softer, fresher and sometimes even has a sweet taste to it. Chinese Gunpowder is usually stronger and sometimes described as smokier in flavor. You can always try a green tea blend that combines tea leaves with other fruits or flowers.

How do I prepare it?

If you are preparing gunpowder use 1 level teaspoon of tea leaves for 240 ml. (=8 ounces of water). If you are using Sencha or any other “unrolled” loose leaf variety, use a heaping teaspoon for the same amount of water.

Water temperature is supposed to be between 170°-175°F (=70°-80°C). The steep time should be 2 to 2 and 1/2 minutes, not any longer or else the tea won’t taste right. Use a clock for this one.

Check out part 1 for more on White Tea and part 3 for Black Tea.

What is Green Tea? To produce green tea, the Camellia Sinensis leaves are lightly processed and undergo more oxidation than the ones use...

at 5:37 PM

Today I wanted to write about one of my favorite things in the world: tea. I wrote an entry on how I prepare Iced Tea a while ago but now that Fall is finally here, I wanted to do a more in-depth post about tea. I hope it answers all your questions and helps you find the right tea drink for you.

Let’s begin with the basics. Tea is the infusion of leaves from the Camellia Sinensis plant in hot water. All tea types come from that same plant but leaves can be processed differently to produce the varieties that we usually call black tea, white tea, green tea etc.

(clockwise: Green Sencha Tea, Assam Black Tea, Green Gunpowder (in the ball) and White Tea)

Colloquially we also refer to tea when any other herb (that is not Camellia Sinensis) or fruit is infused in hot water and consumed as beverage. That is not tea, strictly speaking, but you can call your infusion of choice whatever you want. It’s fine by me.

So now let’s talk about the most popular teas that we, westerners, drink.

White Tea

What is White Tea? This tea comes from the young leaves and the buds of the Camellia Sinensis plant. It is only lightly processed to prevent the oxidation. Because White Tea should be hand-picked and be made only from the youngest leaves, it is usually produced in lesser quantities and has a higher price than other varieties.

There are different varieties of white tea (Bai Mudan, Silver Needle, Shou Mei) but I won’t get much into that. I always drink Bai Mudan or “White Peony”, Silver Needle is too expensive for my budget and Shou Mei is not available where I shop.

How does it taste like? Bai Mudan or “White Peony” has a soft, floral, sweet taste. From my experience, everyone enjoys this tea, even those who aren’t big tea lovers.

How do I prepare it? For this one, you need to use two teaspoons (around 2 grams) of loose leaves for 8 ounces (240 ml.) of water. This is just a guide; you may want to adjust these proportions to achieve the intensity you like.

The optimal water temperature for brewing different tea types is always a matter of dispute. As long as you are not pouring full boiling water into white tea, you’ll be fine. A water temperature of 80°C (= 180°F) is usually recommended. I personally like to watch the water, once the little bubbles that are sitting on the surface of the kettle begin to rise to the surface and pop, I consider that the water is ready for this tea.

The brewing time for white tea can be anything from 3 to 7 minutes. As opposed to green or black teas, this one won’t get bitter if you steep it for long. I recommend brewing it for 3 or 4 minutes the first time. Then you can do a second or even third infusion with a steep time of 5, 6 or 7 minutes. Yes, you can brew the same leaves several times as it will produce different flavors every time. Try it!

Don't forget to check out part 2 and 3: Green Tea and Black Tea.

Today I wanted to write about one of my favorite things in the world: tea. I wrote an entry on how I prepare Iced Tea a while ago but now ...