Tea Time

When we think of tea many of us think of the British and “just a spot of tea.” I must admit that I had spent a lot of time researching coffee but found out quickly there’s more to tea than what we find on the grocery store shelves.

I have learned that many of the consumer brand teas will incorporate the dust of tea leaves in the bag. In a quality tea, such as what you will find at the MDL Coffee Stall, is the tea leaf with no dust.

Let’s look at a couple of things about tea that is important to know. 1. Types of Tea and, 2. Grades of Tea.

Types of Tea
All tea leaves come from the same plant, the Camellia Sinenis, but what makes the difference is how they are processed. We carry four types:
Black- The most popular type of tea, black is more heavily processed and fully oxidized, but still packs a huge punch with antioxidants and high caffeine levels.
Green- Green tea is simply black tea but less processed, which means it retains more of its nutrients. Green tea is not oxidized and has a very fresh, herbal taste.
Oolong- This is the most difficult to process and comes somewhere between green and black tea. It is partially oxidized.
White – These leaves have been subjected to even less processing than green tea leaves, which mean the leaves have less caffeine. White tea has a very mild flavor and somewhat grassy.

Grades of Tea
Much like coffee, tea is graded by the quality of the leaf.
Whole leaf.
TGFOP Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe – This grade represents some of the most precious tea in the world. After brewing, it is not uncommon to see whole leaves in their original state.
FOP –Flowering Orange Pekoe- A leaf which is as long as or longer than on Orange Pekoe but not as tightly rolled. The cup tends to lighter than broken grades.
Broken leaf.
BOP – Broken Orange Pekoe- The smallest of leaf grades. The liquor usually has a good color with strength in the cup is very useful in many blends.

When it comes to brewing your cup of tea it is important to not allow the water to boil for more than a couple of minutes so as to not loose the oxygen in the water. Allowing the tea, whether a tea bag or using an infuser, up to four minutes is recommended.

I hope the above information helps and if you have any questions just ask. There is an opportunity to leave your comments at the end of this commentary. Many thanks.

Michael Layne
www.thecoffeestall.com