Tea Tree: Part One

Last month I promised my next food and drink post would be less caloric and here's one that's not only completely zero cal, but also brimming with anti-oxidants:

Photo: a lotus flower blossoming out of a "green tea bouquet".

You are constantly being bombarded with articles praising the health related benefits of tea, in particular green and white teas.

You’ve been to Mariage Freres in Paris, to Yauatcha and the recently opened TeaSmith in London and left scratching your head over their extensive tea menus (sense of duty prevented you from choosing something as plain as Assam), featuring teas which range from green to white, from blue (yes, blue...) to red and black. But what's with the colour coding?

It all boils down (excuse the pun) to the fermentation of tea leaves: green and white teas are the least fermented, blue and black the most. As for red, it is not even "tea" strictly speaking: it comes from an entirely different plant, the red bush.


Thirsty for more tea knowledge? Then here's part 1 of my "Bluffer’s Guide to Tea". Starting with a look at green teas:

Green tea facts:

The tea leaves are dried but not fermented so they have a more refreshing taste than regular, black teas.

Sourced mainly from Japan and China, with each of these countries employing different methods for drying the tea leaves.

Reputed for being packed with anti-oxidants and vitamins (such as B and C).

Chinese Green teas:

There are, frankly, a gazillion different types - too many to list - of Chinese green teas. China is, after all, the birthplace of tea (NB: the Latin name for the tea tree is "Thea Sinensis" where Sinensis = Chinese). It is also the world's biggest producer of the stuff.

Chinese green teas come from a variety of producers and from different regions (see a map here). One interesting fact is that the Chinese tend to add flowery flavours to their teas: Jasmine is the most omnipresent variety (and mandatory in Chinese restaurants!), but other flavours like rose, lotus and orange blossom are not uncommon.

Also well known is the Oolong (pictured left), a semi-fermented Chinese green tea which tastes a little bit like the "roasted" Japanese Hojicha (see below). Perhaps for this reason, Oolong is itself quite popular in Japan where it is usually drank cold, as ice tea.




Japanese Green Teas:

The main varieties of Japanese green teas are:

Sencha - basic, no-nonsense green tea (i.e. the one you normally get in Japanese restaurants)

Matcha (pictured right)- this is ultra concentrated, powdered green tea which is vigorously whisked into hot water until it froths up. Very bitter (may prove challenging for beginners) but very healthy because of its 100% tea content.

If you get used to Matcha you will soon find it marvelous with desserts, as it balances out the sweet in them. It can also be blended with cold milk for a refreshing summer drink or used as a cooking ingredient.
Picture source


Genmaicha (pictured left) - green tea with roasted rice and corn puffs, very flavorsome and refreshing. It tastes a bit like popcorn but in a good way, if you can believe me!

Gyokuro - very fine and rare green tea, with a subtle fruity flavour. Ultra high in antioxidants. It is reputed as one of the world's most refined (and therefore most expensive) teas.



Hojicha (pictured right) - made of roasted green tea leaves which, when brewed, become a lovely reddish colour. Hojicha is almost caffeine free. I would recommend it for coffee lovers trying to get into the green tea trend because of its strong roast scent.







Where to buy:

Each of the tea places mentioned in the second paragraph have a "tea counter" selling quality loose leaf teas.

Certain UK supermarkets sell a nice range of premium Chinese green teas from the Dragonfly brand.

Japanese teas like Sencha, Genmaicha and Hojicha are sold in most Japanese food stores around the globe. The premium stuff like Gyokuro can be sourced from Toraya or Mariage Freres.