We have nothing against Starbucks. I like Starbucks. I often purchase espresso-based drinks there. But i need to tell you, they don't know teas as well as they know coffee. Other national chains fare better with tea.
Peet's has a great tea collection, so does Quartermaine's. However, if you believe that "Thunderbolt Darjeeling" put out by Republic of Tea or perhaps the green "Zen" tea put out by TAZO is the same as Jamaican Blue Mountain you will be wrong. I believe that the coffee lover needs to have a simple comprehension of tea.
It only makes sense, you need to broaden your horizons and challenge your taste buds. Besides, don't you thrive on caffeine? I want to proceed through some basic information. I'll use a lot of coffee analogies which means your coffee connoisseurs can follow along.
A Dysfunction Of Tea Grades, By Analogy
- Lipton's = Folgers
- Twinning = Canned Cafe du Monde
- Republic of Tea = Starbucks House Blend
- Specialty loose leaf = Speciality whole bean
French Press coffee drinkers comprehend the great things about steeping. The action of steeping coffee within the French Press allows a lot more of the flavors of this coffee to mature. Similarly, tea connoisseurs drink loose-leaf tea manufactured in a teapot, because the tea leaves have a way to fully open.
The entire opening associated with the leaves creates an even more full-bodied taste experience. Sometimes a tea connoisseur might use an infuser and sometimes even a single-use, manual-feed tea bag, but rarely do we drink tea from pre-packaged tea bags. The reason being the leaves do not have enough room to start, swell and fully develop into the pre-packaged tea bag. Thus the flavor doesn't always have the opportunity to fully develop.
Furthermore, generally speaking, pre-packaged tea bags are a sign that the tea is of inferior quality (think Lipton's and make an analogy with Folgers). However, there is certainly an occasion and a location for tea bags, so do not go overboard with this point. Occasionally, I'll have a cup of tea made of a tea bag for the sake of convenience.
Never make coffee with water that was previously boiled and never use coffee grounds over and over again. Similarly, always utilize fresh cool water and take it to a boil before pouring it together with the tea leaves. Only utilize the tea leaves one time. Honestly, there are some very gross cheapskates on the market who use tea bags more than once.
One guy that I work with told me that he "gets about three or four uses out of the same tea bag." He then told me that his brother once boiled some hot dogs and used exactly the same water for tea! The story still gives me nightmares.
How Tea Is Made
You can find only 3 different types of tea: black, oolong, and green. Everyone thinks that herbal tea is tea, but it surely isn't tea, the same as chicory grounds are not really coffee. All tea arises from the tea plant; Latin names associated with the species are Camellia thea, Thea sinensis or Camellia sinesis. The plant has shiny green leaves and small white flowers. Like coffee plants, the plants can grow to 30 feet in the open, but they tea trees are pruned to around 3 feet for cultivation. Actually, the tea tree's leaves as well as the coffee plant's leaves look somewhat similar, just the tea leaves are smaller.
Black Tea
Black tea undergoes a total fermentation process. Leaves are picked, left to wither slightly, chances are they are rolled. Internal enzymes cause fermentation. Next, the leaves are collected into containers and dried under the sun and/or "fired" by some method (mechanically or over a literal fire). The tea is then sorted and packaged.
Oolong Tea
Oolong teais semi-fermented tea, produced with larger leaves. The fermentation process is stopped by firing the tea prior to when black tea. The name Oolong comes from the region that first developed this particular tea in Formosa (modern-day Taiwan).
Green Tea
Green tea leaf is created by steaming the leaves straight away, thus destroying the enzymes that could begin the fermentation process. The tea will be dried under the sun, fired, sorted and packaged.
Herbal Teas
Herbal teas are not really teas. Instead, these are typically tisanes. In fact, most dictionary and encyclopedia entries could have a secondary or tertiary definition that says something similar to "a drink resembling tea" and then the dictionary can certainly make mention of the herbal teas. Personally, I think this is certainly like someone stating that carob tastes like chocolate, therefore, let's call it chocolate. Actually, carob tastes like a healthy, pseudo version of chocolate but carob can't ever taste like Godiva chocolate. Similarly, herbal teas no matter how good-for-you these are typically, how little caffeine or how top quality, can never taste like Lapsang Souchong, Imperial Gunpowder or Earl Grey.
An excellent Tea for High Tea
Which brings me back into my original rant. OK, which means you like coffee and you like to figure out how to pick an excellent tea in case you are in England and also have an audience with Camilla Parker Bowles at High Tea, or something like that.
To locate an excellent tea, head to a specialty coffee or tea shop with a wide, loose-leaf tea selection. A beneficial quality tea will cost about $6 or even more for a quarter-pound (up to $30). However, you'll find that a quarter pound of tea will last a lot longer than a quarter pound of coffee. Also, tea doesn't have nearly as many storage issues as coffee. You are able to store tea in a ceramic canister for per year without any concern about losing flavor.
If you like this kind of coffee, try this style of tea:
- Espresso - Imperial Gunpowder - tightly rolled full-potency green tea leaves explode with a complex flavor spectrum. Lapsang Souchong - a smoky tea who has a wonderful leather smell.
- Kenyan, Zimbabwe, Ethiopian Harrar - Earl Grey - an abundant body (usually a Darjeeling base) with a penetrating taste and oil of bergamot.
- Guatemalan, Sulawesi - Keemun (fancy or Lion Mountain) - a deep, mellow black China tea.
- Tanzania Peaberry, Ethiopian Sidamo - Assam (Goldentip, or extra fancy) - a full-bodied malty tea.
- Puerto Rican Yauco Selecto, Papua New Guinea - Formosa Oolong - pleasant smooth aftertaste China Gui Hua -black tea with pieces of dried kwei flowers.
- Sumatran - Jasmine blossom (fancy or Yin Hao) - a green tea with a floral scent and a pleasing aftertaste, Ti Kwan Yin - a fruity, oolong tea.
- Brazilian, Kona - China Rose Petal - black tea with dried roses added.
- White Peony - green tea leaf with dried peonies added
I've only listed varietals that are commonly available. I've had more unusual teas, however you might get frustrated trying to find them and provide up the experiment. My suggestion would be to keep away from most blends for a time. If you do that, you'll begin to isolate flavor components and master the forms of tea that you like. Also, i would recommend that you try tea straight - no sugar, no milk. That way you'll be able to taste the complex flavors.
There you have it, i really hope that you'll give the tea an attempt. I believe that you will find that tea has as many degrees of taste, body, and aroma as coffee.
