Today has been brought to you by Tea
Apr. 15th, 2008 11:47 amFirst, SMUG over filing my taxes two months ago.
Ok, I'm done.
Tea is a wonderful thing. I bless whomever it was, and I'm sure there was more then one person, who discovered that by dropping certain plants into hot water, you got a brew that was tasty, in many cases medicinal, and sometimes imparted a buzz.
As all tea-philes know, tea comes in (edit) four main categories: black, green, white, and oolong. Roobis and herbal tea are not technically teas, as such infusions are made from other plants. However, most people lump them in as tea because the preperation is very similar. I'm one of those people. (with apologies to![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
kandybar for offending her sensibilities) ^_^
(/edit)
Black tea comes from various strains of the tea plant that have been oxidized by heat. The best black tea, IMHO, is Darjeeling, an Indian tea blend. Close runner ups are English and Irish Breakfast.
Green and white tea also come from the same plants as black, but green tea is heated without being allowed to oxidize, and white tea is made from the earliest leaves and buds. I prefer genmai-cha, which is a Japanese green tea called ban-cha, mixed with roasted brown rice. The rice brings a nuttiness to the tea that is simply marvelous. Ban-cha is also very good, and if you can afford it, there's a rolled green tea called Emperor, where the tea leaves are hand-rolled, that is divine. C out in CO was given the last of my stash, and since it's $100+/oz online, I won't be getting more of it. I was told by the man who gave it to me that there's a shop in Seattle that sells it under the Emperor name and they do have a website. I haven't gone looking. For more available green and white tea, I suggest Celestial Seasonings. They tend to add fruit flavors, which I don't feel is necessary, but they have a good base tea. For my money, I'll stick with the Japanese imports. ^_^
(edit) Oolong is Chinese in origin, and falls between black and green tea. It is oxidized to a point, usually around 70%. I don't have a lot of experience with Oolong, so any suggestions will be quite welcome! (/edit)
Red tea is not from a tea plant, but rather a bush in Africa called Roobis. Unlike the previous teas, Roobis is naturally caffeine free. Plain it is refreshing, but having vanilla or pomegranate blended in makes it spectacular. Roobis is a fairly new import to our shores, but well worth looking into. I was introduced to Roobis through Celestial Seasonings and they have the best blend to date that I've tasted.
Herbal teas are just that; tea made from any other plant, flower, root or berry that isn't toxic. These are often medicinal (I swear by echinacea during cold/flu season and a peppermint/chamomile blend will settle the worst upset tummy or nausea, only thing that kept me from being sick during my godsawful periods) and have really taken off in the 'Whole Food' market. There are many companies now touting various tea blends for everything from PMS to diabetes to the average headache. It's tricky not getting sucked into the hype. I have a couple of alternative health references I use to compare ingredients. Invest in a well-researched herb book or three first and make sure they all agree on what herbs are best for what ailment before shopping. If the package of pre-made joint pain tea has ingredients that don't match what's on your list, it's not worth the money.
So! All you fellow tea-philes out there. What's your favorite and why? *sips mug of Darjeeling*
Ok, I'm done.
Tea is a wonderful thing. I bless whomever it was, and I'm sure there was more then one person, who discovered that by dropping certain plants into hot water, you got a brew that was tasty, in many cases medicinal, and sometimes imparted a buzz.
As all tea-philes know, tea comes in (edit) four main categories: black, green, white, and oolong. Roobis and herbal tea are not technically teas, as such infusions are made from other plants. However, most people lump them in as tea because the preperation is very similar. I'm one of those people. (with apologies to
kandybar for offending her sensibilities) ^_^(/edit)
Black tea comes from various strains of the tea plant that have been oxidized by heat. The best black tea, IMHO, is Darjeeling, an Indian tea blend. Close runner ups are English and Irish Breakfast.
Green and white tea also come from the same plants as black, but green tea is heated without being allowed to oxidize, and white tea is made from the earliest leaves and buds. I prefer genmai-cha, which is a Japanese green tea called ban-cha, mixed with roasted brown rice. The rice brings a nuttiness to the tea that is simply marvelous. Ban-cha is also very good, and if you can afford it, there's a rolled green tea called Emperor, where the tea leaves are hand-rolled, that is divine. C out in CO was given the last of my stash, and since it's $100+/oz online, I won't be getting more of it. I was told by the man who gave it to me that there's a shop in Seattle that sells it under the Emperor name and they do have a website. I haven't gone looking. For more available green and white tea, I suggest Celestial Seasonings. They tend to add fruit flavors, which I don't feel is necessary, but they have a good base tea. For my money, I'll stick with the Japanese imports. ^_^
(edit) Oolong is Chinese in origin, and falls between black and green tea. It is oxidized to a point, usually around 70%. I don't have a lot of experience with Oolong, so any suggestions will be quite welcome! (/edit)
Red tea is not from a tea plant, but rather a bush in Africa called Roobis. Unlike the previous teas, Roobis is naturally caffeine free. Plain it is refreshing, but having vanilla or pomegranate blended in makes it spectacular. Roobis is a fairly new import to our shores, but well worth looking into. I was introduced to Roobis through Celestial Seasonings and they have the best blend to date that I've tasted.
Herbal teas are just that; tea made from any other plant, flower, root or berry that isn't toxic. These are often medicinal (I swear by echinacea during cold/flu season and a peppermint/chamomile blend will settle the worst upset tummy or nausea, only thing that kept me from being sick during my godsawful periods) and have really taken off in the 'Whole Food' market. There are many companies now touting various tea blends for everything from PMS to diabetes to the average headache. It's tricky not getting sucked into the hype. I have a couple of alternative health references I use to compare ingredients. Invest in a well-researched herb book or three first and make sure they all agree on what herbs are best for what ailment before shopping. If the package of pre-made joint pain tea has ingredients that don't match what's on your list, it's not worth the money.
So! All you fellow tea-philes out there. What's your favorite and why? *sips mug of Darjeeling*
