Black leaf tea. Long leaf tea - what is it and why is it called that?

These two types of tea differ in the way of processing - black tea is subjected to complete fermentation (oxidation), and green tea is only partially fermented, as a result of which these two related drinks acquire completely different tastes and properties.

Varieties and varieties

The main tea producers are India and Ceylon, but in recent years they have been seriously competing on the world market with Chinese and Austrian teas.

Black tea is large-leaf, medium-leaf, granulated, pressed (table), extracted (soluble), bagged and flavored. Bykhovy, or leaf tea, ranks first in quality and useful properties. For the production of most other types of black tea, secondary raw materials are mainly used.

Puer

Pu-erh is a Chinese post-fermented long-aged tea. After harvesting, the leaves of the tea bush are processed to the state of green tea, after which they are subjected to natural or artificial aging. Unlike other varieties of tea, the value of pu-erh only increases with age, so its aging time ranges from several months to several years.

Black and green tea

Among tea gourmets, it is popular to brew a mixture of black and in various proportions, but most often they are mixed in equal quantities. This is done to obtain a special taste - the drink acquires the astringency inherent in black tea, but at the same time does not lose its delicate and slightly sweet aroma. This drink has a special strength, comparable to coffee, which can be enhanced by adding sugar to it.

Compound

Black tea contains the following substances:

• Minerals: iron, phosphorus, sodium, calcium, potassium, zinc, magnesium, copper, sulfur, iodine;
• Vitamins: A, C, B2, PP, K, P, E, D;
• Other substances: amino acids, alkaloids, antioxidants, proteins, tannins.

Beneficial features

Moderate consumption of black tea has a beneficial effect on health in the following ways:

• Improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
• Stimulates the cardiovascular system;
• Improves kidney function.

Due to the antiseptic properties of black tea, its strong infusion is often used as compresses and lotions in case of conjunctivitis and any damage to the skin.

Negative effect on the body

• Sleep disturbance, insomnia;
• neurological diseases;
• Hypertension;
• Glaucoma and astigmatism.

Pregnant women are advised not to drink more than two cups of black tea a day because it increases blood pressure and also because of the risk of fetal weight loss. Also, black tea should not be taken with medicines, as it can lead to improper absorption of medicines.

How to brew black tea

To brew loose black tea, it is best to use soft, purified water. It is necessary to bring it to a boil and let it cool to 95 degrees, after which you can start brewing, at the rate of 1 teaspoon of raw materials per 170-200 grams of water. Depending on the quality of the tea, you need to infuse it for 2 to 5 minutes. Expensive tea varieties brew faster and at a lower temperature.

Various additives

Sugar. Black tea with sugar improves brain function and adds strength to the body, it is recommended to drink it with weakness, dizziness and low blood pressure. Sugar increases the calorie content of tea, but at the same time dulls the feeling of hunger, so those who want to lose weight most often do not need to give up sugar in tea.

Lemon. The addition of lemon enhances the antiseptic properties of black tea and strengthens the immune system. Tea with lemon is recommended to drink with colds to relieve symptoms and speedy recovery. There is an opinion that lemon reduces the strength of black tea. In fact, this is not the case - lemon enhances the tonic effect of the drink, so this tea is best drunk in the morning.

Milk. Black tea is usually mixed in equal proportions with milk. If for some reason a person cannot drink milk in its pure form, then in combination with tea it is absorbed much easier and faster. Milky black tea helps the body recover faster after colds and strengthens the immune system. People suffering from high blood pressure and insomnia can safely drink this drink, since milk in tea significantly reduces the caffeine content.

Black currant. Blackcurrant leaves have a calming effect and relax muscle tone, so adding them to black tea is best in the evening or before bedtime. People with low blood pressure should drink this tea with great care.

Tea, the most popular drink in the world, originated in China and still grows there in a huge variety of varieties. Before reaching the final consumer, it goes through several stages of processing, drying, fermentation, grinding, sometimes flavoring, packaging and entering the store counter. What is black tea and which one is the best?

What is black tea

Black tea is the most common drink in the CIS countries. It tolerates long-term transportation well, does not lose its taste and has many varietal varieties. Leaf black tea when packing implies division into:

• large leaf;
• medium leaf;
• small-leaved.

But first about the quality. What quality indicators a particular product should meet is dictated by GOST or Technical conditions, which are developed by manufacturers. If you are guided by the requirements of the state standard, then in order to always enjoy the real taste of the drink, you should choose Bouquet or higher grade tea.

Bouquet is a product consisting of the most tender and fragrant tea tree buds and young leaves. Such a product gives a strong bright infusion, transparent, with a pronounced aroma and pleasant astringency on the palate.

Depending on the variety of the bush from which the buds and leaves were collected, the tea may have a natural floral, honey, spicy aroma and flavor.

Packaging is also one of the indicators of quality.

For the premium product, the signs are slightly less pronounced than for the infusion from Bouquet tea. It has a medium intensity of infusion, also a pleasant aroma and a slight astringency on the palate. It mainly consists of young leaves and a small proportion of tips.

Further division of the product into the first, second and third grade implies a decrease in quality from insufficiently bright color, taste and aroma to very little of these features.

A large-leaf product is a tea made from whole leaves that have gone through all the stages of processing and have not lost their integrity. In the package it is a twisted flat sheet without damage and cracks. It is considered the most useful, since integrity ensures the preservation of all valuable substances inside the sheet. The aroma and taste of the drink is very rich, but the infusion is medium, less intense than that of a medium-leaf and, especially, a small-leaf product.

Medium leaf tea is understood as a product consisting of broken and damaged leaves. It is obtained by sifting all tea in factories. It gives a stronger color of the infusion and also a good color and aroma.

Granules are compressed small particles of tea and dust - the lowest quality product.

Small-leaf tea is considered the lowest grade. These are the residues of tea production obtained at the end of sifting and often include the so-called tea dust. It is brewed quickly, strong, but the taste is at the lowest level. To buy really good tea, on the package you will have to look for a large-leaf mark, the “Bouquet” variety.

But that's not all. If "Ortodox" is marked on the package, it means that the tea leaf has not been in contact with the machines. It is rolled by hand and fermented in a natural way. It is considered the most useful and delicious. In addition to this concept comes the designation Pure. This is a tea of ​​one variety that has not been mixed with others to obtain blends. This is the so-called monotea, which has the pronounced properties of its variety.

Rating

In the CIS countries, they drink a lot of tea, which is why independent laboratories often carry out checks and ratings of those brands that offer the best tea and have earned the trust and popularity of the consumer. This often takes into account the price component of the product.

Ahmad is the No. 1 tea according to many studies

1. Ahmad Tea - black long leaf Ceylon. Bouquet.
2. Greenfield Golden Ceylon black Ceylon long leaf. Bouquet.
3. Riston "Premium English Tea" Orange Pekoe, black, long leaf, large leaf. Top grade.
4. The same one - black long leaf Ceylon, large sheet.
5. Dilmah is a black Ceylon large leaf.
6. Akbar - black long leaf Ceylon, large leaf.
7. Maysky - black large-leaved long leaf.

It is impossible to study the entire range of tea offered on the market and create a truly correct rating. Every year, new brands, types of products, blends appear on the market, which are difficult to track, and the research procedure is lengthy and quite expensive. It is important for the buyer to determine for himself what properties in tea play a paramount role for him. This will be the starting point of your own research to find the perfect product.

What kind to start with if you want to become a connoisseur of tea - or just to finally find the exact tea that you can enjoy every day? Let's figure it out in this article. And first, let's remember

What kind of tea is there?

When people talk about "tea varieties", what do you think they mean?

Everyone knows that tea is a plant, a tea bush. Plants of different varieties, from the point of view of botany, have different decorative or physiological characteristics. For example, two varieties of peonies or tomatoes may differ in external data, have different colors and shapes of petals, the size and taste of fruits, etc. And many still think that green and black tea are made from different plants. In fact, there is one type of tea plant - Camellia sinensis - and many varieties of it. The type of tea (green, black, yellow, etc.) depends on the processing of the tea leaf.

We will not go into botanical details. After all, for the buyer, the taste, aroma, color of the finished drink matters. These indicators are determined commercial grade.

Commercial grade of tea - an indicator of quality

The trade grade of tea consists of many factors. In addition to the variety of tea plant (Chinese, Assamese, Cambodian), the following are taken into account:

• the place of growth of the plant itself (this is country of origin, the most famous are Chinese, Indian, Ceylon, Kenyan and other teas from Africa, Georgian, Vietnamese, Japanese and, of course, native Krasnodar, characteristics plantations),
• time and conditions of collection (which leaves are collected, manually or by machine, collection season, etc.),
• features of sheet processing (drying, twisting, grinding and many more special processes).

And that's not all - many varieties of tea are obtained by blending and additional aromatization(There is nothing wrong with this if the flavors are natural).

All these factors affect the final grade of tea. And as a result, we can read on the pack, for example, "Chinese green large-leaf tea (... company name)". Here every word matters.

Blending is another reason for the variety of teas

Blending (and in simple terms - mixing) is carried out by tea-packing factories. Each blend gets its own unique name and sometimes becomes the "face of the company". The composition of such a mixture may include 1-2 dozen varieties of tea leaves grown in different countries.

Which tea maker is the best?

In Soviet times, we had access to one type of tea, which many still miss ("with an elephant"). Then the country rushed to the other extreme, and only imported tea could be bought in stores. Now the choice is great, there would be money.

It is very difficult to choose the best tea manufacturer. Mainly because the same company produces 3-5 different brands of tea in several price categories - expensive, medium, economy. And ardent adherents of Greenfield tea, in fact, choose the same manufacturer as economical lovers of the Princess Nouri brand (both are made by the Orimi Trade company). Therefore, the definition of "the best tea producer" is very conditional.

Of the Russian tea producers, we note the following companies:

• "Orimi trade", she owns the brands "Princess Noori", "Princess Kandy", (as well as Gita, Java), as well as Tess, Greenfield,
• "May"- and this is not only May Tea, but also Lisma, Curtis,
• Unilever- "Conversation", Brooke Bond, Lipton (the owner of the company is England, but the production is located in Russia).

Among foreign teas, the most famous "Dilmah"(supplier of Ceylon tea), English Twinnings, « Ahmad, Ceylon "Riston"(positions itself as "premium English tea"), « Akbar".

When selecting tea varieties for the rating, we were based on customer reviews and research results. We did not consider rare, elite and expensive varieties that are sold only at auctions or in tea shops of a narrow specialization. The ranking contains popular trade grades of black and green tea, which are easy to find in stores near your home.

Perhaps one of the most ancient and noble drinks is the well-known tea. It is not for nothing that entire tea drinking ceremonies are dedicated to him, as well as many ancient legends, stories and tales. If, for example, there are constant disputes about the usefulness of coffee, then with respect to tea, almost all opponents come to the unanimous opinion that it is possible and necessary to drink it.

Antioxidants contained in large quantities in this aristocratic drink help the human body cope with various diseases, including cancer. In addition, daily consumption of tea significantly improves the mood and overall health of a person.

Today, supermarket shelves offer a variety of colorful tea wrappers. Black, green, long leaf, herbal, fruity - now there are an extremely large number of them, and any of them are provided by hundreds of brands. For many decades, the so-called long leaf tea, which appeared in our diet during the start of purchases from China, has been especially popular with consumers for many decades. Many people think that this term refers to black tea packaged in loose packages. But in essence, this is an erroneous opinion. Where did this name come from and what does it mean?

For quite a long time in China there is a very outstanding, and therefore really expensive variety of tea, referred to as "bai hao". In fact, it is one of the types of white tea, which includes slightly opened rudiments of leaves with small white villi. That is why, translated from Chinese, the name of this drink sounds like “white eyelash”. It is generally accepted that the greater the number of such buds present in the main composition of tea, the higher it is valued.

Merchants who offered their goods to customers in order to focus their attention on the value of tea, for advertising purposes, repeated “bai hao” all the time. Their clients, who do not speak Chinese, without going into too much detail, decided that this phrase denotes the highest quality of raw materials. A little later, this term began to denote varieties of loose teas - in order to be able to distinguish it from pressed tea.

This is what real tea looks like

In fact, authentic long leaf tea, which has the extended name "Bai Hao Yin Zhen", belongs to the category of expensive ones. And this tea grows exclusively in places with good ecology and suitable weather conditions. The peculiarity of its collection is only the manual method of plucking the tops of the shoots, in addition to everything, only poorly opened buds with a silvery pile are selected.

Not everyone is allowed to the process of collecting tea, but only those who lead a correct lifestyle, do not use alcohol and tobacco, do not use cosmetics and do not use spicy-smelling spices in cooking. Raw materials collected on plantations should not contain foreign odors - that is why such actions are being taken.

The process of collecting loose tea

The tea leaves are steamed and then dried by hand. The villi acquire a silvery color, and the tea itself becomes incredibly fragrant and appetizing.

In fact, different parts of the plant are used to make different types of tea. Not only buds are used, but also young shoots, upper and lower leaves, as well as flowers, while the methods of processing them also vary significantly. And very enterprising merchants contributed to the spread of the name "beach" to almost all tea varieties. And at the moment, the consumer calls this drink, which does not always have the properties of white silver tea.

Compound

The tea plant itself resembles a bush up to 1 meter high. The highest quality is considered a drink from the leaves collected on the tops of the shoots. The main composition of the tea leaf includes:

• Tannins- a mixture of various compounds that occupy more than 30% of tea. By the way, green tea has a lot more than black tea. It is the tannins that form the aromatic components of tea during the oxidative stage, allowing us to enjoy the fragrance of the finished drink.
• Essential oils- allow you to hear the real smell of tea leaves. Unfortunately, when processing raw materials, essential oils quickly disappear, remaining in an amount of no more than 20-30%. But, at the same time, new essential oils appear in this process, duplicating the smells of citrus fruits, flowers, vanilla, etc., creating a new unique bouquet of tea. Incorrect brewing of the drink or incorrect storage conditions for dry tea often lead to the irretrievable loss of the aromas of essential oils.
• alkaloids- a special tonic component, also called tannin or caffeine. In a tea drink, this element is slightly more than in coffee, but it acts much softer. A useful feature is that the caffeine taken with a tea drink is not retained in the human body. And this means that even with a large amount of tea consumed, a person has no possibility of poisoning. In addition, another type of alkaloids present here - theobromine and theophylline - have the ability to dilate blood vessels and are characterized by good diuretic properties.
• Amino acids- about 17 units of them are found in tea, while they largely contribute to the restoration of a depleted human nervous system. In the process of production of tea raw materials, they also take an active part in creating the aroma of the drink.
• Pigments- components in the composition of the drink, guaranteeing it a rich color. Chlorophyll is the most common in green teas, while carotene and xanthophyll are characteristic of black teas.
• vitamins- an extremely wide range of their presence makes it possible to use tea as a truly healing drink. Pro-vitamin A allows you to maintain good vision, a whole group of vitamin B regulates the endocrine glands. Nicotinic acid (vitamin PP) makes it possible to neutralize the body's allergic reactions to various irritants. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) improves immunity, and in cooperation with vitamin P, it accumulates and is stored in the human body very well.
• Squirrels- substances that supply the body with amino acids. Especially a lot of proteins in green teas.

How useful is real long leaf tea?

Silvery villi (tips), which are the main component of this type of natural tea, are not characterized by certain special properties. Their goal in the composition of a tea drink is to increase the effectiveness of the positive effect of tea on the human body. So why exactly do they love this tea?

First of all:

• it has excellent antibacterial properties;
• it can be used as a drug against colds and various viruses;
• well strengthens blood vessels;
• stabilizes metabolic processes and cholesterol levels in the body;
• prevents the appearance of a kidney stone;
• in some cases regulates the level of hemoglobin in the blood;
• allowed as a prophylactic for jaundice and some other diseases.

If your eyes are tired in the evening, small cotton swabs moistened with a warm strong decoction of black long leaf tea will help relieve tension. With conjunctivitis, it is allowed to wash the eyes with the same solution. Strong brewing of black tea will help to overcome nausea and vomiting. Tea also helps with stomatitis and gingivitis - rinsing the mouth will prevent the effects of microorganisms - the causative agents of these diseases. The large amount of fluoride present in this drink can be a good prevention of tooth decay when drinking several cups of good tea a day.

In passing, it is worth noting that the effect of tea on the human body depends not only on the quality of the drink, but also on the method of its preparation, as well as on the variety and type of raw materials. For example, red and black long leaf teas perfectly invigorate, because they have a bright smell and a very pronounced taste.

Are there any restrictions?

However, despite the fact that such a drink is very fertile, you still should not fanatically drink it in unlimited quantities. The average daily dose of this drink should be no more than 5 - 6 cups..

1. People who react badly to caffeine should avoid it. It is especially necessary to be attentive to yourself in cases where, after drinking a cup of tea, a person develops unmotivated irritability, irascibility, palpitations, nervousness and headaches.
2. Also, pregnant women do not need to get involved in long leaf tea. In no case should drugs be washed down with this drink - the tannins present in it can drastically change the effect of the drug, causing unforeseen health consequences. Not a very good effect of black tea on the condition of the surface of the teeth has also been noticed. So that the enamel does not darken, experts advise brushing your teeth thoroughly after drinking tea.
3. Yesterday's tea leaves are also very harmful. It is necessary to drink the drink exclusively freshly brewed and in no case do not pour boiling water over the tea leaves again.

Types of loose tea

In order to fully experience all the facets of the taste and aroma of this magical drink, tea does not need to be sweetened before drinking, and, moreover, it is not necessary to seize it with anything. Modern manufacturers of long leaf teas offer many different varieties and subspecies, but five types of this drink are considered the main ones:

1. Black tea
   This is perhaps the most common and most sought after of all long leaf teas. A drink made from dry brew must be black. If floating gray or light brown tea leaves are found in the cup, then you should think about the quality of this variety. It is also desirable to pay attention to the degree of twisting of the sheet - the denser it is, the higher the quality of the product is considered. If the leaves are sluggish or crumble, it means that such a drink does not belong to the category of high-quality ones. In stores, you can find black tea in whole-leaf and small-leaf form. In this case, the preference should be given to the first type, since such tea retains its inherent aroma and taste better, and also does not exhale so quickly.

1. Green tea
   This drink is considered the most aromatic of all five. The preparation of raw materials for this tea involves a number of procedures in a certain sequence. It is steamed, dried according to Japanese technology, and can also be twisted according to the Chinese method into a small pea. After steaming, the finished tea has a pronounced green color. Although, in some cases, different variations of green and light green shades are allowed. The criterion for the quality of this tea is precisely the saturation of its color - the lighter it is, the better. Only scrupulous observance of all the necessary technologies guarantees the preservation of the unique healing properties of the drink.

1. Red tea
   Varieties of red tea are stored much longer than green and black, due to the complex process of preparation of the main raw material. Its main distinguishing feature from the two previous species is an incredibly delicate taste, as well as an interesting coloring of the leaves. On the edge they are similar in color to black tea, and inside the shade is identical to the color of green tea. In the process of preparing raw materials, a partial fermentation method is used, after which the leaves are dried and rolled. These procedures are repeated at least three times.

1. yellow tea
   Those who have tried yellow tea at least once will never forget or confuse its taste with any other. The process of preparing raw materials for this drink is very complicated. One part of the leaves is dried and dried, the second is steamed. Then both parts are mixed and twisted. Due to the original specific taste, this tea is classified as exotic.

1. White tea
   By the degree of healing, this tea is many times superior to all others. Its basic basis is green tea, which is made using weak fermentation. Tea leaves after preliminary preparation do not curl, unlike the previous types. Unsurpassed taste, divine aroma, almost colorless shade after brewing allows us to classify white tea as an elite drink.

Long leaf tea manufacturers

The need of the inhabitants of our country for good tea is almost completely satisfied by imported products. The most famous manufacturers and suppliers of this drink, which no family can do without, are:

• India– offers the largest number of varieties of tea in any form. Thanks to this country, we have the opportunity to acquire such well-known brands as Assam, Darjeeling and Nilgiri.
• Sri Lanka- in the past, the island of Ceylon gave a common name to a whole group of diverse teas of the highest quality.
• China- This country was originally a producer of green tea only. The secrets of its preparation were carefully guarded, and the death penalty was imposed for their disclosure. Now China produces both green, and red, and white, and yellow teas.
• Kenya- relatively recently appeared on the tea market (20s of the twentieth century), this country today is one of the most successful in terms of production and sale of valuable raw materials for tea. Ideal natural conditions give Kenyans the opportunity to grow the tea bush much faster. At the same time, its growth can reach the level of a tree. The leaves of such a bush have an original astringency and give the finished drink a surprisingly beautiful amber color.
• Georgia– this tea is somewhat different in taste and color from other teas, but, nevertheless, it has a very original harmony of taste. The use of Georgian teas requires proper preparation and a slightly increased dose for brewing, compared to the above teas. One of the best Georgian drinks is the Bouquet of Georgia.
• Japan is a country producing exclusively green tea. It can not be brewed with boiling water, but only with hot water. To get a drink, the tea leaves are placed directly in the cup, or in a special mesh inside the teapot. The most famous varieties of Japanese green tea are: Ryokuch, Maccha, Gyokuro, Bancha, Genmaich.

How not to make a mistake in choosing real tea?

As you know, the beneficial features of the tea plant gradually decrease from the edges to the stalk. For elite tea, the leaves are torn off exclusively at the top, as well as tips, and everything that is below, starting from the fifth leaf, is simply destroyed. For those who want to taste authentic long leaf tea, collected according to ancient oriental technologies for only two days a year, you should try to find Indian or Chinese Yin Zhen Wang.

When choosing tea, you should direct your interest to the packaging material. Colorful colors and original design do not guarantee the quality of what is inside. Asking a store consultant for advice on internationally labeled products is the most effective way to avoid counterfeiting.

When choosing tea with tips, remember that these components can be in a tightly closed package for no more than a year. After this time, the raw material loses its smell and basic properties. You should also pay special attention to the cost of tea. Natural long leaf is characterized by a rather high price, and you need to be prepared for this if you want to enjoy the most aromatic and delicious drink.

Making tea the right way

Long leaf tea requires special conditions when brewing. It is not necessary to pour tender leaves of tea with boiling water. First of all, you need to boil water, and let it stand for a while.

At the same time, it does not need to be brought to a bubbling state, but removed from heat after the first bubbles appear. Vessels for brewing should be made of glass or clay.

For each cup of water, one teaspoon of tea is taken and one more is added for the entire teapot. The tea leaves are poured with settled water up to half the capacity, and left for 4-5 minutes for black tea, or 6-8 for green tea. It is better to cover the dishes with a linen napkin. After the specified time, the kettle is topped up to the top, and then the drink is poured into cups.

cooking recipes

A variety of teas means using them not only in their original form, but also with the addition of many interesting ingredients. Thanks to this creative approach, tea drinking becomes a pleasant ceremony, and the taste of this noble drink impresses the most demanding tea fans with its sophistication. We offer you some very interesting recipes for making tea that will help you fully appreciate its taste and richness.

Tibetan tea

For four people you will need:

• 1000 ml of water;
• brewing green tea - 3 teaspoons;
• a quarter of a lemon;
• carnation - 1 pc.;
• cardamom - 2 grains;
• ground nutmeg - half a spoon;
• ginger root - a piece of 5 grams;
• some honey.

Grind cardamom and cloves, grind ginger and lemon without skin into small pieces. Pour the tea leaves into a special dish and put all the prepared components, pour settled boiling water. The mixture should be infused for exactly 15 minutes, after which it is poured into cups and drunk with honey.

Moroccan tea

For two cups of tea you need:

• boiling water - 500 ml;
• 1 - 2 cinnamon sticks;
• 4 pieces of cloves;
• a little zest of various citrus fruits;
• ginger - a small plate;
• lemon - 1 pc.;
• a couple of pieces of brown sugar;
• sprigs of fresh mint;
• long leaf black tea - 3 teaspoons.

Prepare the zest, crush the mint directly in the cooking bowl, put the tea leaves there and add all of the above, including chopped ginger and lemon. Boil for five minutes.

Orange tea

For five servings, stock up on the following ingredients:

• hot boiled water - 1 liter;
• zest from 2 citrus fruits;
• dry black long leaf tea - 25 gr;
• orange syrup - 50 gr.

Place the prepared zest in a ceramic dish, pour the syrup there and put the tea leaves. The composition is poured with boiling water, then you need to wait 5 minutes and pass through a strainer. Pour into serving dishes.

Spicy green tea

For two cups of tea you need:

• boiling water - 1.5 cups;
• long leaf green tea - 2 teaspoons;
• 6 cardamom seeds;
• 1 cinnamon stick;
• 2 pieces of cloves.;
• sugar - 3 teaspoons;
• milk - 0.5 cups.

Place the spices, tea and sugar in a tea bowl. Pour cold water over and light a fire under the dishes. Slowly cook, stirring, after boiling for 5 minutes. Add hot milk and keep on fire for the same amount. After straining, pour into serving dishes.

Long leaf tea is a fabulous drink that came to us from China several centuries ago. Even the name of this drink is saturated with magic, and in Chinese it means “white eyelash”.

The aroma and taste of this drink directly depends on the quantity and quality of the tips contained in it, because it is their essential oils that make this tea so uniquely tasty. Having slightly changed this word, making it familiar to the Russian ear, they simply called this tea “Baikhov” and brought it home. All tea lovers need to be extremely careful when choosing this drink, because in our time, for some reason, all loose teas are called long leaf, but this is wrong.

After the leaves are twisted and fermented for some time, in order to eventually dry them completely and sort them. The best varieties of this drink came to us from India, China and Ceylon. Black tea contains many vitamins and such substances useful for the human body as calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. Black tea is the most widespread among all other types of long leaf tea. Ready tea should be black in color.

Also, the degree of twisting of tea leaves indicates the quality of tea. But depending on the type of tea, tea leaves acquire different shades of green. When drying green tea, strong overheating of the tea leaves should not be allowed, as the quality of the tea deteriorates as a result. Tea leaves acquire darker shades of green, which indicates a deterioration in the quality of long leaf tea. The lighter the shade of this type of tea, the better its quality.

Classification by quality of tea leaves

This drink will be the most aromatic of all five. This drink has the most delicate taste, which becomes a little brighter thanks to the tips. For red tea, a partial fermentation process is used, that is, this process is interrupted precisely at the moment when the edges of the tea leaf acquire the desired red tint.

On the packages of such tea you will see the inscription "finest"

These manipulations are carried out at least three times. Due to their less susceptibility to oxidation, red teas last longer than black and green teas. The infusion of yellow tea is quite strong and has an incredible invigorating effect. The technological process of making this type of tea is very laborious. First, tea leaves are steamed for a certain time in order to stop the fermentation process (by the way, because of this, white long leaf tea is poorly stored).

All of the above species have their own characteristics, both in taste and in their effect on the human body. Unlike black and red teas, white and yellow teas are much less common on supermarket shelves. They can be found in specialized tea shops, and even then not in every one. If you still decide to try these teas, drink them without sweeteners and do not seize with anything in order to feel all the facets and shades of their unusual tastes.

In addition to separating long leaf tea by type of brewing, it is unofficially classified according to the type of tea leaves.

The fact is that the tips themselves must remain intact, because when dried and broken or ground into dust, they lose almost all of their unique properties. Whole-leaf tea itself is further subdivided into several categories. The first type is large rough tea leaves, most often below the fifth leaf, if counted from the tip of the branch. It has a minimum number of useful properties and is considered the cheapest.

The fifth type, the most expensive and the most “clean” of all, is tea, consisting only of the topmost leaves (never lower than the fourth leaf) and exclusively golden tips. Ceylon, like Indian teas, are particularly strong and have a very "sharp" taste.

Chinese tea is classified as a separate group, as its taste is milder, and its taste and aroma fluctuate depending on which part of China it was collected from. In addition, the inhabitants of the East believe that if a woman brews magic tea with tips, then it will be much tastier and healthier. Tips in long leaf teas do not have any special properties, they only enhance the positive effects that tea itself can have on the human body.

For example, black and red long leaf teas perfectly invigorate, and also have a bright, rich aroma. Tea is also called the leaf of the tea bush itself, processed and prepared for making a drink. Respectfully refers to tea and losing weight audience. I didn’t know that Krasnodar long leaf tea is not inferior to oriental tea. White tea leaves do not curl. On the packaging with such tea should always be marked "Finest". This is almost any loose tea, which can be white, green, yellow, red, black.