How to choose the right green tea for you. Aromatic green tea

The older generation will remember with nostalgia black tea in the “package with an elephant” as a symbol of the USSR era. It was an Indian, or a mixture of Georgian and Indian tea and was a welcome purchase for any family. Millions of people drink tea every day. Buying its different varieties, they are looking for the ideal tea for themselves: which one will be the best? Black, maybe green? How to choose when the classification of tea is so huge that it is simply impossible to try everything? A test purchase of the most popular brands will help you rank 2016 and decide on the choice of this tasty, healthy drink.

Black or green tea?

Green and black tea can be obtained from the leaves of one bush. The difference in color, taste, useful properties is achieved by the fermentation time of the leaves.

Green tea undergoes minimal oxidation, due to which it retains a unique set of vitamins and elements.

For black tea, the leaves are subjected to maximum fermentation, which allows you to get saturated color, tart and bright taste drink.

Numerous disputes in favor of choosing black or green tea do not have a clear answer. Both drinks can benefit or harm the body.

Black tea is useful because it:

• has a long-term invigorating effect, due to which the work of the brain is enhanced;
• improves blood circulation, promotes cleansing of toxins;
• normalizes the digestive process;
• optimizes general state organism.

However, all beneficial features black tea can turn into harm if consumed excessively or improperly prepared.

It's interesting that green tea appeared in our country almost on a par with black, but did not gain much popularity. Over time, its supply from China completely stopped. The second wave of green tea coming to Russian market happened 20 years ago, and now green tea has firmly established itself in the Russian market and has found its fans.

Green tea has the following benefits:

• strengthens and supports blood vessels;
• characterized by antibacterial properties;
• has a positive effect on the liver;
• promotes rejuvenation of the body.

A large amount of green tea, brewing it too strong, drinking it at inopportune periods can level everything. useful features this drink.

Advice. There is no definite exact answer to the question: which tea is better to drink - black or green? To reap the benefits, it is recommended to consume both of these drinks in moderation.

Russian tea market

The tea market in Russia is represented mainly by multi-brand manufacturing companies:

• the Orimi-trade company produces teas "Princess (Java, Kandy, Nuri, Gita)", Greenfield, Tess;
• Unilever produces tea under the brands Lipton, Brooke Bond, Beseda;
• May owns trade marks May Tea, Lisma, Curtis;
• Sapsan produces tea under the brands Akbar, Gordon, Bernley.

Also well-known brands: Ahmad Tea, Hilltop, Riston, Dilmah, Maitre, "The One".

How to choose the best tea: selection criteria

When choosing the best tea, you need to digress from the design of its packaging and look at the labeling.

In accordance with Russian GOST, the quality of tea is determined by its grade: bouquet ( highest quality), top grade, first, second and third grades.
International marking is a matrix and includes 10 quality indicators for the texture of a tea leaf and 7 indicators characterizing its properties.

Yes, the best loose leaf tea will be marked with letters:

1. F (Flowery) - tea from slightly blossoming buds, the best tea.
2. P (Pekoe) - tea from tea buds and the first two leaves.
3. O (Orange) - tea from young leaves.
4. T (tippy) - exclusive tea from tea buds, the most expensive.
5. G (golden) - tea containing yellow tips (buds).
6. S (special) - tea, exclusive for any characteristic.

In addition to labeling, you should pay attention to the tea material itself:

• brewing for black tea should have an almost black color without gray and brown shades, for green - there should not be leaves of white or bright green color;
• tea leaves should be the same without twigs, dust and tea trifles;
• "wire" (strongly twisted) leaves characterize the degree of fermentation and the quality of tea. For green tea, weak leaf curl is not an indication of poor quality;
• the smell should be pleasant, without foreign odors;
• high-quality tea should be fresh, the best - from 1-2 monthly leaves. Tea material quickly loses its beneficial properties and aroma;
• the packaging must be sealed with an indication of the composition, expiration date, manufacturer in Russian.

All tea sold in the Russian mass market is collected by special machines, therefore, in best case on the shelves there is tea labeled Orange or Orange Pekoe. Tea from tea buds will be exclusive and expensive; it is not widely sold.

Attention! Tea bags are the lowest quality. It is made from the waste of tea production, tea dust. Such a drink will not be useful.

Test purchase: tea rating 2016

Based on the results of the test purchase, a rating was compiled leaf tea. The ratings were given taking into account the appearance of the tea leaves, based on the aroma, taste, color of the brewed tea, in addition, the compliance of the samples with the compositions and varieties declared on the packaging was checked.

• 1 place. Ahmad tea Ceylon Tea high mountain, grade FBOPF
• 2nd place. Greenfield Golden Ceylon, variety bouquet
• 3rd place. Riston Premium English Tea, premium
• 4th place. Akbar Purple Alexandrite, Grade OP
• 5th place. Dilmah Ceylon, premium
• 6th place. Maisky, the highest grade is declared on the packaging. According to experts, tea corresponds to grade 2. Tea leaves of lamellar structure, not twisted enough

Chai Ahmad is the leader of the test purchase

The first place, according to consumers, belongs to Ahmad tea black leaf tea. This tea has the ability to form a transparent bright color infusion, has pleasant taste and clean fragrance. The organoleptic characteristics of all samples were on top, the content harmful impurities has not been identified.

According to lovers of green leaf tea, a rating was made taking into account the smell, taste, color of the brewed infusion, as well as the appearance of tea leaves, the presence of impurities.

• 1 place. Greenfield Flying Dragon
• 2nd place. Tess style
• 3rd place. Ahmad tea Green Tea
• 4th place. Princess Java Traditional
• 5th place. Lisma Tonic
• 6th place. Maitre Vert Mountain

Greenfield Flying Dragon tea consumers preferred Greenfield Flying Dragon tea as it has a refreshing, pleasant, mild taste, a clear greenish color and a delicate floral aroma.

Fragrant, tart, the color of dark transparent amber, black tea is able to gather the whole family at the round table. Fresh, soft, light jade-colored green tea will perfectly quench your thirst on a summer day. The traditions of tea drinking in Russia are strong, so the choice of the best tea, whether black or green option are always up-to-date. With a focus on quality features, labeling, packaging, this choice will be made correctly.

best tea according to the "Test purchase" version - video

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, taste, aroma, color matter. ready drink. 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 long 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 firm." 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 time 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 best manufacturer tea” 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 himself as " english tea premium class) « 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, 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.

There is an opinion that good tea in regular store you won't buy. However, connoisseurs of the tea market are convinced of the opposite: on the shelves of the hypermarket you can find quality drink. But how to choose it, so as not to be disappointed later? Are special secret knowledge to really buy delicious tea? Svetlana Veremetsko, the winner of the third tea championship of Belarus in 2017 in the category “Mastery of making tea” and a practicing coffee trainer, is helping us figure this out today. Together with her, we walked around the hypermarket, studied the assortment and opened several packages that we liked.

The higher the better

- You often hear the opinion that hypermarkets are good no tea, - says Svetlana. - And people invent some incredible schemes, they try to bring super tea from abroad. Or they are looking for specialized shops where tea, in their opinion, is somehow magical.

But the expert believes that loose "sorcerer's" tea is not much different from packaged store-bought tea.

- There are gourmets who prefer to consume only exclusives like Yes Hong Pao. But such amateurs are at most two percent of the total number of consumers. Yes, and mega-gourmet varieties cost quite different money. The rest of the buyers just want to get quality product at an affordable price.

In a good hypermarket, eyes widen from abundance. How not to get lost in this sea of ​​tea and choose quality goods? Do not open every package. But the expert says that much can be learned from external signs.

- The quality of tea primarily depends on the height at which the bush itself grows. The best tea is alpine. Due to specific conditions, its leaf grows slowly. And the smaller the leaf, the higher the concentration of nutrients in it, which means that the drink as a result is more saturated. In the low mountains, tea grows faster, so it is of lower quality and, accordingly, cheaper, but the concentration of substances in such raw materials is low. But it is precisely this that is purchased by manufacturers of a budget product.

Size matters?

- We believe that the best tea is large-leaf tea. But I will tell you a terrible secret: only Belarus, Russia and Ukraine think this way. This has been going on since the late 80s, when it was a large sheet that began to be imported to the USSR.

Another common stereotype: the worst tea is in bags. And the expert strongly disagrees with this. Such misconceptions arise due to ignorance of the features of tea production.

- During drying and fermentation, the leaf inevitably crumbles into particles different size. And before packing, it is divided into fractions so that the tea leaves in the pack are approximately the same: the brewing speed depends on their size. large sheet need more time, small - less. Tea "dust" in bags is brewed almost instantly. But the size does not affect the quality, because it is the same tea.

Tea bags from the highlands can be more expensive and tastier than large-leaf tea made from lowland "burdocks". And despite the biased attitude of Belarusians towards the drink in bags, it accounts for 70% of sales in our market. Whatever one may say, but brewing it is much more convenient. For comparison, we buy two packs of tea bags from different brands. Both contain 25 bags, but one costs 4.32 rubles, and the second costs only 1.73.

I wonder what is the difference between tea bags and pyramids?

- With the pyramids was very curious story. Manufacturers began to pack large-leaf tea in bags, but faced consumer distrust: they say, it is not known what was actually put there. Then they came up with transparent nylon pyramids so that the buyer could see the contents. The taste of such tea also depends solely on the raw materials.

The packaging of tea is also different. The same product is packaged both in cardboard boxes and iron jars. What's the difference? What's better?

- It is more convenient to store tea in an iron can, and there it is better protected from moisture and foreign odors. And the difference in price arises from the cost of the tin itself. It's more like a gift.

But how to determine the quality of the sheet itself? Is price an indicator?

- It is, but only when we buy plain black or green tea without additives. It's relatively fair value for money.

Taste depends not only on raw materials: it is important to observe the conditions of storage and transportation. Now the bulk of the tea on the shelves of our stores is purchased in India and Ceylon, but packaged in Russia. Is it good or bad?

- It all depends on the manufacturer. A reputable company that values ​​its reputation complies with all conditions. The question is mostly economic: it is cheaper to pack in Russia.

But Svetlana herself prefers tea packaged directly in Ceylon. In her opinion, it preserves the taste and aroma better. Indeed, in Sri Lanka, many factories work "on wheels": in the morning they buy tea at an auction, and by the evening it is already in packs. And there is a lion with a sword on the product packed on the island. Permission to use this mark is granted Tea Board Sri Lanka. By the way, there are only four brands with this emblem left on the Belarusian market.

The smell of the smell of strife

Notice how many flavored and fruit teas are on sale. Some with very specific smells, like champagne or chocolate truffle.

- Flavors in tea have the right to exist: if the buyer likes it, then why not? The main thing is that the manufacturer uses a quality leaf, and does not try to cover up the lack of smell and taste of the tea itself with additives. Therefore, when choosing flavored tea, be sure to read the composition: according to GOST, the components are listed in descending order of their quantity. And if after tea in the list there is a flavor, and only then - pieces of an apple, then the drink will have more chemicals than fruits.

We randomly take green tea with mango flavor from the shelf: a vigorous smell hits the nose even through the packaging, knocking out the sense of smell for a while. It seems that the manufacturer has relied more on chemistry than on quality. A 100-gram pack of such a drink costs 4.59 rubles, which is not so little. For comparison: for such money you can buy an unpretentious, but good tea packaged in Ceylon.

- Chemistry gives out too fruity smell. Well, two pieces can't dried strawberries give stunning aroma. Therefore, the natural smell is reinforced with flavorings. This is partly due to the peculiarities of consumer psychology. People believe that if tea is fruity, then it should smell like fruits. The same goes for jasmine tea. real drink obtained by impregnating the tea leaf natural oil jasmine. And quite a few flowers are added to it - for beauty.

What the autopsy showed

First, let's compare tea bags. First difference: the more expensive product is placed in the package. The cheap ones are right in the box.

In budget tea, the rope is attached to the bag with an iron clip, which, according to the expert, is not good. “Why do we need extra iron in a cup?” But in more expensive tea, the rope is tied with an eco-friendly knot: this is done by a special machine. But a paper clip is easier and cheaper to install.

Now we open the bags and examine their contents.

- Please note: more expensive tea looks darker and more uniform. These are signs of a quality product.

The cheap one looks like a brown mass with fibers that come across in it and does not impress the expert. And the difference in taste will be noticeable.

On the left - cheap tea from a bag, on the right - more expensive

Now it's time for a mango-flavoured product. After opening the package, the smell instantly fills the whole room. The expert sorts through the contents, separating the tea from petals and cubes, declared as pineapple pieces. The diagnosis is disappointing: the tea is of poor quality. The tea leaves differ markedly in color and size, and in good product this should not be.

Tea leaves vary in color and size

The second fragrant "patient" does not smell through the pack, but after opening the truffle spirit is felt very clearly. We disassemble the contents: cocoa beans and pieces of coconut flakes are added to the tea mass. The expert examines the sheet: a radically black color and increased brittleness. Conclusion: the product is stale and initially of low quality. Recall that it cost 4.59 rubles.

For comparison, pour on paper Ceylon tea with a lion for 4 rubles per 100 g. The picture is completely different: the leaves are the same size, and the color is black with a bluish tint. And it smells like tea, not flavoring.

On the left - black tea with "truffle", on the right - black Ceylon without additives

- The product, though not the most expensive, but still very good.

But what does the best black tea we bought in the store look like? We open a 100-gram package, which cost us 9 rubles. The color and smell is good, but what are the light streaks on the leaves? These are tips - leaf buds. The more of them, the better the tea.

Expensive black tea with tips

Compare appearance: top left - black flavored (4.69 rubles), right - Ceylon (3.82 rubles), bottom - Ceylon with tips (9 rubles)

- I will reveal another terrible secret: pure black or green tea is not the most profitable product, because it leaves no marketing loopholes. But with flavored ones, you can work “miracles”. For example, cocoa beans and coconut chips do nothing but increase mass. And we pay not only for tea, but also for cheaper decorative additives. And such a “soup set” costs more than an unpretentious, but “honest” Ceylon product.

Someone chooses cheap tea because quality is not so important to him. And there is a layer of buyers who are forced to put up with low quality for reasons of economy. But is this saving really that big?

-At first glance, there is a difference: buy 100 g of tea for 3 rubles or 9. But bad tea consumed faster. You can check it yourself: measure by weight equal amounts of both teas and brew in equal amounts water. And you will immediately see the difference: the cheap one has a paler color and a weaker taste. Therefore, the benefit may be very insignificant.

Let's summarize our trip to the hypermarket:

• ratio "price - quality» most clearly seen in tea without additives;
• tea bags can be both very good and very average in quality;
• flavored tea should not smell like a perfume factory;
• petals, pieces of fruit and other inclusions do not add flavor and aroma, but increase the weight of the package;
• tea leaf in a pack must be uniform in color and size;
• The quality of tea does not depend on the size of the leaf in the pack, but on the growing conditions.

The Relax.by portal thanks Korona hypermarket for a wide range of teas and assistance in photography.

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Probably green tea is the richest variety. If oolongs, for example, crowded in only two provinces in southern China, and pu-erh is produced only in Yunnan, then green tea ranks first in terms of prevalence. And of course, when they say Chinese tea”, the first thing that comes to mind is green tea. What varieties of green tea exist today and which ones are the best?

Green tea varieties and non-varieties

Let's separate marketing first. Probably, for a person who is not immersed in tea, there is no difference between "Emerald Spirals of Spring" and "Dreams of a Geisha" in terms of the creativity of the name. At the same time, Bi Lo Chun "Emerald Spirals of Spring" is a varietal tea, and the dreams of sultans, geishas are marketing.

What does varietal tea mean? This is a tea grown from a bush special grade, in a certain region and produced according to its technology. Everything, as with wine and vineyards. If one of these parameters does not meet the standard, then the tea does not have the right to be called by this name. Thus, Long Jing "Dragon Well" tea can only be called tea that is obtained from leaves from certain bushes grown in Zhejiang province. Tea grown from the same bushes, made in the same way, but not in another province.

Moreover, the state protects the names of teas on a geographical basis - Xi Hu Long Jing can only be tea that is grown on plantations near Xi Hu Lake. Long Jing grown elsewhere cannot be called Xi Hu. Why is everything so difficult? Because climate and geography greatly influence the quality of tea, its taste. There are some conditions on the shore of the lake, others in the mountains, and still others on the plains, and all this creates different tea. Xi Hu is the tastiest and most expensive Long Ching, and therefore, under this name, a dishonest manufacturer can sell tea for more than it costs.

And when you take ordinary sencha, which is harvested in hundreds of tons from industrial plantations and diluted with pieces of fruit and flavors, you get all the creative splendor that can be seen in some tea shops - the dreams and dreams of sultans, geishas, ​​dragons, monkeys, samurai, phoenixes and more eastern fauna. Who exactly comes up with these names, we do not know.

Teas twisted into rings and balls are not varieties either. Usually this is all a way of increasing the cost of raw materials, marketers call this “improving consumer properties”. The so-called "blooming" teas, when a flower appears from a ball in a glass, are not for drinking at all, but for admiring the process. Put it on the table like flowers - and you admire it. Initially, this was the point, and drinking this tea is like taking a sip of water from a vase.

Which green tea is best?

In general, of course, this is the one that you personally like. And so - in China there is a list of "Famous varieties". He often corrects, some enter there, some leave. These teas won prizes at industry exhibitions and were presented as state gifts. I mean, these are really outstanding teas, the best of the best.

Long Ching (Dragon Well)

What is famous for: No. 1 tea in China. Almost a symbol of all green teas. Recognized almost as a cultural heritage of the country, received great amount awards, presented on behalf of the head of state, known since the 8th century. 18 bushes have survived to this day, from which the variety originates. Amazing floral aroma with notes of chocolate, the aroma of the sun and spring. Sweet, rich taste. Perfectly invigorates, tones.

Huang Shan Mao Feng "The Fleecy Peaks of the Yellow Mountains"

What is famous for: in the 80s was an official government gift. Very pronounced freshness in taste and aroma, with light floral nuances. Relaxes, refreshes.

Bi Lo Chun "Emerald Spirals of Spring"

What is famous for: tea number two in China after "Dragon Well". It grows among fruit trees in plantations near Dongting Lake, Jiangsu Province. Small, twisted in a spiral tea leaves, covered with white pile. Very graceful, gentle, soft, sweet. Floral aroma and fruity taste. Strongly relaxes. When brewing in glassware you can watch the dance of the villi - a very spectacular sight. Characteristic of this tea is the incredible lightness that appears during tea drinking.

Tai Ping Hou Kui "Monkey Leader from Hawken"

What is famous for: gold at the Panama Pacific Show in San Francisco, in 2004 was named the "King of Green Teas". Heady floral aroma, thick soft taste with tobacco notes.

Liu An Gua Pian "Pumpkin Seeds"

What is famous for: 8 times won prizes at national and world exhibitions. It was presented on behalf of the party to foreign delegations. Very gentle, soft, light, almost women's tea. Without astringency. One of the sweetest green teas.

Meng Ding Gan Lu "Sweet Dew from Meng Ding Peak"

What is famous for: tea growing on one of the sacred Taoist mountains - Meng Ding, at an altitude of about 1500 meters. Manuscripts say that varieties of tea such as "gan lu" ("sweet dew") were known as early as the Han Dynasty (2nd century BC - 1st century AD). delicate fragrance and fruity taste. Very gentle and light elegant tea.

Zhu Ye Qing "Freshness of Bamboo Leaves"

What is famous for: grows on mountain plantations surrounded by monasteries. Already in the era of the Tang Dynasty, tea was supplied to the emperor from here. It has fresh fragrance, tart taste with a sweet aftertaste. Refreshes wonderfully. A separate pleasure is to watch the dance of the tea leaves, which rise vertically in the glass and then fall, then rise back.