What is the healthiest tea? Secrets of the tea business
In terms of popularity, tea is hardly inferior to coffee drinks. It is drunk chilled and hot, used as a base for cocktails, desserts and ice cream. At the same time, few people know how tea is produced and how green differs from white or black.
The Village talked to Viktor Enin, the owner of Tea Height, about the traditional places for growing and harvesting tea, the technological processing of raw materials and choosing the “right” drink.
What is called tea?
Viktor Enin, owner and tea chef tea height »: Tea is a drink made from the leaves of a plant called Camellia sinensis (Caméllia sinénsis) that has been processed in a certain way. At the same time, camellia sinensis exists in many variations, among which there are three main forms of growth - guan mu (bush), qiao mu (straight tree), da shu (big tree). The most widespread is the bushy form, while the tree form is represented by a few cultivated gardens and even rarer groves of wild tea trees.
For the preparation of tea-drink, preliminary processing of raw materials (tea leaves) is necessary. The following stages of preparation are distinguished: heat treatment (roasting and heating), fermentation, withering and twisting. These stages can go in different combinations, sequences and with different intensity.
As a result, they allow you to remove the bitterness inherent in a live tea leaf, form sweetness and astringency in taste, and also fix the changes that have occurred in the leaf. Making tea - from collecting to receiving a finished leaf - can take several hours or several days.
As for drinks from flower, herbal and fruit preparations (for example, linden tea, Ivan-tea and hibiscus tea), in the strict sense of the word, they should not be called teas. Nevertheless, such a tradition has already developed, so it is important to determine for yourself that tea should only be considered a drink made from the leaf of camellia sinensis. Flowers, herbs, spices can also be added to tea, but this is more likely to be a tea drink or cocktail.
Where is tea grown?
For a long time, tea was used only as a useful raw material, which was collected from wild trees. The tradition of growing and harvesting tea originated in China several millennia ago in the Yunnan province, and in the 2nd-3rd century BC, the first tea garden was set up on Mount Menshan (Sichuan province).
Then the tea culture spread from the southern regions of China throughout the country and the adjacent territories of Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. In the 6th-8th centuries, tea growing appeared in Korea and Japan, where it was rethought and supplemented. Now we can talk about independent Japanese and Korean tea traditions, but they can easily detect aesthetic and technological features borrowed from Chinese tea drinking.
A rather important production is located on the island of Taiwan, it was there that a new tradition of tea drinking, based on the old Chinese, was formed. In India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka), the cultivation of tea began by historical standards quite recently - in the 19th century. The key difference between tea-growing in these areas is that it appeared due to an external initiative: metropolises such as Holland, Portugal and, to a greater extent, Britain, were big consumers of tea and did not want to depend on China.
Local production of tea has also developed in the Central Asian republics, Turkey and Iran. Now tea is grown almost all over the world, but, as a rule, this is not a significant production. In addition, there is still the collection of tea from wild trees, which is highly valued due to its rarity and laborious process.
To date, the world production of tea is more than 4 million tons per year, of which 1.7 million are produced by China. In second place is India - 900 thousand tons per year. However, China drinks most of the tea itself, while India exports it. Sri Lanka and Kenya supply 300-350 tons each. Japan also occupies an important place in the world tea market.
What is tea like?
All tea can be divided into several groups according to technological origin. There are many classifications, one of the most common is used to rank high-grade Chinese teas. It distinguishes green, white, yellow, oolong teas (another name is turquoise teas), red teas (known as black tea in Europe) and aged teas (a special variety of Chinese teas, today the most famous and significant among them is pu-erh). Within each of these groups, diversity is also found. The names of these groups are not a direct definition of the color of the raw material, the finished leaf or the drink, and are used more as markers.
The type of tea depends on several criteria: the method and time of collection, the conditions of growth and storage, and the method of processing. Theoretically, tea raw materials from one bush or tree can be processed in different ways and get both black, green and white teas.
But in practice this is not always the case. If white tea has been brewed in some area for a long time and there is a demand for it, then, as a rule, they will not make black or green tea there. Although there are regions that produce a wide range of teas at once.
In addition, each farm has tea of different quality. After processing, all raw materials are sorted and divided into several groups in order of increasing volume: selected tea, which most smoothly went through the entire cooking process and is the most delicious; high quality tea, medium quality tea and broken raw materials. The most precious teas can be found in China, Japan and Taiwan. There are also expensive examples of Indian and Ceylon teas.
How to learn to choose the "right" tea?
There is a simple formula: "drink tea, see tea, know tea." In essence, it means the following: the more a person drinks tea, paying attention to details (quality, aroma, taste, appearance before and after drinking tea), the better he knows him. In addition, there is always the opportunity to ask tea masters and sellers in specialized stores to tell you something new and useful. There are also many sites dedicated to the culture of tea drinking.
In tea, the taste, aroma, aftertaste, color of the infusion and the appearance of the tea leaf are valued. As for taste, first of all it should be close and understandable to a person. If this is not the case, you should try another variety. It is also very important that the taste be clean, expressive, rich and at the same time harmoniously combined with the aroma of the drink. Typically, bitter tea is a defect in either the tea itself or the brewing process. Although there are separate varieties in which bitterness is considered not only acceptable, but also a valued flavor.
One of the main problems when choosing tea is that high and low quality tea can be called the same. Nothing prevents the seller, especially in an online store, from copying the name containing excellent epithets and applying it to the most ordinary versions of this tea. Therefore, it is important to understand that the quality of tea is not inherent in its name and the drink should always be tried before buying.
Why are tea rituals important?
The rituals themselves are not needed, and the sequence of making tea is not called a "tea ceremony" in either China or Japan. There, only such concepts as “tea art” and “the way of tea” are distinguished. If the latter is used to refer to a person who studies tea and practices it professionally, then the former can be considered an amateur but attentive approach to tea drinking.
Therefore, the perception of making tea as a ceremony is rather an unaccustomed European view. Indeed, in most cases, tea is prepared in the presence of guests. If the brewer tries to do it gracefully and beautifully, then he draws the attention of others to every movement, the arrangement of objects, the logical sequence of actions. As a result, the process really looks like a ritual, which in fact is no different from the preparation of any dish.
Nevertheless, tea does attract some kind of ritualization, including in European cultures. For example, in England there is a tea party at five o'clock in the evening, and in Russia long samovar gatherings are known. This is quite an interesting phenomenon, since one of the main values of tea drinking is communication.
This was noted by the Japanese masters of the Middle Ages, in whose private correspondence we see the following phrase of the tea master Sen no Rikyu: “The main thing on this path (the path of tea) is to meet each other’s eyes and touch each other’s hearts.” That is, it means for the tea master the goal of creating such a situation and atmosphere in which the most diverse people of the most diverse social status, being in the same tea party, are included in some kind of communication.
What trends are there in the modern culture of tea drinking?
Today, several simultaneously developing trends can be observed in tea culture at once. First, the trend towards aged teas (eg oolongs, black and white teas). The appearance of this trend is due not only to the desire to preserve raw materials for longer than one season, but also to very successful harvests when there is too much tea. In addition, with aging, tea acquires an additional taste, and hence value.
Tea is considered one of the most ancient and noble drinks, with many legends, stories and ceremonies associated with it. And if they still argue about the benefits, then it is believed that tea has a positive effect on the body. We recommend drinking it daily and we'll tell you why!
The most famous health benefits of tea are antioxidants, they help prolong the youth of the body, fight infectious and oncological diseases. But, you need to remember that this only applies to high-quality loose leaf tea. Tea bags with fruit flavors and additives do not bring any benefit to the body, it only affects the taste buds.
Tea should be drunk every day because it:
1. Stimulates mental abilities.
2. Strengthens nerves, relieves stress.
3. Increases efficiency.
4. Eliminates drowsiness.
5. Soothes the gastrointestinal tract. For better use for these purposes, the drink is infused longer than it should be for a more complete release of tannins. The taste will become more tart. Such tea is especially useful for patients with ulcers.
6. Restores the function of the thyroid gland, this applies more to green varieties.
7. Strengthens the walls of capillaries and makes the skin more elastic due to vitamins U2, P and K, useful for skin diseases.
8. Strengthens tendons and bones.
9. Protects teeth from caries due to the presence of fluoride.
10. Freshens breath, for this you can just chew a few dry tea leaves.
11. Useful in diseases of the liver.
12. Removes poisons, helps with alcohol intoxication.
13. Recommended for diabetes.
14. Promotes urination.
15. Regulates the burning of fats in the body.
16. Normalizes cholesterol levels.
17. Improves eyesight, tea drinkers are less likely to get cataracts.
18. Increases immunity.
19. Prevents chronic diseases.
20. Promotes weight loss, most of all oolongs and pu-erh have this property.
Which tea is healthier, it is impossible to say for sure. Medicinal properties in different types are expressed with varying degrees. For example, black tea is believed to improve cardiovascular health, green tea maintains blood sugar levels, and white tea slows down skin aging.
Many people think that black tea and green tea are two different types of tea. In fact, black and green teas are made from the same type of plant, just in different ways. The technology of processing tea leaves to obtain green tea is such that all vitamins and nutrients are preserved in it. Thus, green tea is healthier than black tea. Natural green tea without flavors has a specific, slightly astringent taste, almost no smell. Whereas black tea is both tasty and fragrant. The choice depends on the preferences of the buyer.
Green tea is pleasant in combination with jasmine, bergamot, lemon, they give beauty and originality to its taste, enriching this healthy drink with additional vitamins.
You need to know that you should not drink black tea in unlimited quantities, as its excessive use provokes diseases such as constipation, insomnia, varicose veins. Green tea in large quantities can cause drowsiness (or vice versa, insomnia), weakness and irritability.
To avoid the above problems, you should not consume more than 5 cups of strong green or black tea per day.
When choosing tea, the main question that arises among buyers is: which tea is better - in bags or regular? Now there is an opinion that tea bags are made from tea dust and waste, so they are unhealthy. This is only partly true. Indeed, in order for a disposable tea bag to quickly brew, it contains tea crumbs and seeds. But manufacturers claim that this crumb is made from the same high-quality raw materials as ordinary tea, so the tea bag cannot bring any threat to health. The tea bag has the same beneficial properties as regular brewed tea.
The main advantage of disposable tea bags is that they are easy to use. You can quickly enjoy strong, hot tea, in which, moreover, no tea leaves will float. It is better to buy tea bags that do not contain additives and impurities that are unhealthy. Quality tea is clear when brewed, not cloudy brown.
The advantages of tea bags are that they are indispensable on the road, on hikes and travels, in the office. But at home, it’s still better to brew ordinary tea for the whole family in the old fashioned way.
The disadvantages of disposable tea bags include: high price compared to regular tea of the same brand, short shelf life, since the tea bag quickly “exhales”, that is, it loses its inherent tea aroma, this is because the tea in the bag is heavily crushed . In order for tea to retain its aroma longer when opened, many manufacturers began to produce individual packaging for each tea bag.
In order to brew delicious, fragrant tea, you need to choose the right teapot for it. Porcelain teapots perfectly preserve the quality, taste and color of tea, they are also very beautiful and will decorate any home tea ceremony. Glassware is also convenient for brewing, it does not affect the quality of tea, but tea in glassware cools down very quickly. Ceramic is the most convenient material for brewing tea, as it is breathable, which prevents tea from prematurely souring. The ceramic teapot reveals to the greatest extent the whole taste and aroma of the brewed tea leaf.
Avoid buying metal teapots, as the tannic acid contained in tea, when combined with iron, turns into real ink in our stomach!
The ideal teapot should be round in shape and have a small hole on the lid to allow the tea to breathe.
For different types of tea: black and green, it is better to have separate teapots.
Here's everything you need to know about tea. Happy tea!
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Among the variety of different drinks, only tea constantly accompanies a person, from early childhood to old age. It has long become an indispensable participant in everyday life, without which not a single breakfast or lunch, gala dinner or festive feast can do.
Today there are a variety of types of tea, each of which has its own special taste and aroma. Among the abundance of bright packages with different names, it is sometimes difficult for an inexperienced buyer to decide which variety he wants.
Despite the large selection, the basis of each variety consists of a tea leaf or a kidney. A certain processing technology (fermentation - oxidation of a tea leaf) allows you to get one or another type of tea:
1. Green tea.
For the production of this species, a leaf is used, which is harvested all year round. During processing, drying and twisting are used. Fermentation is not carried out. Due to gentle processing, the leaf retains vitamins (A, B1 and B2, E, F and K) and nutrients (potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium, phosphorus). Useful for hypertensive patients. It normalizes glucose levels, helps prevent cancer, tones and improves overall well-being. To give the exquisite floral aroma of green tea, jasmine color is added to it, which gives a touch of tenderness to the drink.
2. White tea.
Belongs to the class of elite drinks. For its production, tea buds or the top two leaves are used, which are collected only two days a year. It undergoes very weak fermentation, which is closer to green tea. It is also rich in vitamins and minerals and is good for health. Tea has antibacterial properties, normalizes blood pressure, lowers cholesterol and improves immunity.
3. Yellow tea.
To obtain this type, only tea buds are used, which undergo a two-day light fermentation, which gives the drink a yellow tint during the brewing process. Its composition corresponds to white tea and has the same set of useful properties.
4. Red tea.
For this species, it is necessary to collect mature leaves, which will then go through the entire processing technology: pre-drying, twisting, 60% fermentation and final drying. Being processed, the leaf acquires a rich dark red color, which gives the drink an original shade. Red tea is rich in flavonoids, organic acids, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Its use contributes to the normalization of the nervous system and heart, improves the condition of hair and skin, regulates liver function, and has a beneficial effect on the absorption of nutrients by the body.
Read about 5 more types of tea and tips for brewing tea on the next page.
Tea has been known to mankind for a long time - the first mention of it is about 5000 years old. However, despite the ancient history and widespread use, many properties of this drink remain little known. MirSovetov in this article will talk about the history of tea, its effect on the human body, methods of brewing and some other details regarding tea.
History of tea
China is considered to be the birthplace of tea, where tea bushes were first cultivated. From China, tea first spread throughout Southeast Asia, and then along the Great Silk Road, travelers brought it to Europe. At first, tea was valued very expensive here, like any overseas goods. But, despite this, the popularity of the drink is constantly growing. The inhabitants of England especially fell in love with tea, because in a damp and cool climate, drinking it is a great way to keep warm.In Russia, tea first appeared in 1638 under Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. However, the drink won wide distribution and popular love only in the 19th century. In Rus' at that time, family tea drinking with honey and sweets came into fashion.
Over the past 100 years, world tea production has increased 30 times. Its largest exporters today are India, China, Sri Lanka, Japan.
How tea grows
The tea bush on the plantations has a height of 1 - 1.5 m with the same width between the rows. It is worth noting that under favorable conditions, the growth of the bush is very fast and therefore the plantations require constant care in order to prevent the bushes from growing too much. Depending on the growing conditions, tea leaves are harvested from 1 time in 2 weeks to 2-4 times a year. The highest quality tea is the first harvest. Then, with each new assembly, the quality of the collected leaves gradually decreases. MirSovetov recommends looking for this information on the packaging - some tea producers still indicate the variety and harvest. Among the majority of teas produced, it is rare to find tea of a certain variety in its pure form, most often these are blends that make the tea taste not so sharp. A favorable climate for tea is a rarity, as this plant is very whimsical: it needs a special temperature, humidity, soil.
For example, attempts to cultivate tea in the Crimea ended in failure. And the northernmost tea plantation is located near the city of Sochi. In foreign Europe, tea is not grown at all. By the way, knowing this, it is easy to guess that the phrase "English tea" does not mean the country of origin, but the place of packaging. And tea should be packaged in opaque sealed packages. Plastic bags, plastic boxes and even glass jars are not able to fully preserve all the properties of tea.
tea properties
Almost immediately after tea became widespread, people discovered its healing properties. In China, initially tea was used only as a medicine, and only today has it become an everyday drink. Let's name the main useful properties of tea known today: - Due to the content of caffeine, tea has a tonic effect.
- In addition, caffeine has a beneficial effect on the heart muscle, as well as on the circulatory system.
- Tea is known as an excellent diaphoretic (promoting profuse sweating) remedy. It is not for nothing that the inhabitants of Central Asia, despite the hot climate, drink tea often and in large quantities, which often surprises Europeans. In fact, tea, improving sweating, promotes the evaporation of moisture from the surface of the body, and therefore does not allow the body to overheat. Abundant sweating also allows you to remove toxins from the body.
- The antiseptic action of black and green tea is used for diarrhea. Strongly brewed tea kills harmful intestinal microflora.
- Tea contains many elements that are part of human bones and teeth. In the course of a series of studies conducted by Chinese and Japanese scientists, it was found that the constant use of tea has a beneficial effect on tooth enamel, and is also good.
- Japanese scientists, having conducted a study in Hiroshima, also found that green tea removes some radionuclides from the body, in particular strontium-90.
- In a number of countries, studies are currently being conducted that suggest that tea also has some anti-cancer effect. The mechanism of this action is not known for certain, nor is the nature of cancer fully known, but the fact remains: tea helps prevent cancer.
- And almost everyone knows that tea (especially green) helps to cope with a cold. There is a complex effect here: tea warms the throat, due to profuse sweating it helps to lower the temperature and removes toxins from the body.
- Do not drink tea on an empty stomach - it can be harmful to the digestive system.
- Do not drink too hot or too cold tea. Hot can burn you, and cold can chill your throat.
- Do not drink too strong tea. The high concentration of caffeine in such a drink has a bad effect on a person's well-being. Especially, it is not recommended to drink strong tea for people suffering from glaucoma, with exacerbation of stomach ulcers.
- Do not brew tea for too long - this impairs its taste and nutritional qualities.
- Do not drink medicines with tea, as they can be poorly absorbed. Medicines are generally best taken with clean water.
- Do not brew black tea repeatedly.
- Do not drink yesterday's tea - it not only does not contain useful substances, but can also harm the body.
How to make tea
To make good tea, you first need to choose a quality tea leaves. When choosing, you should pay attention to the appearance of welding. First, the color should match the type of tea: black tea should be exactly black, green - green or light green. Halftones are a sign of poor quality welding.
Secondly, good tea does not include impurities and looks homogeneous.
Water for making tea, as well as for cooking, should generally be as soft as possible. It should not contain mechanical impurities. Of course, an opaque color is also a sign of poor-quality water.
There are many ways to brew tea - from classic to exotic. MirSovetov would like to draw your attention to the fact that black and green tea are brewed differently.
One of the most common ways brewing black tea is next. Heat water in a clean bowl. You should not boil it, as this will worsen the taste of the drink. The optimum temperature for brewing black tea is 95°C.
In order for the tea to brew better, the teapot should be preheated. In the East, for this, it is completely dipped in hot water. However, you can do other things, for example, hold the kettle over the burner of a gas stove or place it in the oven for a short time.
Next, tea leaves are poured into the teapot. Its quantity is a matter of taste for everyone, here everything is selected experimentally. Immediately after filling the tea leaves, pour boiling water over it, up to about 1/3 of the teapot. We cover the kettle with a linen towel or other suitable cloth and wait 1-2 minutes. Then add boiling water to 3/4 of the teapot and cover again, not allowing the teapot to cool too quickly. So the tea is brewed for another 5-10 minutes. Then you can pour the tea leaves into cups, topping up with boiling water to taste.
There are different opinions about adding sugar to tea: someone believes that sugar does not allow you to fully experience the real taste of tea, someone, on the contrary, cannot imagine tea without sugar. Again, it's a matter of taste. The same can be said about adding lemon or milk to tea.
Brewing green tea differs from brewing black tea in the first place in that green tea can be brewed many times - up to 10 times. In China, when brewing green tea, the following recipe is used:
As for the preparation of black tea, water with a minimum content of mineral salts is taken. The teapot is also heated. Tea leaves are placed at the rate of 1 teaspoon with a slide for 150-200 ml of water. Pour the tea leaves with water heated to a temperature of 75-80 ºС, let it brew for 1.5-2 minutes, and then pour it into a special dish, which the Chinese call "chahai". In principle, any ceramic or glass container can be used for this. Then the procedure is repeated, pouring hot water over the tea leaves and pouring the infusion into the "chahai", each time increasing the infusion time by 15-20 seconds. Good varieties of green tea can be re-brewed up to 10 times. After the brewing has exhausted itself, tea from the "chahai" is poured into cups. They also practice brewing without "sipping", when the drink is poured from the teapot directly into the cups. At the same time, each next brewed portion differs from the previous one with a new taste and aroma.
Tea, as you have seen by reading this article, is a healthy and tasty drink. And MirSovetov wishes you a pleasant pastime over a cup of tea with close people and hopes that this article has helped you better understand the nature of such a wonderful drink.
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