Tea meaning

 "One drinks tea to forget the world's noises".  Tien Yi-heng

Sharon W sent me a collection of tea quotes and this one is my favorite.  Although there are innumerable good reasons to drink tea, uppermost for me is taking those precious few seconds to set aside daily demands, breathe in the moist, earthy tea scent, and be delightfully present in the moment.

Tea Tasting Class

My partner and I stepped into the inner sanctum of Temple Coffee & Tea in Sacramento where a quiet ritual was about to take place: a Tea Processing and Tasting class.  Several tall tables with cups of labeled tea leaves, water, cup placement mats and note paper stood at the ready.  The din from the outer café faded as the ten initiates waited to hear the word from our tea guide Leslie Fraser.  “It’s time.  Let’s start.”

As Leslie asked us about our favorite teas, our wide disparity in knowledge became immediately evident.  One man in the class talked about his specialty Sencha green tea air-shipped from Japan directly to him in vacuum-sealed bags.  Others were hard-pressed to identify what type of tea they liked best (white, green, oolong or black).  I refrained from mentioning that I most often drank store-bought teabags, because it might label me as hopelessly uncool.  It’s not that I don’t drink the finer loose leaf teas on occasion, but I don’t know a lot about what’s available or what I like.  Plus, I’m often in a rush and teabags are so much easier.

Leslie talked a bit about the background and processing of tea (I’ll share similar information in future blogs) and then we moved into the experiential component of the class.  Leslie prepared the teas using filtered water heated to around 200 degrees and then cooled to the right temperature for each tea.  She poured each of us a white tea and a green tea to compare and then an oolong and a black.  She noted that having two different teas to compare side-by-side makes it easier to sense the differences.  

We touched and sniffed the dry leaves and buds, admired the color and aroma of the poured “liquor” in our cups and tasted the brews.  I could see, smell and taste the differences, but had trouble finding words to describe them.  Was it chocolaty?  Plastic-tasting?  Like something dripping from the drain pipe or the sweetest nectar of the gods?   Classmates described, as best they could, the body, flavor, astringency and finish of each sample.   “Subtle, strong, woody, apricot-like, smooth” for the Silver Needle white and “Seaweed, grassy, pale green, subtle, astringent in the finish” for the Jade Cloud green. 

The reactions to the teas were as varied as the tasters themselves.  The Wuyi oolong was described as “unsmoked tobacco” but also contrastingly as “floral, dry, raisin-like sweetness on the tip of the tongue”.   The Darjeeling 2^nd Flush black tea was “dark amber, smooth and caramel-like” but also “perfume-y, complex and bright”.   

I gave up on finding the right words and instead focused on whether I enjoyed it or not.   I loved the white tea for its gentleness and the black for its sweet boldness.  The Jade Cloud green tea didn’t make me a convert to green teas.

Our tasting ended with a tisane, in this case a tangerine-ginger herbal blend.  This brew made me recoil with its unnaturally bright blood-orange color and overpowering aroma and flavor.  It was a quality blend, but it felt so artificial and strong compared to the lovely real teas.  Fortunately, the tea barista offered to bring out another white tea, so I was able to leave the class with a pleasant taste in my mouth.

French Press for Tea

At a recent tea tasting class we attended, a few folks mentioned that they use a French Press to make their tea.  I was intrigued by the notion and decided to buy one.  I justified the expense by claiming that I need the very best tools available to aid me in my tea education.

Not being a coffee drinker, I had only the vaguest notions of how a French Press works.  Undaunted, I made the purchase and brought one home.  The instructions for the press were helpfully written in 13 languages but only pertained to coffee, not tea.   Also, the little instructional drawings in the booklet neglected to show how and when the press part is plunged, so again, not so useful.

From the comfort of a recliner, my coffee-drinking, French-press experienced partner walked me through the steps.  First, I collected the water.  It should have been filtered, but I skipped that part.  I brought the water to a boil and actually went to the trouble to stick a thermometer in the water and waited until the temperature came down to the recommended 180 degrees for the Ancient Moonlight White tea leaves.

It was a beautiful sight to behold as the tea leaves danced in the water and began to release their light toffee-tan color.  I was quite enchanted by the view and took a photo to capture the moment.

After a recommended 5 minutes of steeping, I was told by the now lounging french-press expert to push the press slowly and steadily to the bottom.  I did so and then the tea was ready to pour.  At that moment, I realized that we needed to buy new teacups that would show off the beautiful “liquor”, because all we had were our cracked and stained utility mugs.  It was not quite the refined and elegant experience I had imagined, but it wouldn’t affect the taste.

It was time to sit and taste the results.  Oh my.  Oh my. What a light and luscious aroma.  What a perfect drinking temperature.  What a gentle, toffee-honey flavor.   Like meditation-in-a-cup.

I don’t know how the results might have differed if I hadn’t used the French Press – I suppose I should try it and see, but I don't want to waste one precious Ancient Moonlight white leaf or bud in what could be an inferior brewing method.  Oh, what have I wrought?

Green vs. Black Tea Throwdown

I enjoy both green and black tea, but wondered what makes them different, especially considering that both varieties of tea are from the same exact plant, the Camellia sinensis.  For that matter, oolong and white teas are also from the same plant.

The difference between green and black teas is all in the curing.  Green tea is steamed shortly after picking to prevent it from fermenting.  Black tea is allowed to dry and ferment which changes its color and taste.  The leaves of both types are rolled so that their flavorful juices can mingle and release when brewed.

These are fascinating facts, but what does it all mean to me when I’m trying to decide on a tea?  There was only one way to find out.  I decided to do a Green vs. Black Tea Throwdown!  This seemed like an excellent excuse to sample high quality teas at a local tea café (and a few muffins too).  

Although there are hundreds of different types of tea within the green and black categories, I randomly selected two green teas (Sencha Superior and Dragon Well) and two black teas (China Breakfast and Darjeeling 1^st Flush); each with different flavor profiles.

My tea-drinking companion and I chose a table in a corner of the café.  I’m sure the tea baristas were wondering why two people needed four pots of different teas, but they seemed happy to oblige.  We delighted in seeing our small table completely covered with teapots, cups, saucers, strainers and, of course, the teas.   We admired the array of tea colors, breathed in the distinct aromas and studied leaf shapes before tasting the samples.  I’m tempted here to review each of the teas sampled, but I’ll save that for a future blog.  I need to focus on the task before me - to determine the winner in the green vs. black challenge.

And the winner is?  Well, it’s not that simple.  Turns out, there is no best tea type – the beauty is in the mouth of the beholder.  My companion prefers the green teas for their grassy, sharper flavors.  She likened them to the pale, meadowy taste of a sauvignon blanc wine.  She appreciated the strong, complex green tea flavors and the pleasing light green hues.   

I prefer the black teas.  To me, the black teas taste sweeter, smoother and richer.   Granted, black teas are a daily staple for me and I’m more familiar with them, but after the taste test, I didn’t feel compelled to switch green for black in my regular routine.  I find the amber colors of the black teas appealing and the taste more satisfying, even though I enjoyed experiencing the green teas.  We both agreed that the black tea seems like the better choice for the morning when you need something hearty to get your day started.

So, the Green vs. Black Tea Throwdown resulted in a tie.  If you have an opinion as to the “better” type, leave a comment – I’m interested to hear others weigh in on the subject.

Welcome to Tea Panorama

Hi, I’m Nancy.  Welcome to my blog about tea.  I love tea and I nearly always have a cup of it at hand.   Although I’m a big fan, I’m no tea snob - I’m just as happy sipping a cheap, grocery-store teabag brew as I am a specialty tea.

Tea is so versatile.  It can be an energizing wake-up drink or a calming end-of-the-day beverage.  It’s also pervasive and I’m intrigued by learning about tea in its many aspects.  In my blog, I’ll share my discoveries about tea basics, such as varieties, growing regions and tea consumption.  I’ll also look into tea’s broader influence by exploring tea culture, tea art and music, tea and food, tea rituals and much more.

You’re welcome to come along with me on my panoramic view into of the world of tea.  I hope you’ll add your ideas for further exploration as we go along. 

So, select your favorite tea leaves, get some water boiling and settle in for the adventure.