DID YOU KNOW?
Herbal tea isn’t really tea. Unless it also contains
a black, green or white tea base, ‘teas’ made
with blossoms, herbs, spices and fruit are more
correctly called ‘infusions’ or ‘tisanes’. They’re
delightful and good for you, just not actually tea.Few things in life refresh and revive quite like a cuppa –
the miracle of tea
Brew black magic
Tea is its own kind of
magic; it can pick you
up, calm you down, help
you think more clearly
and warm the cockles of
your heart. Over a shared
cuppa, you and a friend
can set the entire world to
rights. And here’s the best
part – tea isn’t just good
for your soul and sanity,
it’s also incredibly good
for your health. All this for
just a few cents! Seriously,
what’s not to love?Find your cup of teaThere are so many
varieties and styles of
tea it can be tough to
choose but whether you
want something soft and
delicate or a cuppa with a
little more punch, there’s
something to suit your
every mood and whim.
All tea comes from the
leaves of the Camellia
sinensis plant but just like
wine, flavours are wildly
diverse and depend onfactors like where in the
world it’s grown, the
climate, soil quality and
even the time of day it’s
harvested. This is one
seriously precise business!Pick of the cropTea aficionados believe
that to experience tea at
its finest, only a ‘single
origin’ variety will do.
This means it hasn’t
been blended with teas
from other parts of the
world. Blended (aka
multi-origin) teas tend
to be less expensive
but they lack a distinct
character and taste – the
terroir or ‘sense of place’.On the make
To true connoisseurs, how
the leaves are gathered
and processed is also
of utmost importance.
The finest teas are
still picked by hand,
withered, rolled, oxidised
and fired (dried) in
the traditional,
meticulous, perfected-
over-centuries way.
Modern tea production
relies on the speedier
‘cut, tear and curl’ (CTC)
method in which the
leaves are fed through
metal rollers with serrated
blades. This results in
tiny even-shaped pellets
of black tea that have
a generic, predictable
taste. As you can imagine,
this doesn’t fly with the
faithful! Think instant
coffee vs. fresh-roasted
whole beans or cask wine
vs. a good vintage. Of
course, in the end, it’s
horses for courses; drink
whatever floats your
boat and your budget!W
anna see
a magic
trick?
Put the kettle on
and brew yourself a
glorious pot of tea.
Pick your favourite
kind, make it just
the way you like it- dunk a bag if
you’re pressed for
time, we won’t judge - then settle back
and sip. There’s
pretty much nothing
that can’t be made
better by doing this
one simple thing.
black green
oolong
Tea types
Essentially, there are
four main types of
tea – black, oolong,
green and white.
Everything else is
a variation on the
theme. Those different
flavours you’re familiar
with, such as Earl Grey,
English breakfast or
lapsang souchong,
for example, are
created by varying
the leaf processing
method and/or adding
aromatic extras like
bergamot (orange peel
oil), ginger, lemon,
lavender, cinnamon or
just about anything
else you can think of!160