teafrog extraordinary teas from around the world

teafrog
extraordinary teas from around the world
A Beginners Guide to Loose
Leaf Tea
After water, tea is the most popular beverage in the world. Its
popularity has survived thousands of years and has played an
important role in many cultures. From Asia, to Europe, to the
West, it is enjoyed both hot and cold, as a refreshing drink, as part
of a ceremony, or as a tonic for improved health.
At TeaFrog, our mission is to introduce you to some of the
thousands of blends of tea. From traditional black teas, to the
newer, and extraordinarily healthy white teas, and recognizable
flavoured teas such as Earl Grey, to exotic blends such as Rooibos
Love, there is a flavour and a blend for everyone.
Forward
Hi there, my name is Mike Morton, and I own and operate TeaFrog.com – an online
gourmet tea store. I am not a master of tea. I am not an herbalist. I am not a tea fanatic.
I am a regular person who has discovered the joy of tea, and wants you to discover it too.
Why? Well, because you deserve it! In today’s fast paced world, we as a society do not
take the time to enjoy something as simple as a cup of tea. That is what I want to share
with you. Tea is enjoyable. Not only that, it is GOOD for you! But that is just a side
benefit as I see it. I enjoy the TASTE of tea – and that is why I drink it – not because it is
good for me (but that does help)
If you are reading this, it is likely because you too, are interested in tea. Maybe it is for
the flavour, maybe it is because you have heard about how good it is for you. Whatever
your reason, you are probably as confused as I first was. When I began I did not even
know how to brew a cup of tea – other than to throw in a Tetley Orange Pekoe tea bag for
a couple of minutes, load up with milk and sugar,
and drink it like a coffee. Now I know better, and
soon, so will you.
Over the past few years, I have done a lot of
reading about tea, a lot of learning about tea, and I
have taken what I have learned and created an
online store called TeaFrog – where I can share
what I have discovered, and sell you some of the
best tea that is available in the world. Not only do
I enjoy the process of educating my customers, but
I also enjoy the process of LEARNING from my
customers! I often get questions from my customers that I have not had before – so I
research the answer. I often get requests for teas that I have never heard of before – so I
seek them out and try them, and if they appeal to my customers, I sell them. Selling tea is
a constant learning experience, and that, second to drinking the tea, is the most appealing
part of being a tea entrepreneur.
In this guide, I will attempt to convey to you, whether you are a tea “newbie” or an
experienced tea drinker, some of the information and methods that I have learned over
the past few years. I would love to hear your comments, questions and even corrections
to this information. You can always email me at [email protected] - I personally answer
each and every email from customers.
So, welcome! Sit back, brew a cup of tea, and hopefully you will find some great nuggets
of information in this guide to help you get the most out of your tea-making experiences!
Cheers!
Mike Morton
Owner, TeaFrog.com
Table of Contents
Forward ......................................................................................................................... 2
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... 3
Introduction................................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 1 – Teabags vs. Loose Leaf Tea...................................................................... 5
Chapter 2 – Black, Green White, Red... HELP! .......................................................... 7
Black Tea .................................................................................................................... 7
Green Tea.................................................................................................................... 9
White Tea.................................................................................................................... 9
Chapter 3 – Non-Tea Teas .......................................................................................... 11
Flowering Teas.......................................................................................................... 11
Herbal Teas ............................................................................................................... 11
Fruit Teas .................................................................................................................. 12
Flavoured Teas.......................................................................................................... 12
Rooibos..................................................................................................................... 12
Other Teas................................................................................................................. 12
Chapter 4 – If you know what’s good for you.... ........................................................ 14
Green Tea and Pregnancy/Nursing ............................................................................ 15
Chapter 5 – Now What?.............................................................................................. 16
Chapter 6 – Infusers, Tea Balls, and Diffusers, oh my! ............................................. 17
Chapter 7 – The cost of switching............................................................................... 19
Chapter 8 – Storing your tea ...................................................................................... 20
Chapter 9 – The nitty gritty of making loose leaf tea................................................. 21
Chapter 10 – What is YOUR type? ............................................................................ 23
Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 25
Introduction
It seems everywhere you turn today, you hear
about the health benefits of tea. How it has antioxidants that fight cancer. How it has anti-aging
properties that fight the free radicals in your body.
How it can raise your metabolism and help you
lose weight. How it can lower cholesterol. Tea is
the new apple-a-day to keep the doctor away!
As a result of this new awareness, more and more
health conscious consumers are getting into tea,
buying it, brewing it, and tasting it; the vast
majority of these consumers however, are NOT
getting the full benefit and experience that tea has
to offer. Most people are buying tea off of their
grocery store shelf in pre-packaged tea bags.
While shopping at your local grocery store may be
convenient and a familiar experience, you are
NOT getting the health benefits that you are
hearing about on the radio or reading about in the
newspaper. I will explain the difference between
teabags and loose leaf tea a little further on in this
guide.
When compared to the comfortable and easy experience purchasing teabags from your
grocery store is, many people are intimidated by the concept of loose leaf tea. How do I
brew it? What do I brew it in? Do I need to make a full teapot? How long do I brew it
for? What is an infuser? Do I need one? Do I have one? Why should I use loose leaf
tea rather than a teabag? There seems to be a lot of barriers to enjoying a simple cup of
tea, but that is where I come in.
This guide will explain to you WHY you should be drinking tea brewed with loose leaf
tea rather than with store-bought teabags. I will explain to you how EASY it is to brew a
cup of tea, and how you can SAVE MONEY brewing loose leaf tea rather than using
teabags. You will learn why loose leaf tea TASTES so much better than teabags. By the
end of this guide, you will be an expert in brewing tea, and totally comfortable with the
idea of abandoning the teabag forever!
Chapter 1 – Teabags vs. Loose Leaf Tea
Everyone is familiar with a teabag. Whether you buy tea yourself in the boxes of 100
teabags, or you have been to your grandmother’s house for a cup of tea, you have all seen
the white cloth teabag with a string
hanging off the side of your teacup.
What you may NOT know is that the
teabag is a fairly recent innovation
compared to the long history of tea.
In 1908, Thomas Sullivan, a New
York tea merchant, began to sell tea
samples in silk bags. It was not his
intent that people dunk the whole bag
into the water, but that is what
happened, and that was how teabags
were started. The convenience of
these teabags were apparent – no
messy cleanup of leaves, no need to sieve the brewed tea when poured, no need to clean
out other infusing devices – it was easy to use and package.
Since that time, the use of the teabag has continued to outpace that of loose leaf tea. A
2007 report stated that teabags made up 96% of the tea sold in the British market – an
amazing turnaround in less than 100 years!
This would all be fine and acceptable, except for the fact that teabags typically do NOT
contain high-grade tea. Quite the opposite in fact. In the effort to keep tea mainstream
with an increasingly fast paced way of western life, the quality of the tea in a teabag has
steadily DECREASED. What started out in 1908 as an unintended method of enjoying
high quality loose leaf tea leaves, has led to quick, generic cups of tea brewed out of what
are called “fannings”.
Fannings are pulverized tea leaves, crushed almost beyond recognition. They are also
referred to as “dustings” or the “dust” of tea. It is the lowest grade of tea that is available
– what is left AFTER all the other tea is graded. That alone should give you a hint as to
the quality of tea that you are getting with a teabag.
The advantage of fannings is that they infuse in a short amount of time - making a quick
cup of tea, and most of the time the company can ensure that you get a consistent
(although generic) flavour from every teabag in that package.
Loose leaf tea, on the other hand, does not come conveniently prepackaged in little bags
to dunk. It does not take only 1 minute to make a cup of tea with (well, some does, some
even less time – but we will get to that). It does not have a generic, unmemorable
flavour, and the grades of loose leaf tea vary from type to type.
What you DO get with loose leaf tea is a LOT of flavour. Much more than any Tetley
teabag that you have ever had. You get higher concentrations of the cancer fighting
compounds, higher concentrations of vitamins like C, K, B12, B6 and E. You get a
higher boost to your metabolism with loose leaf tea, and, did I mention? The flavour is
out of this world.
Brewing tea out of the loose leaves has been the method used for thousands of years
before the modern westernized method of brewing it in teabags. However, because our
society has become one that demands instant gratification, we are sacrificing the quality
of our tea for speed and convenience, and we don’t have to! Read on to find out how
truly easy it is to brew loose leaf tea, and how much more your body and taste buds will
thank you for doing so.
Chapter 2 – Black, Green White, Red... HELP!
90% of new loose leaf tea initiates are switching because they have heard about the
benefits of green tea. Green tea has become the poster child for health in the last few
years. It fights cancer, lowers cholesterol, regrows limbs, and solves world peace, one cup
at a time. Well, maybe not all of that, but
given the frenzy of media attention that it has
received, you would think that it does all of
that and much much more!
The truth is that it is not just Green tea that is
good for you. Any kind of tea is better for you
than, say, a cup of coffee.
I should start out by defining what we mean by
tea when we refer to it. Tea is a term that is widely thrown about. Herbal tea, Rooibos
Tea, Black Tea, White Tea, Green Tea, Fruit Tea, etc. You will hear all of these terms
when people are talking about a brewed or infused concoction. The scientific fact of the
matter is that there is really only one true tea – and that is an infusion or brew made out
of the Camellia Sinensis plant.
There are different KINDS of Camellia Sinensis teas – Black, Green, White, Oolong,
Red, and Yellow for instance, but when you are referring to what a TEA is, it can only
consist of the Camellia Sinensis plant. Other infusions are properly referred to as
“Tisanes” – whether that is a Herbal Tisane, a Fruit Tisane, or Rooibos Tisane, or some
other type of Tisane.
While that may be the scientifically accepted method of defining tea, you will still catch
me referring to fruit TEA, or Rooibos TEA – but just be aware, that when we are talking
about different coloured teas, we are generally talking about the Camellia Sinensis plant
type of tea.
So what is the difference between the different “colors” or types of tea? Generally it is a
difference in the way that the tea is processed. I will review each of the main types of
teas, and their processing below.
Black Tea
Black tea is the most processed of the types of tea. Preparing black tea consists of four
distinct steps.
The first is withering the leaves. This is sometimes aided by blowing air over the leaves
with fans.
The second step is rolling. There are two methods of rolling black teas, the CTC (crush,
tear, curl) method, and the Orthodox method. The CTC method is usually performed by
machine, and is used for commercially prepared teas such as the tea that ends up as
fannings in your teabag. The Orthodox method produces a higher quality of tea, and in
many cases is done by hand.
Once the leaves are rolled, they are oxidized, or fermented (a term which is a bit
confusing, because no actual fermentation takes place). The level of oxidization of the
leaf is one determining factor in the end quality of the tea. This is overseen by a tea
master who has years of experience in knowing just how long to let the leaves oxidize.
The oxidization of the tea actually starts when the tea is rolled, so the time between these
two stages is of critical importance to monitor.
The final stage is drying. This is done to halt the oxidization process. The leaves are then
sorted according to their size with the use of sieves, and then the tea is graded.
Grading differs from region to region, and even country to country. For instance, in the
Ceylon region of India, they use a grading system of:
OP – Orange Pekoe – long thin wiry leaves sometimes including the tip
Pek. – Pekoe – short and not as wiry as the OP
Sou – Souchong – a bold round leaf
BOP – Broken Orange Pekoe – smaller than other leaf grades and includes the tip
BP – Broken Pekoe – slightly larger than BOP
BPS – Broken Pekoe Souchong – a bit larger than BP
BOPF – Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings – the tiniest leaf most often used in teabags
In the Assam region, the grading is:
FP – Flowery Pekoe
OP – Orange Pekoe
P – Pekoe
PS – Pekoe Souchong
S – Souchong
BOP – Broken Orange Pekoe
FOP – Flowery Orange Pekoe
TGFOP – Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe
FTGFOP – Flowery Tippy Golden Orange Pekoe (the highest quality)
Black teas are generally named according to blend, region and/or estate. When you are
buying “English Breakfast” – it is a blend of black teas and quality levels from several
estates, possibly from different regions. When you are buying “Assam” or “Darjeeling”
tea it is a blend of teas from estates only in those regions. When you are buying estate
teas, it will specify the estate, such as “Margaret’s Hope”, Or “Jungpana” or
“Banaspaty”. These are single estate, non-blended teas that most often will come with a
grading attached (such as the TeaFrog Assam Banaspaty Organic FTGFOP-1)
Finally, there are many different blends of flavoured black teas. Earl Grey is a flavoured
black tea, as is Lady Grey, or the TeaFrog Chocolate and Cream flavoured black tea. The
actual black teas that are contained in these blends are generally not the top quality teas,
as their individual estate flavouring is lost when you add different flavours to the tea
anyhow.
There are also black teas that do not originate in India. There is Chinese Black tea, such
as the Keemun Congou, as well as teas from other countries around the world like Sri
Lanka.
Green Tea
Green tea is often referred to as an “unfermented” tea. The process of creating green tea
is similar to the black, except that it is not left to oxidize or ferment nearly as long.
Different estates have different methods of rolling the green teas – some are rolled as
black teas are, some are rolled into balls (such as the Gunpowder Green Tea). Some are
not rolled at all. Even the drying process that is used to halt oxidization differs from
green tea to green tea. Some are simply oven heated, some are pan-fried.
Green tea also does not have a standard grading system. Some estates rank their teas
from good to finest. Some types of green teas are not graded at all, and it is just through
word of mouth that estates earn their reputations for the best teas.
Some of the most well known green teas are Bancha, Sencha, Gunpowder, Genmaicha
(which is a blend of Bancha green tea and toasted rice), Hojicha and more. There are
also an infinite number of flavoured teas available, everything from the popular TeaFrog
Kiyoto Lemon flavoured green tea, to vanilla green, and any other fruit/flavour
combination, good and bad, that you can think of!
Traditionally, green teas have only been produced in China and Japan, but recently there
has been a push for green and white teas out of India. You will start to see teas such as
Green Pekoe gain in popularity. I personally think that they are not as good as the greens
out of Japan and China, but they do have their own flavour profiles, and do have their
place, and can only get better as more estates grow the greens in India and refine their
techniques.
White Tea
White tea is a relative newcomer to the marketplace. It is the least processed of all the
teas, and has the healthiest profile of all the teas.
White tea is made from young leaves and new growth buds. When referring to white
teas, it is said it is “two leaves and a bud”. The oxidization process is halted almost
immediately in white teas, often right in the fields, through heating or steaming. This
allows the leaves to retain high concentrations of catechins and other anti-oxidants.
Some estates also shield the buds from the sun to reduce chlorophyll formation.
Because of the extra high concentrations of the anti-aging and anti-oxidant polyphenols
found in white tea, many cosmetic companies are utilizing concentrated white tea in new
anti-wrinkle and anti-aging products. Whether these products are effective or not has yet
to be proven.
Because the young leaves and buds are used for white tea, it is much more rare than any
black or green teas, and is often more expensive. As the health benefits are more widely
recognized however, it has become more mainstream, and more available to the western
public. TeaFrog has started flavouring white teas to great success, as can be found in our
Blueberry Flavoured White tea, and Coconut Vanilla White tea.
There are other kinds of tea that you may run across, from Oolong tea, to rare Yellow tea,
Pu-erh tea, and others. These are all generally variations on the basic processes used for
the Black, Green and White teas, and all to create different flavour profiles. Pu-erh for
instance, is a true fermented tea, with the most sought after Pu-erh cakes having been
fermented in caves in China for anywhere from 10 to hundreds of years! Once you are
familiar and comfortable with the more mainstream types of teas, you will discover that
you have only scratched the surface, but the key is, that you need to start somewhere, and
if you start with the rare teas, you will not have the appreciation for them that they may
deserve.
Chapter 3 – Non-Tea Teas
Now that you have a basis for what a “proper” tea is, I want to cover other types of tea
that you will run across. While the market, your friends, other retailers, and even myself
may call these teas, as I previously explained, they are not technically teas, but tisanes.
For the sake of not confusing you, I will refer to them as teas here, but just remember,
that they do not necessarily contain the actual tea plant, and therefore, do not necessarily
share the same health properties that we refer to elsewhere in this guide.
Flowering Teas
Flowering teas are tea leaves, wrapped around a flower or
flowers that appear as the leaves are infused and swell
while absorbing the water they are in. These artisanal
products are each individually hand sewn, with each one
taking anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes to create. It takes
years of practice for an individual to truly master the art of
creating blooming teas. Fairly new (10-15 years) to the
tea/non-tea family, flowering teas are a popular trend right
now, and really are fascinating to watch unfold in a clear
teapot or cup.
Herbal Teas
There are hundreds of different herbal teas in the world. From the widely known
Chamomile Tea, to obscure ancient Chinese blends that are used to heal anything from
gout to allergies. If you can put any plant into water to change its flavour in any way, you
can create a herbal tea.
Herbal teas can be blended for a specific use, or just for the pleasure of the taste. Mint
tea is a pleasant tasting tea, but also has health benefits (mint is good for digestion).
Chamomile tea is world renknowned for its ability to help you sleep.
Keep in mind however, that many of the health claims that are made for herbal teas have
never been proven by science, and may have varying effects on you personally. While
Chamomile works to help me sleep, it has never helped my wife. The TeaFrog Stress
Reliever tea contains St John’s Wort – used to slow down your body and help you relax,
but the effect varies from person to person. That is why, with the TeaFrog Herbal blends,
we strive to have the tea perform for a specific ailment or purpose, but we also focus on
the flavour, so you get a good tasting cup of tea no matter if the intended effect works for
you or not!
Fruit Teas
Like Herbal teas, as many fruits as there are, there are teas made with those fruits. Many
fruit teas are not only flavourful when brewed, but you can consume them too! For
instance, the TeaFrog Canadian Berries makes an incredible warm tea, or iced tea, and
snack, all in one!
Flavoured Teas
Flavoured teas are in a grey zone. Many flavoured teas actually have a base of a green or
black tea, but because they often have other flowers or flavours added to them, they are
not considered by purists as a proper tea. Earl Grey is the best example of this. Earl
Grey contains Oil of Bergamot, and is one of the best-known teas in the world, but
according to some tea aficionados, this is not a proper tea, because it contains something
other than the tea itself.
Rooibos
This tea almost deserves a chapter unto itself. An upstart in the tea market in North
America, it has received almost superstar status overnight due to the health craze
sweeping the nation. Rooibos has many of the same health benefits that Green tea
became popular for, with the additional benefit of being caffeine free (I discuss caffeine
content in tea in a later chapter).
The Rooibos plant is a member of the legume
family of plants, and Rooibos is Afrikaans for
“Red Bush” – named for the color of the leaves
after processing. This tea when unflavoured, has
a slightly nutty, sweet flavour that is very
comforting and tasty. It also works very well as
a flavoured tea, and there are already as many
different Rooibos flavours as there are green and
black tea flavours!
Traditionally consumed with milk and sugar in
Africa, North Americans have found that it does
not need the addition of either of these, and the
flavoured Rooibos teas, doubly so. You never
get a bitter cup of tea, as there are virtually no
tannins in the leaf (tannins are what make tea
bitter).
Other Teas
There are always new and different teas on the market – almost every culture has their
own traditional infused drink that they drink for health and pleasure. Some of the other
tea types that you will see when looking for tea are: Honey Bush, Yerba Mate, Spice Tea,
and more. They all have their own benefits and flavours, and just like traditional tea,
your own personal taste factors into your adoption of that type of tea or not.
Chapter 4 – If you know what’s good for you....
OK – so this is the chapter that I will get the most mail about – the health benefits of tea.
Let me preface the following with this – I am NOT a doctor, and my information is only
as good as its source. I make every effort to use reliable sources, documented scientific
studies, proven information, and historical evidence. However, for each study saying one
thing, there is another refuting it. So while I have made best efforts to be as accurate as
possible, it is always best to do your own research, and ask your own doctor for health
information pertaining to tea.
With that being understood,
why is tea so good for you?
Quite simply – it contains a
number of compounds that
have been proven to have
beneficial effects on your
body. I am not going to get
into all the science behind
what is proven, but it HAS
been proven that tea
contains high levels of antioxidants. Anti-oxidants
work in your body to clean
up free radicals, which are
one way that your cells age. That is why you will hear that green tea is “anti-aging” – it
helps to clean up free radicals in your body that contribute to the aging process.
Green tea also contains compounds that have been linked with lower cancer rates –
leading scientists to conclude that tea helps to fight cancer.
As if that were not enough, tea has also been found to be beneficial in fighting or
preventing: Allergies, Alzheimer's Disease, Arthritis, High Cholesterol, Diabetes, Heart
Disease, Poor Immune Function, Infections, Osteoporosis, and Skin Conditions. Tea also
contains high levels of vitamins C, K, B12, B6 and E, and minerals such as riboflavin,
niacin, folic acid, pantothenic acid, magnesium, potassium, manganese, fluoride,
carotene, iron, zinc, chlorophyll, and calcium. With virtually no calories, no fat or salt,
tea is overall a beneficial addition to any diet.
An important factor in health today, is caffeine intake. This is also an area that tea excels
in. When I originally wrote this section of the book, it was generally accepted knowledge
that the caffeine levels in tea were lower than Coffee and Cola. While this is true, what
has changed recently is the generally accepted principal that White tea has the least
amount of caffeine, Green the next lowest, Black the most of all tea, etc.
The truth of the matter is, there is no truth. Some prominent members of the tea
community claim that caffeine levels are the OPPOSITE of this, White tea having the
most, while others stand by the previous long-standing wisdom. Until there are definitive
studies done, we will not scientifically know the truth, and even then, I suspect we will
get contradictory data, depending on the region of the tea, brewing methods, etc. So for
now, know only that the generally agreed principal when it comes to caffeine is that tea
has about half, or less, the caffeine than coffee or cola.
When it comes to tea and your health, you need to be aware that not everyone reacts to
tea in the exact same way. When you hear claims that tea keeps you young, keep in mind
that while tea contains higher levels of the anti-aging compounds and anti-oxidants than
many other plants, you need to drink a LOT (7-10 cups/day) to see those benefits – and
even then the benefits vary from person to person.
There is no doubt that tea is good for you – just the lower levels of caffeine, and lack of
salt and fat is healthy. Combine that with ANY increase in protection against aging and
cancer, and while tea may not be a “wonder drug”, who can argue that it certainly cannot
hurt in this day and age to drink a few cups a day for your health?
Green Tea and Pregnancy/Nursing
I felt that this actually warranted a section unto itself, as it is often a question that we
receive from expectant women.
There is a lot of conjecture about tea, and in particular, green tea, and how it relates to
pregnancy. Some experts say to avoid it entirely, some say moderation, some say no
problem at all. The core of the argument lies with folic acid. Folic Acid (or folate) is
important during pregnancy for cell division, which is especially important during the
first trimester. Green tea contains a compound that blocks an enzyme necessary for folic
acid to be utilized, thus the conclusion has been drawn that it is unsafe to drink.
However, there has been very little in the way of true studies into the effects of green tea,
and many health advisors and doctors think that green tea in moderation is fine. To be
safe, TeaFrog recommends that you limit your intake, and check with your doctor for
more information.
As for drinking tea during nursing, the only concern is with caffeine levels. Most sources
agree that in moderation, tea is just fine. As with coffee, drinking limited amounts is not
harmful. Large amounts of any kind of caffeinated beverage however is discouraged due
to the possible effects this will have in the passing of that caffeine to your child during
nursing. TeaFrog recommends, again, that you check with your doctor if you have any
concerns specifically about drinking tea. SPECIAL NOTE should be taken when
drinking herbal teas to the ingredients contained within those teas, and the potential
effects those specific ingredients may have during nursing.
Chapter 5 – Now What?
Okay – now you know all about teas, and may or may not be more confused than ever,
and maybe even a little bit intimidated with the choice of teas out there. This is where
you take a deep breath, calm down, and remember this next thing over and above
everything else in this guide.
Tea is enjoyed according to YOUR OWN personal taste.
It really is that simple. In the rest of this guide, we are going to cover brewing
implements, methods and suggested procedures, but all that does not really matter except
for the line above. I could brew for you the most expensive tea in the world, selling for
thousands of dollars an ounce, and brew it exactly how the experts say that it should be
brewed, but if you do NOT enjoy that tea – it is a waste. However, if you took that tea,
and brewed it to YOUR taste, then it is a success. Conversely, you could buy the
cheapest loose leaf tea on the shelf, and find that you like that tea over and above any
other you have ever had before.
The key to enjoying tea is experimenting. That is also the joy in tea, at least my joy. If I
find a tea that I find is too bitter for my taste, I may try a little less leaf, or shorter
brewing time, or milk and sugar, or honey, the possibilities are endless. The key is, brew
it for yourself, and for your taste, and do not EVER let someone tell you that you are
doing it the wrong way, as long as you are enjoying the result. If you do not enjoy the
result, well, then that is when you should start experimenting, or look for a suggestion on
how to brew that particular type or blend of tea.
Chapter 6 – Infusers, Tea Balls, and Diffusers, oh my!
One of the first questions I get asked by customers that are new to loose leaf tea is “what
do I need to make this tea?” Most people have heard of a tea ball, or infuser, but really
have no idea of what they are.
When you are brewing loose leaf tea, there is really two ways to do it, with the leaves
right in the water, and with the leaves in some sort of device that make them easy to
remove from the water. We refer to these devices as infusers.
An infuser will contain the leaves, keeping
them out of the water that you are going to
drink. There is no harm in actually ingesting
tea leaves, or most other ingredients in teas,
but “floaters” tend to distract people from the
actual taste of the tea, and the leaves them
selves can be very bitter. There are also a lot
of teas that get stronger and stronger the
longer the leaves steep in the water, so we
need a method of halting that steeping process by removing the leaves from the water.
The infuser that most people are familiar with is a tea ball. It is simply a mesh ball that
holds the leaves and opens with a catch. You place the leaves in the ball, and place the
tea ball into the water, then remove it when the steeping is completed. For most
beginners this is sufficient to start, however, if you are going to drink any amount of tea
(more than say, one cup a day), you will want to invest in a much better infusing device.
The problem with tea balls, and a lot of the infusers on the market, is three-fold. First,
the mesh is not very fine, and with smaller leaf teas such as Rooibos, you still get leaves
through the mesh, and fine silt will also get through. Second, the large mesh infusers are
a pain to fill. You are fumbling with the catch, trying to get the tea in, all without
spilling. This can be a real problem, and ruin a good tea experience with frustration.
Finally, a tea ball or similar device can be
troublesome to clean, with leaves getting stuck in the
mesh itself.
TeaFrog recommends one of two methods for
infusing your tea.
1. Use a fine mesh tea basket, like the Finum
Infusing Basket. The fine mesh keeps all but the
finest silt out of your tea. It is open at the top, and
sits right in your mug/teapot, so it is easy to fill with
tea. The mesh is fine enough that tea leaves do not
get stuck in it, so it is easy to empty and easy to
clean. It is dishwasher safe, which makes it even more convenient to clean.
2. Use an infuser like the BrewT™. The BrewT™ infuser is a combination of teapot and
infuser all in one. It is easy to use, simple to clean, food safe, BPA free, and a unique and
fun method to brew your tea. The unique design of the BrewT™ allows you to place the
tea leaves in the top, pour the water over them, and when it is finished brewing, you place
the BrewT™ over your cup, and the special design allows your tea to pour out the bottom
of the BrewT™, with the fine mesh filter trapping all the leaves in the body of the
BrewT™.
3. Use tea bag filters. Unlike a regular tea bag, these are ones that you “make” yourself.
They come in “pot” size bags, or “cup” size bags, and are convenient for pre-making
teabags to take with you to a lunch, or to the office. You simply fill them with the
appropriate amount of tea, and fold or even staple the bag shut. Place the bag in the
water, steep and remove. TeaFrog sells tea bag filters that are not bleached, and are
compostable after use.
When you are looking at buying an infuser, you want to consider how easy it is to fill,
how easy to empty, and how easy to clean. The other thing that you want to keep in mind
is how easy it is to “store” the infuser if you are going to re-use the leaves – as you can
for many teas. The infuser needs to be convienently stored on your counter, in a bag, etc
without dripping over everything until you are ready to use the leaves again. You can
take a perfect calming tea-making exercise and make it incredibly frustrating just by
having the wrong type of tea infuser!
Another thing to keep in mind with your choice of infuser is how much tea you generally
make in one sitting – a pot, or a cup. Your infuser should have enough room in it to
allow the leaves to expand properly. This allows the water to touch all parts of the leaf,
bringing out more flavour and anti-oxidants from the leaf. If the leaf cannot expand, you
may get a bitter cup of tea, and miss out on a lot of flavour, as the water is not getting to
the inner part of the rolled leaf.
Chapter 7 – The cost of switching
There is a general misconception out there that loose leaf tea is somehow more expensive
than teabags. Even if this WERE true, the difference in quality and health benefits would
more than make up for that cost, but we all worry about costs. Costs do, of course, vary
according to the source, which grocery store, which loose leaf tea retailer, etc, but
generally, it IS cheaper to use loose leaf tea than teabags. Below is a chart that compares
TeaFrog teas with some leading brands of tea bags.
Tea Type
Lipton Earl Grey
TeaFrog Earl Grey Special
Twinnings English Breakfast
TeaFrog English Breakfast
Tetley White Tea
TeaFrog Pai Mu Tan
Price Per Package
$3.49/20 teabags
$6.00/100g (approx 60 cups)
$3.79/25 teabags
$6.00/100g (approx 60 cups)
$3.29/20 teabags
$6.50/50g (approx 60 cups)
Cost Per Cup
$0.175
$0.10
$0.152
$0.10
$0.165
$0.108
You can easily see in the chart that you are saving between 5 and 7 cents PER CUP by
using loose leaf tea – couple that with the benefits and flavour, and you begin to wonder
why anyone would ever buy a tea bag in the first place!
Chapter 8 – Storing your tea
OK, so you have purchased your loose leaf tea, how do you store it? Well, it is pretty
simple to do. The key is that sunlight and dampness age and damage your tea, so simply
keep your tea away from moisture, and away from sunlight!
Most companies that sell good quality loose leaf tea, package them in such a way that
mitigates the damaging effects of the sunlight and moisture. TeaFrog packages the tea in
a black, food grade bag that protects the tea from the sunlight and moisture, or in tightfitted silver tins. You can simply place the bag or tin in your cupboard, and it will last for
a long time.
Speaking of shelf life, how long is your tea good for? This depends on many things. It
depends on how long ago it was processed, how long it took to get to you (field to
supplier to you), the type of tea, and how “picky” you are. Some teas have a shelf life of
years, and in fact, age and get better over time. Others can be considered stale after a few
months.
TeaFrog buys only the freshest tea we can get our hands on, and all our teas are on the
shelf for less than 3 months before being turning over. That means that your tea, field to
you, is typically less than 6 months old, and can keep for 1 – 2 years, in many cases.
Chapter 9 – The nitty gritty of making loose leaf tea
You have suffered through the different tea types, slept through a teabag vs. loose leaf tea
debate, and already own an infuser or were just not interested in that chapter. That is just
fine, because this is the important part of the guide – how to make loose leaf tea.
Making loose leaf tea is not nearly as difficult
as some people make it out to be. There are no
arcane secrets, no required ceremonies, no
voodoo or witchcraft required. You simple heat
water, add leaves, let leaves sit in water, remove
leaves, and drink tea! It really is as simple as
that!
Maybe that is over-simplifying. There is a little
bit more to it than that – but really, not much!
What I am going to provide you with is a
GUIDE to brewing loose leaf tea – there are
very few real “RULES” to making loose leaf tea
(only one really) – but to get you started, I will
give you some general suggestions that suit
most people.
STEP 1 – measure your tea.
Based on the type of tea that you are going to brew, and how much you are going to
brew, measure your tea into your infuser. The general rule of thumb is that you use one
teaspoon per cup of tea. Some teas are a bit different, depending on the size of the leaf
– see the chart at the end of the chapter for more detail, but the general rule is 1 tsp per
cup.
STEP 2 – heat your water
This is where the one rule of making tea comes in, so pay close attention. For most teas,
you want to boil your water EXCEPT for white and green teas. VERY IMPORTANT!
Do NOT boil your water for white or green teas. This will cook the leaves, and seal in all
the goodness and flavour, and release tannins, making the tea VERY bitter. For White
and Green teas, bring the water to a rumble – between 70° and 80°C, or 150° to 160°F.
Some teas can be brewed hotter, some cooler – so pay attention to the individual
packaging on the tea when you get it.
STEP 3 – infuse your tea.
Place your infuser into your pot or your cup, and pour the heated water over the infuser
and leaves. This is where it gets a tiny bit tricky – how long to leave it to steep. In the
chart below there is a general guideline for times – but this is where you get to use your
judgment. Start with the suggested brewing time – and play with it to adjust it to your
own personal enjoyment – remember what I said before? Tea is enjoyed according to
YOUR OWN personal taste – not some chart that tells you what you SHOULD enjoy it
like!
STEP 4 – enjoy!
Remove your infuser from your cup or pot, and enjoy your perfect cup of tea!
You see? Brewing a cup of loose leaf tea is NOT intimidating, it is not difficult, and is
actually much more gratifying than putting a bunch of dust in a paper or cloth sack into
water for one minute and drinking flavourless hot water! Many people find the process
of making a cup of tea relaxing – even more so when you control the amount of flavour
that you get in that cup of tea! Nothing is more gratifying than making that perfect cup of
tea “from scratch” – without Tetley or Twinnings getting in the way with their premeasured packages!
You could very easily stop here and know
everything you need to about making a cup of
loose leaf tea. But wait, how do you select the
type of tea that YOU like? There are so many
choices to make! Black, Green, White,
Rooibos – what do you choose? You know
what they are, but which is right for you? Fear
not – this guide is not yet complete, and I will
help you answer those questions next....
Brewing Guidelines
Tea Type
Amount per cup
Water Temp
Steep Time
White
1.5 tsp to 1 tbsp
80° C / 160°F
1-2 mins
Green
1 tsp
80° C / 160°F
2-3 mins
Oolong
1 tsp
100°C / 212°F
3-4 mins
Black
1 tsp
100°C / 212°F
3-4 mins
Rooibos
1.5 tsp
100°C / 212°F
5-6 mins
Fruit/Herbal
1.5 tsp
80° C / 160°F
5-6 mins
Chapter 10 – What is YOUR type?
Over and above everything else to do
with loose leaf tea, this is the hardest
question to answer. What type of tea is
for you? Well, what type of partner is
for you? What kind of dog do you like,
what kind of cat? What is your favorite
type of car? All of these questions are
intensely personal and emotional,
questions that a stranger cannot easily
answer for you.
In order to determine what kind of tea is
best for you, you need to
EXPERIMENT, and try different teas.
Some places allow you to purchase
small “taster” samples of tea to try, or
allow you to purchase in small quantities. Take advantage of this to try as many different
types as you can, and DO NOT generalize a tea if you get a bad one. For instance, the
flavours of Green tea vary widely, so if you find a green tea that you don’t like, say a
Bancha, don’t let that turn you off of Green tea totally – try a Genmaicha, of maybe a
Jasmine Green.
At TeaFrog, we offer three ways for beginners to get an introduction to teas.
1. DIY Sample Tea Builder. For only $2.00 per sample, you get 10 grams of tea, enough
for about 3-4 cups of tea. You can select from just about every type of tea that we have
to offer. Many people purchase upwards of 20-30 different kinds of tea to sample at once
– in their search for that perfect cup of tea for them! You can build your own sample set
on our website at: http://www.teafrog.com/files/buildyourown.html
2. Gift Sets. TeaFrog offers pre-made gift sets for the different types of teas. You
generally get about 50 grams of 4-5 types of tea in a set, with a good variety of teas to
introduce you to that type of tea. There is a Green Tea Gift Set, Black Tea, Herbal/Fruit
Tea, and Flavoured Tea Gift Set. The gift sets are a bargain and great way to get you
started. http://www.teafrog.com/files/tea-gift-sets.html.
3. Starter Sets. The TeaFrog Starter Set comes with a BrewT™ infuser, and a selection
of Black, Green, Rooibos or Tisane samples. The samples are packaged in convenient
silver tins, and each set contains 3 different kinds of tea from that selection, a variety of
flavours and tastes when you are not quite sure where to begin! Perfect as a gift for new
loose leaf tea converts, or seasoned vets looking for a different taste.
http://www.teafrog.com/teas/loose-leaf-tea-starter-set.html
I cannot encourage you enough to experiment! Try different types of teas, different
blends, and different flavours. Even if a flavour does not sound good to you, you never
know what it may TASTE like. Often the smell of the tea does not reflect in its taste – so
test, try, and experiment!
Conclusion
First of all, thank you for making it this far! There is a lot of information in this guide, a
lot to absorb. I hope that it has served to clarify your choices, and encouraged you to
start drinking loose leaf tea! Whether you already drink tea, or are a coffee drinker
interested in switching or adding tea to your diet, there is a LOT to be gained from
drinking tea! All health benefits aside however, I drink tea for the TASTE. There are so
many different kinds of tea, different flavours and blends, I am sure to never run out of
something new to try! Some I like, some I don’t, but for each and every one I try, it is an
EXPERIENCE – and that is what life is – a series of experiences! So start yours! Go get
your infuser, measure out some tea, and make a cup, and most of all, ENJOY!
All the Best,
Mike Morton
Owner, TeaFrog.com
mailto:[email protected]