Sipping Streams Tea Company

According to Shakespeare,  "a rose is a rose is a rose.that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.."

He may have known a lot about writing plays and composing sonnets, but old Will didn't have a clue what he was talking about when it comes to epicurean delights, because "a tea is a tea is a tea." Would never work!    Teas are delightfully different and unique.

While all teas are manufactured from the same plant, they all have different tastes and characteristics depending on where they were grown.  In general, the higher the elevation, the better the quality of the tea leaf.   But even with those climate and geography-based differences, tea still comes from a tea plant.  

So what's the difference between black, white, green tea?  What's an Oolong, a Darjeeling, a Souchong?
   

Consider this tea-taster's essential vocabulary:

White tea:   Like all teas, it comes from green tea, but white tea is made exclusively from the tiny, bud-like blooms that are plucked from the very ends of the branches.  These infant buds are covered in hairs that appear white, hence the name "white tea."  Usually withered for two or three days, sometimes steamed, then dried without rolling.

   
Green tea:   All tea comes from green tea, the leaf of the "camellia sinensis" bush.  The difference in color and in name comes in the processing of the plant.   Green tea is the least processed of the tea family.   Green leaves are plucked and then laid on racks for a minimal "withering" time of 18-24 hours.  After the withering has occurred, the leaves are "rolled," a process which breaks down the enzymes and natural nutrients in the tea.  In green tea production, the "firing" process begins almost immediately after the rolling and before fermentation.  Firing takes about twenty minutes and uses heat to remove the moisture from the tea leaf. 

Oolong tea:   This fruity, amber-colored tea has more enzyme transformation of leaf juices than green or white tea but is not as fermented as black tea.   In this process, the leaves are withered until they become wilted; then they are bruised until the edges turn red.  From there, they are fired, rolled, and gently dried.  Oolong tea has characteristics of both green tea and black tea.

Black tea:  This tea is the most processed type of tea.  Leaves are withered for hours, rolled repeatedly, allowed to rest, and then rolled again.  The rolling breaks down the enzymes in the leaves, turning them a coppery-color.  Leaves are air-dried and become dark.  

These types of teas are then further delineated by the tastes or attributes of the climate in which they grow.

Darjeeling: A tea grown in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains and known as the champagne of teas for its delicate muscatel flavor. 

 
Keemun:  A sweet red tea that is known as the "burgundy" of teas.

There are thousands of varieties of teas, and with the combinations that come from experimenting and mixing your own special blend, the possibilities are endless. 
   

Experience each individual flavor.   Savor the subtle tastes of each region, each country, each color.  Appreciate the uniqueness of each tea.

And know that a tea is not a tea is not a tea...