| Feeling stressed? | Soothe your nerves with Peppermint |
| Restless? | Relax with Chamomile. |
| Missing the comforts of home? | Sip Fruitblend Grandma's Garden. |
| Looking for an energy boost? | Pick up with Assam Mokalbari Estate. |
| Take an afternoon escape... | Run away with Tahitian Blend. |
| Reclaim your calm... | Let Mu Dan blossom in your cup. |
| Refresh after a workout... | Ice some Rooibos Bloodorange. |
| Recover from that late night... | Start your day with Gyokuro. |
MERU TEA: FOR THE NOVICE, CASUAL CONNOISSEUR, WINE ENTHUSIAST, TEA MASTER
All in all, tea grading is a system which works well to set industry standards, but is often not entirely helpful for the casual tea connoisseur. Black tea grading [VIEW CHART] refers mostly to leaf size (which may or may not have an effect on flavor or quality) and green teas have by no means as definitive a grading system as that for blacks. Each country grades their green teas differently and has their own set of complicated terminology. The grading of Formosa oolongs developed by the Taiwanese Government Tea Inspection Office contains a spread of between 11-17 steps in the quality description. Some greens and "half-blacks" such as Ceylon greens, Java greens and scented oolongs have even more subdivisions to consider.
Pekoe ("pek'oh") comes from the Chinese PAKO, or "white down", which describes the wispy hairs found on fine leaves.
CLONAL TEAS are grown from cuttings from 3-4 "mother bushes" — selected because they made the best tea with above average yield for that region.
So if a tea's grade does not necessarily indicate flavor or quality, how do I tell which teas have the flavor or quality I want? Tea flavor and quality are determined by many different factors including:
When selecting a particular type of tea, the country of origin plays an important role. Genetics vary greatly among bushes and particular varieties are grown to produce the best tea for their growing region. China or China hybrid plants produce small leaves which are difficult to pluck but are better suited for higher elevations and a tougher climate. Assam varietals are generally broad-leafed and grow better in the low plains of India. Thus the same type of tea —say a white tea — would taste very different depending on whether it came from the Fujian province in China, or was an experimental varietal grown in the Indian lowlands.
Soil conditions, sunlight, temperature, and altitude also affect growth and flavor.
In China, mists and fog often compensate for insufficient rainfall, cloaking the tea gardens in mystery as well as shielding them from direct sun. Teas are harvested early in the spring, and given names which reflect their tender climate: Gyokuro, or "Pearl Dew", and Hyson: "Flourishing Spring". Some districts employ the use of electric fans hovering over the crops to prevent frost fall which would damage the tender shoots.
Tea growth is slowed in high-altitude plantations, as climate conditions are more stable and the differences in season not as distinct. This produces a more full-flavored leaf. Hilly gardens in the Indian Darjeeling district benefit in that the total time of exposure to sunlight is less, and the temperature remains relatively cooler than that of their lowland neighbors. The overnight dew covering the tea leaves greatly influences quality.
"Flush"—the season in which the tea was picked — is used to describe leaf quality or age (particularly Darjeelings). Depending on the type of tea, there are usually three Flushes in a year:
Some estates offer "between" harvests (plucked between the first and second flushes) or "monsoon" harvests (between the 2nd and 3rd flushes), but the quality of these is often inconsistent and hard to gauge.
"Tisane" is the name for teas which do not come from the camellia sinensis plant, and includes herbal teas, fruit blends and occasionally red (rooibos) tea, the latter more frequently being given a class of its own, due to it bearing the most resemblance to traditional teas. Also from a single variety of plant — the Aspalathus Linearis — Rooibos teas undergo the same processing, fermenting and drying, but can have as many as ten times the antioxidant properties of their traditional cousins.
Herbal teas do not undergo any processing other than drying and come from a variety of sources. Due to the lightness of these teas, they are most often left unflavored, although the addition of florals or scenting is common. Herbal teas do not benefit from the addition of milk, as it will not enhance the flavor, although honey and sugar work well.
There are two main methods used to enhance the flavor of a particular tea, sometimes in combination: flavoring and scenting. Flavoring is usually added to teas during the final heating process. Essential oils and flavors are sprayed on to the heated leaves, and the flavor is locked in when the tea cools.
Scenting is a process by which citrus rinds, flowers and other aromatics are laid in "scenting rows" between the rows of drying tea. The tea absorbs the natural aroma of the flowers, and the process is repeated, in some cases, for up to a week. Then the aromatics are removed, the leaves are sifted and sized, leaving only the smallest buds or rinds in with the loose leaves to add color and texture. Scented teas require the same careful storage as traditional teas to retain their freshness.
Blended teas may have had one or both of the above processes applied to their leaves, or may simply have had dried fruit or aromatics blended in at the last stage of processing for additional flavor and color in the cup. Teas which are scented are graded, as the scenting is considered a natural process in the production of that tea and does not affect the quality of the leaf. Flavored teas and blends are not graded, and do not require any careful storage, although they will certainly receive the same benefits from it.
About 80 percent of the tea's caffeine content is released within the first 30 seconds of steeping. Caffeine is water soluble, so you can easily decaffeinate your own tea by brewing the recommended amount per dry leaf used and then discarding — pouring off — the water after the first 30 seconds' steeping. Add fresh hot water to the remaining leaves, steep the recommended time (usually between 3-5 minutes), and enjoy.
While it's true that there is more caffeine in a pound of tea than in a pound of coffee, a pound of coffee produces about 40 cups, whereas a pound of tea produces about 200 cups. Caffeine absorption in tea is also much different from caffeine absorption in coffee. Possibly slowed by polyphenols, the stimulant properties of caffeine in tea have an onset that is slower and lasts longer than that of coffee.
We think you'll enjoy some of the teas listed below to familiarize yourself with the world of tea. If you're an adventurous sort, though, browse our entire selection of Meru Tea and see what other teas interest you.
