The Perfect Gentleman Issue 1 - March 2016 | Page 30
Gourmet Gentleman
Yellow Tea
Yellow tea is unwilted and unoxidised, but
has been allowed to yellow.
This process leaves the leaves with a
green-yellow or yellow colour, which
lends itself to a tea that is itself a more
light and yellow in colour.
Oolong (blue) Tea
Oolong tea is wilted, bruised, and partially
oxidised.
Semi-oxidised teas are collectively known
as 'blue' teas in China, while the term
'Oolong' is used as a name for certain
specific teas.
Black Tea
Black tea is wilted, sometimes crushed,
and fully oxidised.
Leaves for the black tea are a little older
than the ones used for green or white
teas. In Chinese tea descriptions, these
teas are called ‘red’ teas.
Post-fermented (matured) Tea
Post-fermented teas are green teas that
have been allowed to ferment/compost.
These include Pu-ehr, Liu'an and Liubo
teas. In Chinese tea descriptions, these are
referred to as black teas.
Tisanes
Tisanes (or herbal infusions) are not teas
at all, as they are not made with tea, but
are infused with hot water in the same
way. They are often made with herbs,
spices, or other plant material
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Countries of Production
China
Although tea originated in China, it is was for
a long time only the second largest tea
producer in the world, losing out to India.
Recently, it has regained the top spot, as
India has run out of space in which to open
new plantations.
India
India is currently the second largest tea
producing country in the world, having
recently lost the top stop to China. India
produces many different types of tea, as
there are a number of growing areas within
the last country, that have very different
climates, and therefore very different
growing conditions.
Darjeeling: Located in the foothills of the
Himalayas, the Darjeeling plantations are at
high altitudes (from 400 to 2,500m above
sea level) around the town of Darjeeling.
This is in a small part of India sandwiched
between Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal and
China. The first plantation was started by
the British in 1856. There are now over 90
plantations in Darjeeling, and quality is now
more due to the skill of the planter than the
altitude.
Assam: The province of Assam is to the East
of Darjeeling, sandwiched between China,
Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar (Burma).
It is a low lying region of India, that is
intersected by the Brahmaputra River, and
its tributaries, and at the start of the 20th
century it was covered in tropical rainforest.