Posts Tagged ‘Black Tea’
March 4, 2011 | 
Author Hampstead Tea of London sent me a number of their organic fairtrade teas to sample, mostly in the form of tea bags. I am impressed with the company’s philosophy which keeps their teas free of artificial additives, keeps all packaging biodegradable, and tea bags chlorine bleach and staple free. I was disappointed, though, with some of the flavors of the herbal teas that I expected to produce a real party in the mouth, like lemon ginger and fennel liquorice; they are too subtle for my taste. I find Black Saffron, on the other hand, to be something special.
This tea is very simple, just black tea and saffron, yet the aroma and flavor is heady and complex. The tea is grown at the biodynamic tea estate of Makaibari which is situated in the Himalayas at an altitude between 3000 and 4000 feet. The tea is on the light side yet there is a pleasant bitterness to it and it does take milk if desired.
When I opened my box of Black Saffron, I could smell the honey-like aroma of the saffron even before opening one of the individually wrapped sachets. As the tea bag steeped, it turned yellow. At first I didn’t notice the intense saffron color in the tea itself, but then I took out just a teaspoon of the tea from the cup and there it was in all its glory.
The saffron adds an intriguing flavor to the tea: a touch of bittersweet honey mixed with ginseng maybe? If I could accurately describe it, it wouldn’t be intriguing, would it. All in all, this is a tea bag I wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen using in public.
Look for me to report on another Hampstead tea soon.
Roland at Tea & Treasure
Black Saffron
Posted in Indian Tea, Uncategorized | 
Tags: Black Saffron, Black Tea, fairtrade tea, Hampstead Tea, organic tea, saffron, tea with saffron | 
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Both green tea and black tea come from the same plant, camelia sinensis, or Chinese camelia. If the buds and youngest leaves were not always picked to produce tea, the bush would, like ornamental camelias, flower. But the buds and the first two leaves, at least, are always picked for tea, and what follows is how the bitter leaves are converted to brew the teas that we know and love.
To produce green tea, the leaves are first steamed or pan fired in order to have enzymes destroyed by the heat and therefore to prevent any enzymatic reaction. Next the leaves are crushed, sometimes broken or rolled, and then dried. What determines the different types of green tea are where they’re grown, how the bush is treated prior to plucking, what combination of buds and leaves is used, and how the leaves are crushed, broken, and/or rolled.
To produce black tea, the leaves are withered to reduce moisture, then they’re rolled to macerate and break them, and then they’re left alone for the enzymatic reaction to occur which has become known as “fermentation” even though it does not involve external micro-organisms and no alcohol is produced. What actually happens is that the enzymes react to convert catechins, the major component of green tea leaves, into theaflavins and thearubigins, compounds that are responsible for the flavor and character of black tea. These compounds (catechins, theaflavins, and thearubigins) are all polyphenols, and these are what give tea, both green and black, its incredible anti-oxidant capacity. Only when the enzymatic reaction is complete does black tea undergo the drying process.
Now we are in a position to better understand the production of Oolong teas, which are known as “semi-fermented”. These teas start out being treated just like black tea but the enzymatic reaction is cut short by heating the tea. Oolongs have different characteristics depending on exactly when the enzymatic reaction is stopped; thus, some oolongs are closer to green tea while others are closer to black tea. What is common to all oolongs is that they retain some of the characteristics of green tea while taking on some of the characteristics of black tea.
I culled much of the information on the processing of tea presented here from information made available by the Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka. Whichever type of tea you prefer, it’s healthy!
Roland Petrov
The Bolivian large leaf black tea I tried today is grown at 3,500 feet at the Chai Mate tea gardens in Northern Bolivia. The leaves are large and brew up yielding a bright amber mild and fruity tea.
This tea will not hold up to milk or cream, and in my opinion it doesn’t need sweetening either as the tea is very light in astringency and tannins, even when brewed for longer that usual. Also, the delicate fruitiness of the tea would be compromised by adding anything to it.
The tea I purchased was organically grown, and sales of this tea improve the lives of families living in a very poor part of South America. A tea to savor and feel really good about.
Roland Petrov
I sell a looseleaf tea called Gunpowder Mint, and it almost never fails to elicit strange comments and snide snickers from my customers. I always have to explain that gunpowder refers to the look of the green tea after it has been rolled into little pellets. I also sell Moroccan Mint tea in tea bags, and the reaction is completely different. “Oh, I love Moroccan Mint!” is quite common.
Well, guess what. Gunpowder Mint and Moroccan Mint are exactly the same tea. The Moroccans are partial to gunpowder green tea with mint added. In their tea ceremony they pour the tea into glasses from a height, which ensures that the minty aroma envelopes the entire room. The little gunpowder pellets unfurl, of course, when the hot water is added. So keep your gunpowder dry and minty fresh, and you’ll always be prepared for a Moroccan infusion.
Roland Petrov
Posted in Gunpowder Mint, Moroccan Tea | Tags: Black Tea, Green Tea, gunpowder mint tea, Mint Tea, Moroccan Tea | No Comments »