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Focus: Oolong Tea

Focus: Oolong Tea

Oolong is a tightly rolled semi-oxidised tea, which has different flavour outside compare to delicate inside notes. It stands between Green Tea and Black Tea in the oxidation chart. (Look up our blog post "Types of teas" in the Focus section, for more information about oxidisation)

 

Oolong or Wulong Tea is a Taiwanese specialty and the best Oolong tea is still produced in Taiwan.

 

Compare to China or India, Taiwan has relatively small percentage of land dedicated tea estates, which are mainly small family businesses all having their own twist on the traditional growing and processing techniques.

 

Most of the plucking takes place in April, when the bud has reached a certain amount of maturity. The final bud and following 3 leaves are hand picked, mainly by women.

 

After the plucking the leaves are laid on the large sheets to undergo the first stage of processing- withering.

 

After the leaves have dried up a bit they are being moved to the next stage called oxidisation. The leaves are laid out on bamboo trays and are gently stirred.

 

This is crucial part making any tea, due to the friction of leaves against the trays, it breaks down their cellular structure, which makes the leaves release oils and oxidise on contact with oxygen. The amount of oxidation will determine the flavour, colour, intensity and type of tea produced.

 

It is down to the grower's experience and family knowledge to tell him when is the time to stop the oxidisation process.

 

In order to stop the oxidisation process the tea leaves need to be fired in large heated rolling cylinder, which looks a bit like a clothing drier.

 

After the firing, the leaves need to be rolled. Many farms use a rotating cylinder to get the tea rolled, but the best of the Oolong is still hand rolled.

 

After rolling, the tea leaves need to be dried to reduce the moisture in the leaves and stabilize the aromas.

 

The last stage of the process is sorting. Some farms get the little stems from the rolled tea removed for the purpose of tea looking perfect, but having stems intact does not affect the taste.

 

To brew a perfect cup of Oolong Tea, the water temperature needs to be about 75-80C, (1/3 cold water + 2/3 hot water) and don't forget the ratio 3-3-3: 3g of tea with 300ml of filtered water for 3 minutes) 

 

Tags: Focus Perfect Brew
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Focus: Matcha Green Tea

Focus: Matcha Green Tea


The finest of the Japanese Matcha ground Green Tea comes from a shadow grown bush, which makes the leaves turn dark green and deep in flavour.

 

This type of tea is traditionally used in Japanese Tea Ceremony.
 
In the 9th century the monk Eisai brought this tea to Japan from China, where it was a custom to process the green tea this way, which was later abandoned in China, but found a new home in Japan.
 

Japanese processing method is using “fire” steam to dry the tea leaves instead of using large ovens to dehydrate them, which preserves the very fresh aroma with notes of the iodised sea. After steaming, the tea leaves are ground to a fine powder.

 

Reputable to be very high in antioxidants about 10 times more than in regular Green Tea, bringing it high up the list of the superfoods followed by Goji Berries, Pomegranate and Blueberries.
 
It is suppose to be great at helping detox, due to the fact that it is a shade grown bush, the chlorophyll levels are high, which are known for helping get rid of heavy metals and chemicals.
 
Matcha is very versatile. Since it is a powder it can be added to smoothies, cakes, cookies and even be made into an ice cream, not to mention those matcha lattes.
 
To Make a cup of Matcha Tea you need only 1/4 of a teaspoon (1g) whisked with 100ml of cold water until you see small bubbles, then add 200ml of boiling water, dance for 3 minutes, strain and enjoy.
 
To make Cold Brew Matcha Ice Tea it is the same process but use 300ml of cold water and let it sit in the fridge for 12 hours, then strain over ice and enjoy.
 
To make a Matcha Latte  you need only 1/4 of a teaspoon (1g) whisked with 30ml of cold water until you see small bubbles, then add 70ml of boiling water, let it brew for 3 minutes. While the Matcha is brewing heat or froth up 150ml of any type of milk. When Matcha pour the milk in the strained tea. 
 
Keep in mind that it is a ground caffeinated tea and the content is higher than regular cup of tea.
  
On its own Matcha has a very distinctive taste, so we turned it in a Tropical Matcha Blend made with Mango, Ginger and Spirulina for healthy and delicious treat.
 
Check it out in the Special Reserve Collection
Tags: Focus History of Tea Perfect Brew
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Focus: Tea Origins

Focus: Tea Origins

Where it’s hot and relatively wet, there’s tea.
 
Tea is grown in well over 30 countries in the world and all are slightly different due to the soil types, number of sunshine hours, altitude, rainfall, unique processing techniques.
 
Argentina – typically has an earthy character and is fantastic for iced tea as it is fairly neutral in flavor and has a deep red color that remains transparent in the glass. 
 
Australia – there are a couple of estates producing a small amount of tea that’s fairly bright and not bad quality. 
Bangladesh – the leaf tends to be very black and uniform in shape and the liquors are relatively dull – not famed for its quality although a few gems can be found in a good season.
 
Brazil – tea from Brazil has a lovely inexplicable nutty character when brewed with or without milk. It’s golden in liquor with a good thick mouth feel.
 
China – Most tea in China is grown on small family run plots and as a result, each one has its own distinct character. Generally speaking, Green Tea is preferred in China, but can be in infinite shapes, sizes, colors and. In China, black tea is (unjustly) considered inferior to green tea and is therefore usually manufactured at the end of the season – this is probably where people’s perception of green tea being better for you originated.
 
Ethiopia – a relative newcomer to the tea world, there are only a handful of estates, but they provide bright golden liquors with lots of flavor.
 
Georgia – Probably the most well known of the former Soviet States that produces tea. The small amount that is exported tends to have a fairly neutral flavor that works best drunk without milk. Most Georgian tea finds its way into the teacups of Russia.
 
India – The best known of these is the Darjeeling region in the foothills of the Himalayas – affectionately known as “the champagne of tea” as only tea from the region can be called a true Darjeeling – it has a very distinctive pungent flavor. Assam is the next well-known region – teas from this area have a very thick mouth feel and the liquor is golden with a lovely malty flavor. Tea is also grown in the south of the country with the Nilgiris being the best of these, having a very fresh and green character of flavor.
 
Japan – Once again, there are a plethora of shapes sizes and flavours produced in Japan, but they all generally tend to be fairly delicate and aromatic. Because the sea is never more than 120km away, the sea air iodized notes to the leaves and a marine aroma suggesting seaweed and fresh grass. Sencha style green tea (steamed rather than dried in the manufacturing process) is the most famous with its intense fresh character. Other, lesser known tea from Japan includes “Genmaicha” which is a delicate green tea mixed with roasted grains of rice – definitely an acquired taste!
 
Kenya – the largest producer of tea in Africa, a good Kenyan tea will have a golden and bright liquor and would be considered to be relatively strong in flavour and character. As with the rest of African tea, Kenya predominantly produces “cut tear curl” black tea for the tea bag market, but there are a few interesting green and orthodox teas to be found.
 
Malawi – The industry is mainly composed of small artisan estates. The soil in Malawi is incredibly red and the tea grown there has inherited this characteristic – sometimes the liquors are almost purple they are so colorful.
 
Nepal – Experiences similar weather conditions to Darjeeling, but due to lack of investment could not flourish as much as their tea neighbors. The tea produced in the region is primary for the domestic market and consists of mainly black CTC processed tea.
 
Papua New Guinea – Not the best tea in the world, but strangely show great liquoring quality and color in soft water – popularly drunk in Australia where this is the case.
 
Rwanda – recent political events have decimated the tea crops, but now they are making a comeback to their former glory – producing some of Africa’s finest teas that are so bright you almost have to wear sunglasses when drinking!
 
South Africa – famed more for it’s indigenous Rooibois, South Africa can also produce some great red or golden teas.
 
Sri Lanka – Formally known as Ceylon is now one of the major tea exporters, partly due to the climate which allows growers to produce several harvests a year. Depending on the elevation of the tea estates in the country, the tea will characteristically display different flavor traits. A tea from a low grown elevation will usually be darker in liquor and leaf with a heavier mouth feel. From medium elevation, the tea will be easy drinking and have a fairly bright liquor. The highest elevation is the bright in liquor, strong in flavor and almost medicinal in character for the very best – fantastic either with or without milk.
 
Taiwan – some weird and wonderful teas of all shapes and sizes can be found here – generally Oolong Teas with a delicate character.
 
Tanzania – until very recently, tea from Tanzania was considered to be of inferior quality to it’s neighbor Kenya, but now there are some great bright and well made teas challenging this conception.
 
Turkey – probably unknown to most, Turkey is one of the world’s largest producers of tea. Like Argentina, the liquors tend to be red and very clear with a neutral flavor so are perfect for iced teas.
 
Uganda – after years of neglect, tea bushes in Uganda had grown into trees and now the producers are trying to bring the quality back to normal – it’s great to see some good bright and golden teas being exported once more.
Tags: Focus History of Tea
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Types of tea

Types of tea

There is a lot of myths surrounding tea nowadays.
 
For example, the type of tea is determined by which tea bush it came from.
 
That is false.
 
The type of tea is determined by the processing method used.  
 
Darjeeling Tea for example is most commonly a Black Tea, but can also be found as a Green, White tea and even an Oolong.
 
Think of tea as an apple. Bite into it and leave it out.
 
After 1 minute it is still the same colour, right?
 
What about 5 minutes, slightly brown?
 
After 5 hours it is brown.
 
Same concept applies to tea leaves, the longer you leave it out the more it oxidizes. On contact with oxygen, the enzymes contained in the oils of the leaves trigger chemical reaction called "enzymatic oxidation" or fermentation. This process of chemical change will determine the flavour, intensity, body and colour of tea
 
Which means that:
Delicate White and Green Teas have not been oxidized
 
Oolong teas are partially oxidized because they are tightly rolled, which makes the
middle and the outside different in flavor.
 
Black Teas are fully oxidized.
 

Pu Er Tea (Post-Fermented): Green tea leaves are pressed into cakes and fermented for 10 to 50 years, which is what Chinese call ‘black tea'.

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