Tea Terms
The Age
Tuesday March 21, 2000
1. Tea leaf grades: the final stage in the tea process is the grading of the leaf, which is done according to size. Generally, the finer the grade the finer the quality.
2. Single estate vs blends: teas are either sourced from one garden only (single estate) or blended with teas from other gardens or countries. Two classic blends are:
Earl Grey: traditionally a blend of China teas or China and Indian tea flavored with oil from the citrus bergamot fruit. The use of fake oil of bergamot is not uncommon.
English Breakfast: a blend of Indian, Ceylon and African teas.
3. Tea names: teas are named either for their region (eg Darjeeling in India), their type (eg Sencha, a Japanese green tea) or for their blend (eg Russian Caravan, made up of black or oolong teas with a hint of Lapsang Souchong or Tarry Souchong). As is the case with wine, certain regions denote certain characteristics (eg Assam produces strong, malty teas).
Other tea names mentioned in the story:
Genmaicha: a Japanese tea based on bancha (a grade of sencha) to which hulled rice kernels and, in some instances, popped corn have been added.
Keemun: a China black tea with a lightly scented flavor and delicate aroma.
Jade Oolong: a Taiwan oolong tea named for its elegant aroma.
Lapsang Souchong: A type of smoked black tea from Fujian Province in China.
Yunnan: a China black tea named after the province where it is made.
Formosa Gunpowder: a Taiwanese green tea in which the leaves are rolled into little green pellets.
© 2000 The Age