How to brew loose leaf tea? Loose leaf tea: how to choose and how to brew.

Tea is the most common drink that both adults and children drink. It has a good effect on health, rejuvenates and helps reduce weight. This great drink You can drink it either hot to warm up or cold to cool down. Tea is classified into several types and varieties.

Types of tea by color - black, green, white, red, Pu-erh

• Black tea

He is very famous all over the world. This tea can be either with or without additives.

The peculiarity of black tea is that it undergoes complete oxidation. Oxidation tea can take two weeks, or even a month.

The dried leaves are brown or black in color.

When brewed, the tea may appear orange and dark red. Sometimes black tea has tart taste.


How to use black tea:

This wonderful tea can be consumed with sugar, without sugar, or with a slice of lemon. You can also add low-fat cream or milk to black tea.

• Green tea

Unlike black tea, green tea does not undergo complete oxidation. Freshly picked tea leaves are left in the open air to wilt slightly. They are then dried and rolled into small balls. Thanks to this method, strong fermentation of tea does not occur.

Why is it useful? green tea:

Green tea is very healthy, it contains a lot of vitamins C, RR and group B. Green tea lifts your mood, destroys bacteria, removes heavy metals (lead, mercury, zinc) from the body and even helps fight cancer.


How to brew green tea:

In order to brew green tea, you need to pour the tea leaves into a cup, pour boiled water. It is recommended that the water temperature does not exceed 90 degrees Celsius. You need to brew for no more than five minutes. The tea turns out yellowish-green in color with pleasant smell And mild taste. Green tea is consumed mainly without sugar.

• White tea

White tea undergoes even less fermentation than green tea. White tea is tea buds which are covered with white fluff.

This tea is harvested at the beginning of spring, and people involved in picking tea are not allowed to eat onions, garlic and various spices before work, so as not to spoil the aroma of the leaves. After the young leaves are collected, they are withered and dried - first in the sun, then in the shade. Then the leaves are put in the oven to dry. Then they are packaged.

The peculiarity of this tea is that it does not curl.

Why is it useful? white tea

White tea, like green tea, has healthy vitamins S, RR, B and many others useful substances. This tea is recommended for those people who have low immunity and suffer from chronic fatigue.

How to brew white tea:

White tea has a delicate and mild taste. To brew white tea, it is better to choose porcelain dishes. The water should be clean, fresh and not brought to a boil. The water temperature should not exceed 85 degrees Celsius. For 150 ml of water you need to take from 3 to 5 grams of leaves.

• Red tea

For red tea, the top leaves are collected early in the morning. After the tea leaves are collected, they are dried, then they are placed in boxes and fermented for 24 hours.

Benefits of red tea:

Like all types of tea, red tea is very good for health - it improves immunity and has a good general strengthening effect on the body. This drink contains large numberpotassium It is recommended to drink tea for people who have low blood pressure.


How to brew red tea:

To brew tea, you need to lightly boil the water - the temperature of the boiled water should not exceed 90 degrees Celsius.
Then pour water into the cup where the tea leaves are and immediately drain it to remove the damp smell. After these actions again. Fill the cup with boiling water and cover with a lid and a towel. To prevent the tea from losing its taste, drain the tea leaves through a strainer into another bowl.

After brewing, the tea acquires a dark red color and unusual taste- sometimes it can even be a bit sweet.

• Pu'er

This drink came to us from Chinese provinces. Thanks to fermentation and storage conditions, tea acquires an unusual taste and smell. The longer it has a shelf life, the tastier it becomes.

Tea is prepared according to complex technology. First, the leaves of a Chinese tea plant called "Camellia".

Tea leaves must be treated with certain infusions. With the help of added special bacteria, the tea is fermented. But that's not all. To make real pu-erh, it is placed in special pits with infusion for several years, then pressed into round or rectangular cakes.

Benefits of Pu-erh tea:

Pu-erh is very invigorating, so you can drink it instead of coffee. This tea not only improves performance, but also improves well-being, reduces high blood pressure, removes toxins. There is an opinion that pu-erh helps to remove extra pounds.


How to brew pu-erh tea:

First you need to choose the right dishes - glass, porcelain or clay. If you choose a clay dish, then always brew only one type of tea in it, as it strongly absorbs odors.

Take a slab of tea and separate it small piece- no more than three centimeters in size - and place in a teapot.

For pu-erh, simply heat the water, but do not boil it, the temperature should not exceed 60 degrees Celsius. To brew tea for the first time, you only need to wait 30 seconds, and the remaining tea leaves can be drained immediately.

Pu-erh tea acquires a delightful red color and unique taste.

The best types of tea by country - largest producers

• India
  India is a major global producer of black tea. There are many types of Indian tea, and the range is very diverse.
  For example, in India they produce both “orthodox” loose leaf tea and strong granulated tea (STC), which gives an unusual tart and strong taste. Green tea with a mild taste and aroma is also produced in India.
• China
  In such an amazing country as China, they produce unusual varieties tea with different tastes. China is the main exporter of green tea. It was here that the tea tradition first appeared, which the whole world later learned about. All types Chinese tea unique and varied.
• Sri Lanka
  Ceylon varieties of black tea are produced here, but mainly, as in India, “orthodox” leaf tea and granulated CTC tea. Nowadays, the manufacturer supplies both black and green tea.
• Taiwan
  The tradition of growing tea came to Taiwan from China, but now this tea region is called independent. Here they produce unusual high-mountain Oolong tea with pleasant taste and aroma, as well as black and green.
• Japan
  Japan is a large producer of only green tea, but still the choice is varied. Japanese tea may differ in taste and aroma.
• Kenya
  Kenya is the largest exporter and producer of black tea high quality. But tea production in Kenya began recently, at the beginning of the twentieth century. Thanks to good conditions, raw materials are considered environmentally friendly. Thanks to proper, careful care of tea plantations, tea acquires a pleasant tart taste.
• Indonesia
  Indonesia is also considered the largest producer of black leaf tea, as well as granulated and green tea. The ideal climate in this country creates excellent conditions for growing tea good quality– and, thanks to this, the tea acquires a delicate taste.

Types of tea by type of tea leaf and its processing

Premium whole leaf tea

• Type tea (T)– unopened tea buds.
• Pekoy – long tea(P) - the youngest leaves. Pekoe are collected leaves that have hairs on them.
• Orange (O)– whole, youngest, rolled leaves. Orange - this name comes from the dynasty of the Princes of Orange. Holland in the sixteenth century was the largest supplier of tea, and the best and highest quality teas went to the court of the Stadtholders.
• Orange pekoy (OR)– Orange Pekoe cannot contain tea buds (tips). But still, orange pekoy with the addition of buds is considered very good and is divided into categories:
  1. FOP(Flowery Orange Pekoe) - collected leaves with tips (the topmost ones are collected closer to the buds)
  2. GFOP(Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe) – great content tips
  3. TGFOP(Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe) – contains more tips
  4. FTGFOP(Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe) – very small amount of tea leaves and a lot of tips
  5. SFTGFOP(Super Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe) – More tips than in FTGFOP

Medium grade tea

Medium grade tea- This is tea made from broken leaves. Sometimes such leaves can simply be crushed, or they can be waste from the tea making process. But tea in this version usually brews faster and acquires a rich, tart taste.

In the classification of medium-grade tea, the letter B (broken) is added to the international quality marking:

• VR– brocken pekoy
• BOP– Broken orange pekoy. Categories Broken Orange Pekoe:
• BFOP(Broken Flowery Orange Pekoe)
• BGFOP(Broken Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe)
• BTGFOP(Broken Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe)
• BFTGFOP(Broken Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe)
• BFOPF– medium leaf tea, letter F – finely cut tea
• BFTOP– loose leaf tea that contains a high content of tips
• BOP1– tea with long leaves
• BGOP– tea from the best leaves

Low grade ground tea

Ground or broken tea- These are waste from the production of various tea varieties or specially crushed tea leaves.

Classification of ground tea of ​​the lowest grade:

• Granulated tea (GT)– the leaves, after fermentation, are placed in a machine that crushes and curls them. Granulated tea has a richer, stronger and tart taste than other types.
• Tea bags – is obtained from dust resulting from the production of another type of tea. Crumbs or dust are placed in bags and packaged. Tea bags brew very quickly, but have less rich taste. Tea can be black or green, and sometimes with flavorings.
• Brick tea – pressed tea. Most often, it is made from the oldest leaves. Brick tea comes in black and green. External material should be at least 25%, and leaves - 75%.
• Slab tea– this tea only comes in black. It differs from brick tea in that it is made from tea crumbs. First, it is fried a little, then steamed at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius.
  Instant tea is a powder that does not need to be brewed. The tea just needs to be dissolved in water. It is convenient to take it on the road and to work.

According to the degree of fermentation, tea is:

• Fermented tea – This is black tea that undergoes complete fermentation (oxidation level up to 45%).
• Unfermented– tea that is almost not subject to oxidation (white and yellow). The degree of oxidation of tea reaches up to 12%.
• Semi-fermented– tea that undergoes incomplete oxidation. For example, it could be green tea (degree of fermentation from 12% to 35%).

If you liked our article and have any thoughts on this matter, share with us! It is very important for us to know your opinion!

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Hi all! Today we will talk about loose leaf tea. About how to choose it and how to brew it correctly.

Tea has long won the hearts of our compatriots, becoming a truly native drink for them. You can find out the origins of this wonderful drink in my article by following the link.

Tea is a great addition for pleasant, sincere conversations, warms you up in the cold season, gives a boost of energy in the morning.

For some, this drink is an essential component to complete the meal. Many of us likely already have a favorite tea that is regularly added to our shopping cart.

Some people prefer tea in bags due to the convenience and ease of brewing, but such tea can never compare with loose leaf tea for the richness of taste and aroma.

loose leaf tea- choose and brew correctly

Are we choosing the right tea? What you should pay attention to when buying loose leaf tea to have on your table a really high-quality drink with a lot of useful properties?

Packaging - high-quality loose leaf tea is usually packaged in tin cans. Cardboard packaging backed with foil or cellophane film is acceptable.

You should pay attention to the packaging date of the tea. The highest quality tea will be one that is no more than two years old. Tea packaged in the current year is considered fresh, while tea that is more than a year old is already old.

The best properties are found in tea packaged at the time of harvest, that is, in spring or early autumn. If next to the date it is indicated that the tea was packaged in the same place where it was grown, its price and quality will be much higher.

Appearance of tea - when buying loose tea, it is recommended to check its quality as follows: rub a couple of dry tea leaves with your fingers, paying attention to their aroma.

If the leaves easily turn into dust, it means the tea is overdried and, most likely, old. Tea packaging should not contain tea dust.

Leaf tea should be uniform, with approximately equal-sized, shiny, dense and whole tea leaves.

Beginner lovers of real tea can be recommended to go to specialized stores, where a sales consultant will give all the necessary information and help you choose tea to your taste - black, green, white, without additives or with them... In some stores you can even try the selected type of tea completely free of charge.

I would like to note that both Chinese and ours can be of high quality. You can find out about them at this link.

Having chosen high-quality loose leaf tea, you have to brew it so as not to lose it, but, on the contrary, to fully reveal all of it beneficial properties.

To begin with, the teapot should be preheated. This condition cannot be ignored, since if you brew tea in a cold kettle, the brewing temperature can be reduced to 20°C, causing the tea leaves to heat up unevenly and the result will no longer be as desired.

So, we pour the tea leaves into a heated teapot, rinsed with boiling water, preferably a ceramic one. Earthenware and porcelain are also types of ceramics, slightly different in composition.

It is also possible to use stainless and enameled teapots. Many people brew very strong tea V small teapot, diluting the tea leaves with boiling water directly in the cups. You shouldn’t do this, because the resulting tea will be much better and more aromatic if you immediately brew a sufficient amount of it in a large teapot.

There are a great many ways to brew tea; one method or another directly depends on what kind of tea we have in front of us. Most widespread We received black and green tea, so we will pay special attention to them.

How to brew black loose leaf tea.

We use soft, purified water, only the first boil. This means that the water is boiled only once until small bubbles appear on the surface. Optimal temperature water for making black tea - about 95°C.

Place dry tea in a teapot at the rate of 1 teaspoon (maximum) per cup of 125-150 ml. It all depends on how rich the drink we want to get.

Let the tea steep for 5-7 minutes, keeping the teapot lid tightly closed. You can cover the top with a napkin - it will let the steam through, but will retain the essential oils, which give the tea a unique aroma.

How to brew green loose leaf tea.

For making green tea, spring water with a minimum salt content is best suited. Of course, we can also use filtered tap water or a good brand of purchased water.

Brew green tea with unboiled water. It is necessary that the water has just boiled; you should not wait until the kettle lid begins to “jump” from the boiling water. The water should cool to a temperature of 75-85°C.

The amount of brewing, as in the case of black tea, is determined individually, approximately 1 teaspoon per cup of 150-175 ml.

We fill the teapot with water in three steps - approximately 1/3 of the teapot volume at intervals of 1-3 minutes. We increase the brewing time by 15-20 seconds with each approach.

There is also a simplified method - immediately brew the tea for about 2 minutes, while it is extremely necessary to warm the kettle well before brewing and make sure that the air temperature in the room does not exceed 22°C.

Green tea, depending on its variety, can be brewed three to five times, and each time it will surprise you with new shades of its rich taste and aroma.

You can find out more details on my website page.
Enjoy the miraculous magic of opening tea leaves in your cup and recharge your energy from amazing drink, so generously given to us by nature itself!

What's wrong with tea bags? Is it made from the same tea leaves as loose tea? What are the features of tea bags? And why does it lose to leaf - or maybe not? We will look into these and other issues together with tea expert Viktor Enin and Stefan Kwek, head of the international cooperation service of the German company Teekanne, which has been producing loose-leaf and bagged tea since 1882 and selling it to more than 50 countries around the world.

The phrase “ground tea” - namely the kind of tea produced in bags - initially has a negative connotation and does not sound like a designation of what we would like to buy.

IN in this case we can talk about a false understanding of things. Few people know how tea bags are actually produced. People know that it is called “ground”, “remains from the production of “other” tea” and “it certainly happens poor quality».

If you need a small serving, and a tea bag means small servings, then you need finely ground tea, as it gives a richer taste and fits into the bag.

Composition of a tea bag

When you brew loose leaf tea, you see the tea leaf. In a tea bag, the leaf is ground, you cannot recognize it - it could be anything.

Consumers are often unaware that a tea bag is a blend of several teas from different regions and plantations. Sometimes one tea bag can contain four or five different ingredients- varieties of tea. If you give a tea expert five different tea bags, he will be able to tell what's inside. It can be a mixture of Ceylon, Chinese and Indian tea. It is difficult for a non-professional to determine the difference between one tea bag and another, so trust in the company and its authority play a very important role.

Why is tea mixture created? By mixing different types of tea, you get a stable result, and this is the main thing for a branded product. When our company first started in the 1880s, people bought tea from the plantation as it came: it could be better today, worse tomorrow. Then the company came up with the idea of ​​compensating for the instability of tea quality by mixing different varieties. And the formula is constantly changing, since production is still unstable: today a tea bag may contain 30% Assam, but yesterday it was 25%, because, for example, there was more Ceylon, and today there is less. But you won't feel the difference. The color, taste and aroma will remain the same.

About the quality of tea

The quality is more likely to suffer for tea in a tea bag than for loose leaf tea - I’ll explain why now.

One tea bag usually contains 2 grams of tea. Some people buy high-quality tea, go to plantations, control the process, buy tea directly from the manufacturer, while others do not.

A tea bag can contain 1 gram of really good tea, which gives taste, and another gram - we call it filler - relatively speaking, garbage that we do not notice. This is also tea, it’s just of poor quality - and it depends primarily not on the leaf, but on the region of growth. For example, the second gram could be tea from Argentina, Georgia, Turkey - a different climate, different ingredients, different oils. The method of collection also matters: handmade it costs more, since it is more labor-intensive and takes more time, and, for example, on the same Argentine plantations, tea is in most cases harvested by machines. But if you are a company that values ​​its reputation, you will not use such tea.

We produce such tea, but not for our own company, but for retailers who do not have the opportunity to pay big money. For comparison: our tea costs 2.5 euros; the one sold by retailers is 80 cents. They cannot be of the same quality.

The younger the leaf, the juicier it is, which means the fermentation process will go well. Tips - leaf buds - are the most delicate component in the tea mixture, but they are not used for tea bags, since in this case, when crushed, they will lose all their meaning and you simply will not feel them.

Loose leaf tea and tea bags can be made from the same tea. One leaf is crushed into leaves of different sizes, then a machine separates them with a sieve, and then they go to different products. Smaller particles due to larger contact area with hot water release their taste and aroma faster. Due to what? When a leaf is cut, it releases juice, and the more small leaves it produces, the larger the area of ​​oxidation will be and the stronger the tea will be in the end. In a tea bag, the tea should be rich because it is designed for one cup, that is, 200 milliliters of water.

About green and black tea

Since oxidation occurs in air, and there is no juice in green tea after drying, therefore there is nothing to oxidize, so the fermentation process does not begin. Fermentation under hot water (not in air), close to the boiling point, also cannot begin. But the longer the tea is brewed, the more substances from the leaf pass into the water, so the drink turns out richer, bitterer and darker. With black tea there will be no such reaction, since the fermentation process has already occurred. Does tea leaf lose its beneficial properties, minerals and vitamins during fermentation? It occurs at a temperature of 60 degrees, so it can kill some elements (perhaps because of this it is generally accepted that green tea is healthier than black), but a small amount, not so much that the difference is noticeable.

Aroma

I have not heard of manufacturers adding artificial coloring to tea. What you can do is find a mix of ingredients that will add color. For example, hibiscus - it gives a very strong red color.

There are people who say that they only buy loose leaf tea: “I go to tea shops and choose tea from large jars.” People smell the aroma and think it comes from the fruits, flowers or herbs in the tea. In fact, the scent doesn't come from there, but from the spray, which you can't see. It could be like natural flavors- essential oils, for example, bergamot, orange, lemon, and artificial ones, identical to natural ones. They are used when natural ones are not enough.

The main differences between loose leaf and bagged tea

Quality bagged tea is just as good as quality loose leaf tea. The difference is that they produce different results in your cup.

Loose leaf tea is lighter, while bagged tea is very strong, with a high content of tannins (tannins). It brews quickly and can become bitter later if you brew it longer than expected. Don't neglect the rules and keep the tea bag in the cup for 10 minutes - I usually don't brew it for longer than two minutes.

Leaf tea is brewed to a certain strength, and that’s it - after that it does not become very strong and bitter. Since it is lighter, brewing is more complex, and therefore more aromatic. It’s like with perfume: if you overdo it, it can kill you outright, the nuances of the smell will be difficult to recognize, but you can savor the light aroma and find new facets every time. Therefore, loose leaf tea is more suitable for a relaxing pastime; This is not the kind of tea you drink while working.

As for the oil film that can form on the surface of tea in a cup, this is not an indicator of the quality of the tea, but of the quality of the water. A film forms if the water is hard.

Price

Why is loose leaf tea more expensive than bagged tea? There is not yet enough loose leaf tea grown in the world, and its extract is not rich enough. And then, let's do the math. 100 grams of loose leaf tea is 8 grams per cup, that is, 12–13 cups (since the tea is less strong, more is needed). 100 grams of bagged tea is a minimum of 50 tea bags, that is, 50 cups. Therefore, loose leaf tea is rather an exclusive product, if, of course, we are talking about quality tea.

The quality of tea poured into bags is limited technological features this method of selling and brewing tea. It also reflects the marketing calculations of manufacturers of tea bags in accordance with known parameters of demand from target audience product.

Tea leaves crushed into dust quickly lose their freshness and taste due to oxidation by the surrounding air. A small dosage (about 2 grams per bag), even if stored for a short period of time, leads to the loss of almost all valuable qualities tea - the oxidation surface is many times greater than that of whole leaf tea.

In other words, it simply doesn’t make sense to package high-quality tea in bags - everything is your own valuable properties it will be lost during storage, and the increase in cost when using more expensive raw materials will not be appreciated by the target audience.

Possessing high taste and aromatic properties. Tea replenishes the body's strength, relieves fatigue, quenches thirst even in the heat, and improves well-being. For this, he has been loved all over the world for many centuries. The greatest value is black leaf tea.

Its production includes several successive stages.

Withering

It is carried out to prepare tea leaves for further processing. When moisture evaporates, the area, volume and mass of the leaf decreases, and turgor decreases. Withering can be natural or artificial. In the first method, tea leaves are spread in a thin layer on a flat surface; the process takes 18 hours at an air temperature of 25 degrees. For the artificial method, special withering devices are used. The process takes up to 8 hours at an air temperature of 40 degrees.

Twisting

Tea leaves are rolled into a tube using special machines called rollers. As a result of this operation, mechanical damage to the surface of the leaf occurs, cell sap flows to the surface and envelops the tea leaves from the outside. The formation of acids and esters also begins, the color of the leaves changes from green to copper.

Fermentation

The time of this stage is 4-8 hours. The first phase of fermentation starts from the beginning of the rolling process, the second takes place in a special room at room temperature air, very high humidity (up to 96 percent) and a constant flow of oxygen. As a result, the leaf turns dark brown, and the aroma and taste improve.

Drying

It is carried out in order to stop enzymatic processes and biochemical reactions. After drying, the tea leaves become black in color and the content is reduced by 80%. essential oils. The tea is dried first at 95 degrees to a humidity of 18%, and then at a temperature of 80-85 degrees to a residual humidity of 4 percent.

Sorting

When sorting, leafy tea leaves are separated from broken ones, and tender ones are separated from harder ones. As a result of this process, black leaf tea is divided into large and small (broken). Leaf tea is already divided into first leaf (from the bud and first leaf), second and third (from the second and third flush leaf, respectively)

Benefits of black tea

Black leaf tea contains many useful substances. For example, it contains carotene - provitamin A, which is responsible for vision, healthy skin, nails and hair, as well as for the proper functioning of body systems.

Vitamin C is partially lost during tea production, but is also found in some amount in the finished product.

The content in black tea is very high. Its functions include protecting cells from free radicals, restoring their structure, slowing down the aging process, and normalizing blood pressure. This vitamin also prevents hyaluronic acid molecules from being destroyed.

In addition, other substances protect the body from allergic reactions, support immunity, have antibacterial properties. Black leaf tea is also indicated for diseases of the oral cavity, such as stomatitis. And what is important, it tones up better than any coffee!

Tea time: how to brew black loose leaf tea?

To make the most of this healing drink, you need to know all the nuances of the process. How to brew loose leaf black tea correctly? Firstly, the brewing time depends on the type of tea and the hardness of the water used, but on average it ranges from 5 to 15 minutes. Before use, rinse clean with boiling water. Secondly, there is a rule: the number of spoons of tea should be measured at the rate of 1 black tea per 1 mug of water in the kettle, plus one additional spoon.

First, the tea leaves are allowed to sit in the teapot for 5 minutes, then they are poured with water at a temperature of about 70 degrees. Let it brew, pour into cups and enjoy the drink.

So, black leaf tea, in addition to its unsurpassed taste and aroma qualities, also has a lot of beneficial properties. It is not for nothing that the British have the habit of having tea every day. It's time for us to introduce into tradition daily use at least a cup of aromatic drink.

Today, on the shelf of almost any grocery store you can see a fairly good selection of tea. Those who are now disgustedly saying, “Isn’t this tea,” should understand that in fact, expensive exclusive teas can only be purchased at special auctions. The same teas that can be purchased in grocery stores, supermarkets or specialty tea stores, although they have differences in price, can differ very slightly in quality and usefulness.

To really buy good tea, you don’t have to look for something unusual or exclusive; almost any supermarket has good and very healthy teas, you just need to know how to choose them correctly. And for this it is necessary to take into account different factors and use different approaches.

How to choose tea by “color”

Long gone are the days when you could only find black tea and occasionally green tea on store shelves. Today, just listing the colors of tea can make you doubt your competence. How to choose the maximum healthy tea, which tea is right for you?

White tea is rarely found on the shelves of our stores. This is a first harvest tea consisting of half-bloomed leaves. Such leaves are usually covered with white hairs. When brewed, the tea turns out light, yellowish and has a delicate aroma. This tea contains a lot of pectins, amino acids and vitamins. These components help strengthen and rejuvenate the body.

Green tea is the most popular in the world and has the widest range. The color of brewed tea varies from bright green to transparent yellowish. This tea also rich in vitamins and minerals. It helps get rid of, helps slow down aging, improve memory and boost immunity.

Yellow tea is almost identical in composition and properties to green tea. A layman may not notice the differences, but its fermentation is slightly higher. When brewed, a drink is obtained yellow color. Useful properties yellow tea are quite extensive, it helps strengthen the body, invigorates and heals, and also normalizes metabolism.

The most expensive white tea can slow down the aging process in the body, heal ulcers and even fight tumors, as well as cleanse the blood.

Red tea is a fully fermented drink made from tea leaves. It tastes like black and green. In our country, it is often confused with black, since the appearance of the tea leaves is almost identical. When brewing, you can notice a pronounced red tint to the drink. This type of tea contains a lot of useful substances; it perfectly tones and strengthens the body. You definitely don’t need to drink this tea at night, because high content caffeine may interfere with sleep.

Black tea is a product of complete fermentation. When brewed, the result is an aromatic dark brown drink. It perfectly tones the body, helps speed up metabolism and even has an antibacterial effect.

Selection of tea depending on the type of tea leaf

The type of tea leaf also needs to be considered when choosing a drink. Many people don’t think about it, but the type of leaf affects the taste and healthiness of the tea.

The most expensive, tasty and healthy are whole leaf teas, which also produce whole leaves or buds. Whole leaf black teas are divided into the following types depending on the type of tea leaf:

• Tips tea is a drink made from unopened buds. tea tree. Of course, such tea is rare and its cost is very high.
• Baikhovy tea or pekoe is made from whole leaves and buds. The more buds there are in tea, the healthier, tastier and more aromatic it is. Of course, this also affects the cost of the drink.
• Orange - high-quality teas that can contain both leaves and tips. The more buds there are in such tea, the healthier, tastier and more expensive it is.

If we are talking about green whole-leaf teas, then they can be classified according to the degree of leaf curl. They can be weakly twisted or strongly twisted. Rolling the leaves has two purposes - it helps to increase its shelf life and regulates the extraction of essential oils and active components during the brewing process. The more the leaves are curled, the higher the extract content of the tea. This means that the drink will be stronger and richer. And from loosely twisted leaves, teas that are more fragrant and mild in taste are obtained.

Medium-leaf teas can be obtained accidentally during the processing of leaves, if they break, or as a result of deliberately crushing the leaf. The drink made from such leaves brews faster and turns out stronger and more tart. But the aroma is lost and the result is not so subtle and refined. Medium leaf teas are usually called simply loose leaf or loose leaf, their classification does not differ from the classification of whole leaf.

It has been proven that people who regularly drink green tea sleep better and have half the nightmares.

Fine-leaf teas are made from highly crushed tea leaves, which are often nothing more than industrial waste. During the tea production process, some of the leaves are damaged and are rejected during sifting and sorting, then it is mixed with specially crushed leaves and packaged. It is usually sold as tea bags or granules.

What does the tea packaging tell you?

A box of tea can tell you a lot. If you want to choose a really tasty and healthy tea, then you definitely need to pay attention to the inscriptions on the box. If it says “Made in India” or “Made in China”, this may indicate that this is a counterfeit product. Such labeling often hides intermediary companies that cannot guarantee a truly high quality product.

Real tea from China should say that it is produced by the China National Import-Export Company, since it is the company that has a monopoly on the supply of products from this country.

To know real tea from Ceylon you can use the inscription “Packed in Sri-Lanka” and the state seal depicting a lion. Indian tea denoted by a coat of arms with a compass, a ram's head or a girl with an elephant. The tea manufacturer should be indicated under them.

American and Japanese scientists, after in-depth research, have proven that oolong tea can prevent the development of sugar diabetes in humans, as well as rejuvenate the body.

In addition, there may be other markings on the box that will help you learn more about the tea. The inscription “Garden Fresh” indicates that the tea was not transported over long distances and was packaged directly at the place where it was grown. The letters BOR mark the best broken tea with a high value. The letters D or F indicate leaf fragments, which are usually sold in bagged form. FOP or Flowery Orange Pekoe - neat curled leaves with golden tips - high-quality and inexpensive tea.

How to identify good tea by smell

Almost all products have standards appearance and odor, and deviations from these standards may indicate their low quality. If you choose black tea, remember that all tea leaves should have the same black color. If there are impurities of a different color, it is better not to buy such a product. If you decide to buy, then pay attention that there are only green leaves.

Tannins are substances found in black tea that help remove toxins from the body and also destroy some viruses and bacteria.

But even more important when choosing tea is to pay attention to its smell. Various teas have different smells. Of course, if you've never really sniffed quality tea, then determining whether the smell matches the ideal will not be easy. In any case, the smell of tea should be pleasant, black tea smells a little sweet, green tea and oolong tea are different slight bitterness in aroma.

Remember, good tea never smells:

• fish, meat, perfumes, which indicates improper storage of tea;
• burning, this indicates overdrying or overcooking of the leaf;
• metal, this indicates a violation of the technology of its preparation.

The appearance of tea leaves will help you choose a good drink (Video)

The appearance of the tea can also tell a lot. High-quality tea has a pleasant appearance, the tea leaves have a slight shine or shimmer, but a low-quality product is dull. You can drink this tea, but expect benefits from it, and excellent taste qualities not worth it.

High-quality tea usually contains whole leaves and buds. Moreover, they can be either relatively smooth or twisted into tubes or even thin wires, like some of the most expensive teas. But what cannot be in high-quality tea are fragments of leaves and branches, dust, dust, and everything that is definitely not a leaf or a bud. If there is something like that in tea, it is better not to buy it.