The Tea.

How many varieties of tea are there?

There are about 3000 varieties of tea produced around the world. These teas are commonly divided into 6 major categories: white teas, green teas, oolongs, black teas, compressed teas and the scented teas. Some specialists add a seventh category, the pu-erh. All "real" teas are prepared using the leaves and shoots of the Camellia sinensis, an evergreen originally from China, a distant relation of the ornamental camellia that we are used to seeing in our gardens. Camellia sinensis divides into three sub-species: Camellia sinensis sinensis (Chinese tea), Camellia assamica (Assam) and Camellia lasiocalyx (a variety originally from Cambodia). Tea-plants, in common with other plants, adapt to different soil types and climates and naturally, they are cultivated in different ways in the different regions of the world. In some regions the camellias can grow from 5 to 20 metres in height, in others they grow to just 5 metres or into big bushes. In general they like hot and humid climates, with temperatures that only vary from 10°C to 30°C. Camellias can also grow at sea level, but the best teas come from mountain plantations (1500 metres and more above sea-level) where the climate alternates between fresh mornings, hot days and showers. The perfumes which the tea can release depend on an infinite variety of combinations of climatic conditions and production choices, without forgetting the choice of water used for brewing the tea by the final consumer.

White tea

White tea is very rare and precious. It comes from China, mainly from the mountains of a region called Fujian. It is made exclusively from the new buds of still furled leaves, covered completely by silver down which gives the impression of whiteness; because they are so delicate the shoots are picked only by hand and are left to dry in the sun if at all possible. An infusion of white tea is colourless and crystal clear; the perfumes are very delicate and much appreciated by experts.

Green tea

The production of green tea varies greatly from country to country. In China and Japan harvesting can be done by hand or by machine; the smallest plantations that produce small quantities of tea often carry out the whole production cycle by hand, while with more extensive production the tea leaves are transported to processing plants to be dried. Another difference is that the tea leaves can either be twisted or rolled, according to the required final look. In China especially, the leaves can look like sharp needles or little balls rolled up very tightly, or like curled up leaves or flat and pointed leaves. In Japan on the other hand, the dried leaf of green tea is more often flat and glossy, and of a colour varying from bright jade green to dark olive green with reddish-coloured veins.

Oolong

Oolongs are often referred to as semi-fermented teas. They mainly come from China and Taiwan; those from China are less fermented and more delicate whereas those from Taiwan are slightly more aggressive and fermented.
After the harvest and selection, the leaves are delicately dried, rolled and then left to oxidize for a short time. The 'oxidation' (or fermentation) changes the colour of the tea from green to reddish-brown. The oolongs differ in aroma and caffeine content according to the amount of oxidation produced.

Black tea

Even though black teas are produced all over the world, those produced to please a western palate are mainly Indian and African. Nevertheless China, indisputable birthplace of tea, is still the best producer in terms of quality and is unique for its smoked teas. After the harvest, whether by hand or machine, the processing of black tea can be divided into four phases: withering, rolling, fermentation and drying.
The leaves are left to wither and then, when they are still soft they are rolled without breaking them. The rolling process releases the essential oils from the leaves and this contributes to fixing the aroma and the final colour of the product; it is now rare for this operation to be carried out by hand. Next the leaves are unrolled in a cold and damp place and are left to oxidize for at least 3-4 hours. Contact with oxygen produces the fermentation and changes the colour of the leaves from green to red. Finally the drying process by means of heat, which makes the leaves darken even further and stops decomposition. During the manufacturing process the polyphenols contained in tea undergo huge changes; during the fermentation some oxidize and give the tea its characteristic colour and aroma, others remain non-oxidized and give a characteristic astringency to the infusion.

The scented teas

Since the beginning of time, when it first began to be used, tea has always been mixed with other scents: those released from flowers, petals, roots, fruits or berries. Tea easily absorbs other perfumes, giving rise to innumerable possibilities for perfuming and creating different blends.
Green tea, black tea or oolong can be used to make scented teas. The traditional (Chinese) scenting process consists of taking the leaves and adding other natural ingredients to them which can be removed at the end or left in the final product. The other method, which is much more common for consumption in the anglosaxon world and in the west generally, requires the tea leaves to be wet with essential oils; with this method the number of possible aromas is truly vast.

Compressed teas

In China the ancient tradition is to prepare the tea (black, green or oolong) in compressed cakes to preserve it and make it more easily transportable; they can be spheres, little cakes or "bricks" - which are traditionally decorated with the imprint of a temple on one side. The decorated bricks are made of very fine tea powder.

Pu-erh

The pu-erh (or Puer) owes its name the city where it was traded and which, ironically, does not produce tea. It can be found as loose leaves or compressed and is produced from the subspecies called Camellia sinensis assamica.
The very particular production process gives the tea a flavour reminiscent of wet earth: the fermentation is carried out twice and then the tea is left to mature until the required perfumes have developed (there are pu-erh teas which are 100 years old). The infusion is very dark and strong; the pu-erh is traditionally considered to be beneficial to health, capable of controlling cholesterol and improving the digestion.