What is green tea?
Green tea is processed only a small amount after it is plucked. The finest teas use only the top two leaves and the unopened leaf bud of the plant. After the leaves wither and become soft, they are steamed or heated in woks to stop any fermentation. Then, the leaves are rolled and dried.

What makes it so special?
Green tea is a light, refreshing beverage that is wonderful for quenching your thirst. But more than that, green tea also provides vitamins C and E, calcium, and iron, as well as beta carotene. It is also quite low in caffeine, which makes it ideal for afternoon or evening tea.

What kinds of green tea are there?
Bancha tea is a popular everyday tea in Japan.

Genmaicha is basically bancha combined with toasted brown rice. Some of the rice pops similarly to popcorn during the toasting process, and this adds a nutty flavour to the tea.

Gunpowder tea is made by tightly rolling the leaves into “pearls” or little balls. This tea originated in the ZheJiang province of China, and was ideal for carrying on long journeys from China to Europe. The flavor of this tea is somewhat dry, and very refreshing.

There are many other types of green teas available, and each one is unique!

What does green tea taste like?
Green tea tends to have a subtle flavor that is slightly woodsy or toasted. However, different green teas will each have a unique flavour, depending on the growing region’s climate and soil, the weather, time of harvesting, and processing methods.

So, how do I brew it properly?
In order to avoid bitter taste, green tea has a relatively short brewing time. Use one teaspoon of loose leaves for each cup you plan to brew. Heat water to boiling, then let it cool for a few minutes (until it measures 82-88 degrees Celsius) before pouring over your tea in the teapot. Brew for 1-2 minutes, then pour and enjoy.

Lower quality green teas may require longer steeping, but high-quality teas only steep for a short time, and the leaves may be reused for a second or third cup.
If you are new to tippyleaf’s blog, or if you’re a regular visitor, please consider subscribing for free.

George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair) wrote an essay, A Nice Cup of Tea, in 1946. Therein, he gives his 11 guidelines for the perfect cup of tea. Thanks so much to John Blarmey, who passed on this link!

You should certainly read it in its entirety, as it is quite eloquently written, but if you are pressed for time, here is a summary of his “golden rules.”

1. Use only Indian or Ceylonese tea.
2. Tea should only be made in small quantities, never en masse, always in a teapot of earthenware or china.
3. The teapot should be pre-warmed.
4. Tea should be strong. (“one strong cup of tea is better than twenty weak ones.”)
5. Only loose tea should be used, and not confined to any bags, strainers, or other mechanisms. Straight into the pot!
6. Take the teapot to the kettle, not vice versa. The water should be at a rolling boil at the point of impact.
7. After brewing, always stir or shake the pot.
8. Drink out of a cyllindrical cup. It holds more and keeps tea hot longer.
9. Use milk that is not too creamy.
10. Pour tea into your cup first, followed by milk. Never the other way around.
11. Never add sugar. Ever.

“On Sundays, Orwell liked very rare roast beef, and Yorkshire pudding dripping with gravy, and good Yarmouth kippers at high tea. (p.501) . . . He liked his tea, as well as his tobacco, strong, sometimes putting twelve spoonfuls into a huge brown teapot requiring both hands to lift.”

-George Orwell: A Life, Bernard Crick, p.502

If you are new to tippyleaf’s blog, or if you’re a regular visitor, please consider subscribing for free.

Warning: This may run through your head for the rest of the day. Very clever!

Cup of Brown Joy
Lyrics (as best as I can discern… if you have corrections, please comment, and I’ll edit the post):

Love a cup…. I would… ah, God yes!
Ooh that is gorgeous. Yeah!

I need a cup of the brown stuff, the shade of an acorn.
Made warm by the same source that I take my cakes from.
Using a tea pot, a mug, or fine china…
Being hooked up to IVs, and constant supplies.

…and the ___ of my urges might verge on the verge of an earthy brown tea.
I’m certain it’s worth it.

We ___ to workers and use a fresh fountain,
I deserve brews from Peruvian mountains.
I’ve slurped up a cup from an elephant’s trunk
with a couple of monks who utterly stunk.

I’ve had bourbons with sultans and creams with queens,
and I’ve bathed in Earl Grey. I’m really that keen!
And missionaries dismiss me for my singular epiphany.
The difference between him and me is a simple sip of British tea!

So when times are hard and life is rough,
You can stick the kettle on and find me a cup!

Now when I say Earl Grey, you say yes please!
Earl Grey — yes please!
Earl Grey — yes please!

When I say Assam, you say lovely!
Assam — lovely!
Assam — lovely!

When I say ooh, you say ahh!
Ooh — ahh!
Ooh — ahh!
Ooh — ahhhhhh!
(muttering?)

I’ve been around the world in 80 brews
to see the place you take me to
to make the brew that tastes like the cream cakes made by angels do.

I’m not the same as you; get shaky with ___.
To swig amazing fluids, but don’t make it the same.
Now, using fine leaves, picked by pretty maidens,
in a bag knitted by a seamstress who lives in Copenhagen.

Brewed up in a pot made of semi-precious metal
And then let the bless-ed contents settle in my very special kettle.

Now, when I say Oo, you say long.
Oo–long!
Oo–long!

When I say herbal, you say no thanks.
Herbal — no thanks!
Herbal — no thanks!

Mmm….no! No, I want.. I want milk in it.
Strong though! I want to see that spoon stand up!

If you’re tired of tea, then you’re tired of life!
Ah-ha! I’m madder than a hatter. It defies my might!
Liken me to Earl Grey, Assam, or Ginger
Lapsang Soushong raise my pinky finger.

Keep your sodding coffee in a proper copper coffee pot.

…. and spot me loving teapot
coffee clocks, nodding off
lost a plot, sodding off
Need some caffeine added and a Batternburg to top it off.

Cut them off a different block. A different lot can take their pay on
80 cups a day, I haven’t slept for 80 years!
You can say I’m mad with tea, or, or just say I’m mad.
Oh, you can’t stay any longer? Oh..
Actually, I’m I’m quite glad.
All the more Battenburg for me!
I can barely pour, my hands have got a bit shaky from caffeine.
Oh, I love it though.
I’d sell my own grandma for a cup.
Well, I’d sell your grandma for a cup…

If you are new to tippyleaf’s blog, or if you’re a regular visitor, please consider subscribing for free.

As the weather in the northern hemisphere warms up for the Spring, you might wish to delight in your tea al fresco.

The weather has been delicious! Not too hot or cold, and (at least here) it’s been slightly breezy, so flying insects are kept at bay.

This picture is from the blog of MarshalN, who said, “What was nice though was to drink outside at all — listen to birds, watching the deer walk by, etc. It’s just not the same.”

Art by Sarah Jane Studios

It may also be a wonderful time to invite over some friends (or friends of your children’s) and host a springtime tea party. Try a rich Assam alongside some lemon custard desserts (add dark chocolate shavings to yours to bring out the sweet flavour in your tea).

If you are new to tippyleaf’s blog, or if you’re a regular visitor, please consider subscribing for free.

World Tea Expo: May 30 - June 1, 2008
Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV

If you are a tea lover, you might want to attend the World Tea Expo 2008. There will be several workshops, including “Tea & Chocolate,” “Blending” skill workshop, “Brewing/Serving” skill workshop, and “The Way of Tea.”

There will also be a showing of “The Meaning of Tea” one night, and a networking convention another night.

Conferences like, “Converting the coffee culture,” “Conducting a successful tea tasting,” “This isn’t your grandma’s tea room,” and geographic location-focused tea tastings are also on the schedule.

It sounds like an amazing event! Please go if you can, learn a lot about tea, and come back and tell me about it (and make me insanely jealous that I didn’t get to go).

If you are new to tippyleaf’s blog, or if you’re a regular visitor, please consider subscribing for free.

CNN posted a Top 10 list today for ways to boost your energy during the midday slump, and guess who made the cut! White tea, coming in at position 5! Alicia Potter writes,

Bag a new brew

Boost your energy with white tea, which has a delicate flavor that requires little sweetening. “Of all the teas, white tea goes through the least processing,” says Iman Hakim, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona in Tucson and a leading researcher on the benefits of tea. As a result, white tea has the highest concentration of L-theanine, an amino acid that, according to recent research, stimulates alpha brain waves to boost alertness while producing a calming effect. And because a cup of white tea contains less caffeine (15 milligrams) than other teas (up to 50 mg) and coffee (120 mg), it’s more hydrating, another key for sustaining energy.

How fantastic is that? White tea will give you an energy boost without the negative effects of too much caffiene.

If you are new to tippyleaf’s blog, or if you’re a regular visitor, please consider subscribing for free.

You might think “they’re both tea, so I’ll get the conveniently packaged tea bag.” But then, you’d be wrong.

While they ARE both technically tea, the tea bags you pick up in the grocery store are vastly inferior to the quality you’d find in loose leaf teas. Some tea companies do produce high-quality tea bags that are filled with whole tea leaves, but that is the exception rather than the rule. So here’s a little rundown about the differences between the two:

• Loose Leaf Tea - Generally whole leaves/buds or at least large pieces. This keeps the oils that make your aromatic treat safe until it’s time to brew
• Tea Bags - Filled with “fannings” or the smallest parts of tea leaves that are left after all the good stuff is taken. Oils are allowed to escape, the tea becomes stale, and this results in a weak cuppa

• Loose Leaf Tea - Can be properly brewed by allowing water to circulate all around the leaves, and by giving the leaves room to swell
• Tea Bags - Tea is cramped. There is little room for the leaves (or fannings as it were) to expand.

• Loose Leaf Tea - Has been around for over 5000 years and is “tried and true”
• Tea bags - Were invented at the beginning of the 20th century

I know what you’re thinking… “I’m too busy for this loose leaf stuff. Tea bags are too convenient to give up!” Well, calm down! Loose leaf tea is really simple to steep, even one cup at a time. If you can’t get away from the bag idea though, there are options for you.

This reusable handmade tea bag can be filled with your favorite loose leaf teas, for the convenience of bag-brewing, but the flavor of “real” tea. The bag is also roomy enough to allow the tea leaves to expand as they take on water.

Or for a disposable alternative, you can fill these unbleached bags with your tea and seal the end with the heat from your iron. Drop them in your cup for a quick and easy cup of tea.

So treat yourself to high-quality loose leaf teas rather than those dusty stale tea bags, and let me know if you’re glad I told you to make the switch.

If you are new to tippyleaf’s blog, or if you’re a regular visitor, please consider subscribing for free. 

I love these tea rings.

From XS M L, via one of my favourite blogs, Designer’s Block.

If you are new to tippyleaf’s blog, or if you’re a regular visitor, please consider subscribing for free.

 This “drop stop tea strainer” will let you steep your tea for just the right amount of time, hung over the side of your cup or mug. When your tea is ready, just remove the strainer and the little “spoon” section will save your tablecloth from drips.

If you prefer the stirring aspect of making tea, you might want to try out the tea stick. Fill the chamber with your loose tea, swirl it in your cup to steep, and simply flush the stick out with clean water to rinse when you’re finished.

These teastick gems are similar to the tea stick above, but they come in fantastically fun colours.

Or if you prefer regular “tea ball” infusers, why not try a decorative version, such as this hand-beaded one?

If you are new to tippyleaf’s blog, or if you’re a regular visitor, please consider subscribing for free.

What is white tea?

White tea is the least processed variety of tea. Most varieties of white tea are produced simply by withering and drying the immature leaves.

What makes it so special?

Leaves used in making white tea must be plucked shortly before the buds fully open. If the buds are plucked before they begin to open at all, they are used in making silver needle, the finest white tea there is. If the buds have begun to slightly open, with two small leaves, they are used in making white peony tea, which is also a high quality tea. Small, immature leaves may also be used to make other kinds of white tea, but you’ll find the two mentioned here are the most aromatic and delicate.

White tea is also high in nutrients due to its low amounts of processing. It is also low in caffeine.
What kinds of white tea are there?

White Peony Tea - Pai Mu Tan, also known as Bai Mu Dan or White Peony tea, comes from Fujian province in China.

Silver needle -Yun Shan Yin Zhen tea (or Jun Shan Yin Zhen) is one of China’s finest teas, indeed one of China’s 10 Famous Teas. The name means Silver Needle of the Gentle Mountain.

What does white tea taste like?

White tea has a delicate, almost floral flavour. It is quite aromatic, and must be properly brewed to retain its light taste.

So, how do I brew it properly?

Use cool, filtered water to start. Bring the water to a boil, then let it cool for several minutes before adding your white tea to steep. Temperatures that are too hot will cook the leaves rather than steeping them, leaving you with a bitter cuppa. The proper temperature will be between 50 and 85 degrees Celsius. Different sources say to steep the tea for vastly different lengths of time. Some say to only steep Silver Needle for 45 seconds, while others swear that “the longer the better.” Truly, steeping time is a matter of personal taste, but the water quality and temperature are the most important factors in making sure you enjoy your tea.

If you are new to tippyleaf’s blog, or if you’re a regular visitor, please consider subscribing for free.