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Often when talking about oolong tea you sometimes hear that a tea was 25% fermented, or that black tea is fully fermented. Sadly both those things are wrong to say, they are common usage due to a translation error from Chinese 
into English. But the correct word in both those situations is oxidized. To be sure we are on the same page here are the definitions of the two words, which most closely relate to the process tea goes through:
- Fermentation – a process in which an agent causes an organic substance to break down into simpler substances
- Oxidation – add oxygen to or combine with oxygen.
No when an oolong is oxidized, or a black tea is oxidized they are left out in open air to and the oxygen reacts with certain enzymes in the leaves. The unique thing about oxidizing tea leaves is history has told us that leaves are less likely to go bad the more they are oxidized. This is how black tea became so popular in England, as when fully oxidized the tea still tasted palatable after a long journey west.
So is it wrong to say that a tea is fermented? Not necessarily, as aged teas do undergo a fermentation process, in which the cell walls and other parts of the leaf degrade into sugars. So it is okay to say that 10 or more year old pu’erh or oolong is fermented. I should note that while this is labeled as fermentation it is similar to the fermentation of grains to produce beer, but no an aged tea is not alcoholic.
So now you know the difference between Oxidation and Fermentation and when to use them properly when referring to tea. Just to be sure get a well aged tea, and an ordinary black tea, and taste them side by side. The color might be similar but I’m sure the taste difference will astound you.
Like this:
The economy is in bad shape, and everyone is tightening their belt to save every penny. So here are ways you can use tea leaves that would otherwise be thrown out.
First you want to make sure you are getting the most out of the leaf, and to do this once you have steeped the leaves to what you think is exhaustion, simply throw them in cold water and put them in the fridge over night. This long infusion will make sure every last ounce of drinkable enjoyment comes from the leaves, but the cold temperature will help keep the tannins from creating an astringent brew. So in the morning you can pour yourself a glass of ice tea, filtering out the leaves of course.
But you don’t need to throw the leaves out there. You can also compost them, or put them around potted plants, as a fertilizer. The leaves 
contain many nutrients your plants will love, which will be released into the soil as they break down and decay. This is a very green way to go as you aren’t filling up a landfill with mounds of tea leaves.
If you are enjoying a delicate green tea, some people even eat the leaves afterward for full enjoyment. The leaves are safe to eat if they are safe to steep. Some of the older forms of enjoying tea come from powdered tea, which was not strained but rather consumed in the water much like Matcha is today. They taste almost like spinach in their strength but usually you can pick up the tastes you found while enjoying the tea. I’m sure if you only steeped your loose leaf green teas a few times, you could make a great Tea Salad!
So next time you think your leaves are spent, think if there is another way you could use them before letting them go to waste. If anyone has another way to use spent tea leaves, leave a comment, I would be glad to hear them.
In the East, tea has long been viewed as medium to help achieve enlightenment. Rumor has it that the first tea plants grew from the eyelids of a Buddhist monk who grew sleepy while meditating. The monk was so ashamed that he removed his eye lids and threw them to the ground so it would never happen again.
I personally wish to better understand Chinese tea culture, and come to appreciate it as fully as I can; this involves understanding “Cha Dao” the way of tea. In my experience tea can take you to a peaceful state, from the pensive and meditative practice of making it, to the thoughtful consumption which is occasionally best enjoyed with an empty mind.
One of my favorite things to do is memorize a Haiku, ponder a Koan, or a poem while having a session of tea. Try it next time you are enjoying tea, try and ponder the meaning of this poem.
The Gateless Gate:
“The great path has no gates,
Thousands of roads enter it.
When one passes through this gateless gate
He walks freely between heaven and earth.”
–Mumon
In the west, tea is still used as an enlightenment of sorts, an English tea time to enjoy with company and discuss. Tea has many uses which can be 
considered an enlightenment of sorts. It is used to comfort you when you are down, warm you up when you are cold, and heal you when you are sick. Tea can also be inspirational; there have been so many photographs, paintings, or sculptures, done with tea in mind.
So next time you are down, or feeling confused, reach for a cup of tea, and ponder your situation. It might be the time you spent thinking about it, or it might have been the influence of the tea, but surely you will feel somewhat more certain of the problem, and possibly have a few solutions after a nice round of tea.
Either from the naturalist in me, the idea of wanting to give it my own try, or maybe just the want for the ultimate freshness, I’ve been looking into growing my own tea plant. After many long hows, however, sadly I’ve realized that making your own tea is much more than growing the leaves and steeping them.
First off, be aware of growing conditions. Tea is hardy to Zone 8, all of you who are botanically inclined probably already know what zone you are in, but if you don’t refer to this chart here. As tea generally grows in hot and humid climates, zone eight is along the southern US into Texas. Now if you don’t happen to live in Zone 8, you can still grow tea inside or in a greenhouse. Tea is also a flowering plant, known to produce gorgeous fragrant flowers.
If you think you have just the spot for a tea plant, it might be good to know it likes light shade and rich acidic soil.
Some types of preparation for picked leaves depending on type are:
- Pick the very young and tender leaves and buds, while insuring there are no drops of water on them. If there are, simply blot them dry with a towel
- Set the the leaves in the shade for several hours
- To produce a long Jing type green tea (dragonwell) you can pan fry them quickly, constantly moving them around. Otherwise, steam the leaves for one minute
- Dry the leaves thoroughly and spread them onto a baking sheet and stick in a 250 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 minutes
- Pluck the youngest leaves and buds, and roll them in your hands to damage the cell walls and start the oxidation process
- Spread the leaves out evenly (only one row deep), and let dry in a cool location for 2-3 days
- Dry the tea leaves in the oven at 250 degrees for 20 minutes
After you’ve done all this, simply store your tea leaves in an air tight container to preserve freshness. Oh, I almost forgot the most important part — be sure to enjoy!
As you continue to drink tea more often, you likely will eventually have the desire to brew tea in a teapot. But with so many choices of teapots, how do you decide on which one to choose? There are several things to consider– are you still using teabags, and how many are you serving?
If you are brewing loose leaf tea, you want a teapot with a filter of some sort, and in general you want a smaller teapot something no larger than 15 ounces, as to prevent over steeping you will need to pour the tea from that teapot into other containers shortly after steeping is done. If you are brewing with teabags, any size works and a filter or screen is optional.
Now as you descend into the world of tea certain teapots and kettles are known to produce better results. These include but are not limited to a Tetsubin, Yixing, Kyusu, or gaiwan. While a gaiwan is actually more of a cup with a lid that you use hold back the leaves while pouring into a pitcher, and just about always used for gong fu brewing.
Tetsubins come in two different varieties ones with a glazed inside and plain cast iron inside. Cast iron tetsubins are meant to boil water, and they are said to improve the quality of the water by releasing minerals into the water which make for a great tasting tea experience. Glazed tetsubins, on the other hand, are simply meant to brew tea in, look nice, and be a nice presentation. More than likely, the inside of au unglazed tetsubin will eventually rust, but you can prolong its life by drying it between tea sessions. Also, if you heat a glazed testubin you can actually crack the lining, which will lead to rusting as it will be very hard to dry thoroughly.
Yixings are a Chinese clay pot often used in Gong fu brewing. They are said to take on the characteristics of the tea is 
brewed in them. They are typically used for oolong and puerh tea, but one generally uses only one yixing for each different type of tea, as the absorption of the tea oils from one tea can be said to interfere with the flavor of others.
A kyusu is a Japanese teapot often seen with a side handle. These also come in both glazed and unglazed varieties. Unglazed kyusus are rather similar to yixings in their absorption properties. The glazed kyusus, however, can be used for any type of tea.
The way the tea leaves open up, unfurl, and move with the eddys and currents in your brewing vessel is known as the dance of the leaves. This is something you cannot truly appreciate when brewing with a tea bag, but the next time you are making a nice loose leaf green or white, watch the leaves and simply… relax.
To experience the dance in its full effect, brew your next cup of tea in a glass teacup. If you do not have glass teacups, you’d likely want to use a nice sturdy glass with no blemishes or imperfections (which may lead to breakage) instead. Now add the desired amount of loose leaf tea to the bottom of the glass (green or white), and add water at around a 170 degree Fahrenheit temperature to the glass and enjoy the show.
You will see a secret life take place in your cup. The leaves perform their own ballet while they unfurl and steep. With glass brewing I’ve noticed, depending on how thin your glass is, you might wish to add some ice after a few minutes of steeping, or else wait quite awhile for the tea to cool down. Simply blow away the leaves remaining on top and filter them with your upper lip while sipping from the cup and you will have enjoyed the dance of the leaves, while making yourself a nice strong cup of tea.
Now if you’re a bit squeamish about having loose leaves floating around in your glass, you can glass brew with a flowering tea. Flowering teas are even more of a show; they are simply an artisan produced ball of tea flowers that turn into a work of art in your glass. Flowering teas are great for parties, or just to have on display.When brewing a flowering tea, treat it like any other tea of that category. For instance, if you have a flowering green tea, brew it like any other loose leaf green tea, and so on.
Whether using loose leaf tea or flowering tea, the transformation the leaves undergo while brewing leads to a wholly enjoyable experience. Next time when you aren’t in a rush- sit back, relax, and enjoy the dance of the leaves.
I recently made up a batch of iced Tie Kuan Yin oolong. I chose a greener Tie Kuan Yin, as its lack of roasting has the lighter more delicate flavors often enjoyed during the warmer months of the year.
Now the necessary items for this are a kettle and a brewing device. I chose a large teapot, because it has a filter which allows me to steep the tea in the pot, giving the leaves room to unfurl completely, and have proper room to steep. I 
also used a large glass pitcher along with a healthy portion of ice.
This delicious recipe for Ti Kuan Yin will make your house smell great, and you’ll always look forward to another glass! This recipe for Ti Kuan Yin is fruity with hints of berries, is slightly alkaline and completely delicious. This is a great thing to have around for summer, it’s a wonderful drink with plenty for everyone to enjoy.
Iced Goddess
- 1.5 liters of water boiled and poured into a pot to steep.
- 4 rounded soup spoons worth of Green Tie Kuan yin oolong.
- Steep 5 minutes.
- Pour into pitcher full of ice, and add more as needed.
- Serve
This is also a great idea for parties! Also, you can make at least two batches with the Ti Kuan Yin leaves, as oolongs are typically great for multiple infusions. With most oolongs you can get at least 4 steeps, but it also depends on how long you steep it for. With a 5 minute steep I’d expect between 2 and 3 but you might find a tea that surprises you and can do five or six steeps at five minutes apiece. Sugar may be added but I feel it is wholly unnecessary.
So for your next party make some Tie Kuan Yin Iced Goddess, it’s healthy, tasty, and sure to be every ones favorite!
Teas, just like most food products, can go bad. So maybe it is time to ask “how long have my teas been sitting exposed to the air?” Green and white teas are notorious for going bad within 6 months of opening, quicker if exposed to sunlight. Black teas are fairly rugged and can last a year or even longer. So what are ways you can prevent unwanted aging?
Airtight containers are important (tins are often used), but I’ve also seen clay jars and even a carved stone container fashioned after a tin. Metal is often used as it does not let in moisture, is easy to create a good seal and is less likely to 
really hold on to odors. While glass containers are nice (I use a few myself), they should be kept someplace where they will not be exposed to sunlight for extended amounts of time, as this could have negative effects on the tea inside.
But don’t get me wrong, aging is not a bad thing for certain teas. Pu’erh Tea is a tea intentionally designed to be aged, and it is well known for improving with age. Oolongs are occasionally aged, but need to be treated carefully while being aged. I’ve even heard of people aging their Lapsang Souchong to help mellow out an overwhelming smoky flavor.
I have personal experience with unintentionally aging an Assam. I had it in a tin for an entire year! I soon began to notice that it had some incredible chocolate notes in it. Quite a surprise, but a well enjoyed one. Needless to say I didn’t wait much longer to see if the tea was going to change any more, as I found it delicious the way it was.
But as a rule, most tea is designed to be enjoyed as fresh as possible, so drink up!
India has its black teas, Japan has its green teas, and China has them all. But China and Taiwan have Oolong teas which are actually some of the most prized, or at least most well respected in China and the rest of the world. Often when you hear of a Chinese tea ceremony, they are brewing some sort of oolong. For the Chinese tea ceremony a lot of times the tea being brewed is Ti Kuan Yin.
Ti Kuan Yin is named after Kuan Yin the Buddhist Bodhisattva of compassion (mercy). A story of its naming tells of a farmer who often walked through a forest on his way to harvest tea, but would always pass by an old long forgotten temple which housed an iron statue of Kuan Yin. The farmer paid his respects to the temple in the humble ways he could, and one night the Bodhisattva appeared to him in his dream, telling him of a cave behind the temple. The farmer went to the cave and discovered a tea plant, which he planted in his field. It grew up to be a huge bush, of which he shared clippings with all his neighbors so that they could grow the bush too. And that’s how the tea from this bush came to be known as Ti Kuan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy).
Oolong teas are very tricky in the fact that they are one of the hardest to classify, so much that they are more often described by what they are not. Oolong teas are more oxidized than a green tea, but not fully oxidized like a black tea. So you can have oolongs that are very green looking, or you can have oolongs that are very dark in color, and anywhere in between. But the most confusing part is that Oolong teas are usually roasted to some degree. So if your open up a bag of oolong and it smells slightly smoky, don’t panic! It’s natural and probably roasted to some degree.
If you’ve ever had tea on an empty stomach, you know how problematic it can sometimes be. Depending on the strength of the brew, a cup of tea normally has a pH close to 4, which is roughly the same as tomato juice, however any way you brew it it’s still likely to come out slightly acidic.
Some people seem to have no problems with tea and nausea, but not being one of them, I’ve had to come up with ways to counteract the nausea and enjoy my tea. The most effective way to do this is to use food. In my trials and errors, I’ve come across certain categories of foods that seem to work wonders.
Shortbread cookies are simple and they taste relatively neutral. It is no wonder they have been served with tea for years. Other such common tea foods also work such as pound cake, scones, biscotti and even plain muffins. Amazingly, I’ve found a less than usual remedy as well in non buttered or heavily salted popcorn.
There are some things that I would avoid with tea if my purpose is to fully enjoy my cup. The main factors are strong tasting flavored berries, black berries, cranberries, raspberries, and blue berries. I find that eating these at the same time as drinking tea can severely detract from the tea’s flavor. Things that are overly salty, sour, or sweet can also have a devastating effect. For example, you wouldn’t want to be eating Anchovies with most teas! Interestingly enough, tea will also taste funny
after most candies as well (who would have ever guessed?)
In my experiences, it seems that carbohydrates, or starchy foods, do a wonderful job with tea. They rarely have very strong flavors and they help fill your stomach and counteract the excess acidity. So next time you feel an upset stomach creeping up on you during tea time, don’t reach for the candy, reach for the cookies instead!
