Water quality is very important to a good cup of tea.

Tap water should be filtered with a Brita or Everpure filter to avoid chemical or other bad flavors. Hard water makes bad tea, so if you are out camping, you might want to bring your own water. Soft water or pH 7 water is best for green teas, and pH 7.9 for most teas. Temperature
A rolling boil is usually needed to bring out the full flavor of teas, but lower temps are recommended for green teas to avoid bitterness. Sometimes you can allow boiling water to sit for a minute to cool down, or you can splash a little cold water into the kettle. Try using a thermometer to get a better understanding. After awhile, you’ll develop an innate feeling for when the water is ready.

Temperature Scale
(Based on Tang Dynasty tea scholar Lu Yu)

Fish Eyes: 160-180° F.
Tiny bubbles begin to float to the surface. Ideal for delicate green teas.

String of Pearls: 180-190° F.
Strings of bubbles connect bottom of kettle with surface. Good for most green teas.

Turbulent Waters: 190-210° F.
A rolling boil. Best for black and oolong teas.

Indigo Tea Company

Tea tasting, like wine tasting, pays attention to similar factors: sight, smell, taste and touch.

Usually, a tea tester works for a large tea factory or is involved in buying. They test several teas of the same type, such as Ceylon teas from the same estate. The tester looks at three things: the dry leaf (appearance and feel), the liquor (color, flavor and aroma), and the wet, freshly brewed tea leaf. At home, you can simplify tea tasting by comparing two Darjeelings. Or for fun, invite a friend or two and hold your own tasting. 1) Dry Leaf
You can tell a lot about a tea by first examining the dry leaves. Gently press some dry leaves in your hand. Most new teas are a little springier and less likely to crumble than an older teas. Look for fibers, dust or stalks and note the leaf size. With some experience, you will notice whether the leaf appears shiny and fresh, or dull and stale. Buy a good quality tea and pay attention to its dry appearance as well as its smell. Remember your impression.

2) Infuse & Examine Leaf
Measure a level teaspoon of each sample into infuser. Use white or clear cups to view the truest color. Begin your analysis of the infused leaves as the cups are filled. Smaller flat leaves will show more body than larger twisted leaves, which take longer to steep. Steep the teas for a fixed time, generally three to five minutes.

3) Color of Liquor
After steeping, take in the aroma of the tea and examine the infused leaves for color and evenness. Color does not necessarily indicate the strength or body of the liquor, but every tea has a unique look, taste, and feel peculiar to that tea.

4) Tasting
Now you’re ready to taste the tea. Take a spoonful of the liquid to your lower lip and slurp with force to ensure that the tea is sprayed over the entire tongue. Move the tea around in your mouth, sucking in more short bursts of air in order to release more delicate characteristics. This step is important since we taste bitterness at the back of the tongue, saltiness in the middle, sweetness in the front and sourness on the sides of the tongue. If you were working in a tea factory testing room, you would spit the tea into a waist-high spittoon and move on to the next tea.

It may be difficult to describe your findings at first, but after sampling many teas you will begin to notice similarities and differences in color, taste and smell. Many teas have a typical “character” or flavor profile. You may want to start a notebook to record your impressions.

Tea Vocabulary
Select a few words from the list below to expand your descriptive vocabulary of tea.

Dry Leaf (un-steeped tea)
Desirable characteristics: Curly, wiry, neat, blackish, bloom, clean, leafy, nose, tip, well twisted.

Undesirable characteristics: Mushy, ragged, grey, dull, light, uneven.

Infused Leaf
Desirable: bright, coppery, smooth, self drinking, full, rich, soothing, smokey.

Undesirable: dull, dark, tarry.

Liquor/Brew
Desirable: body (light, medium, or full), bright, brisk, character, point, pungent, quality, strength, flavor, full, mature, self-drinking (does not need to be blended with other teas)

Undesirable: baggy, bakey, bitter, brassy, burned, coarse, common, dry, dull, musty, plain, raw, soft, stewed, tainted, weedy, thin, earthy, empty, hard, harsh, heavy, lacking, green (referring to black tea).

Indigo Tea Company

Steeping Tea Guidelines

Good tea is not expensive!
Keep in mind that a pound of tea makes 180-200 cups. Therefore, a $6.00 bag of tea makes 50 cups (33 mugs) at a cost of .12 per cup.

Indigo Tea Company

By Jason  Dalrymple
Not many people realize that Green, White, Oolong, Black and Pu’Erh teas all come from one plant. It seems hard to imagine this is true when each type of tea tastes so much different from the others. The differences in taste, color, smell, and appearance come from the different processing techniques that make each tea unique although the main difference in each tea is the amount of oxidation it goes through.

Oxidation happens when the enzymes in the leaf are exposed to oxygen in the air after the cells of the leaf are broken in the rolling process. Many people are familiar with oxidation and may not even know it: when you bite into an apple and it turns brown, when the leaves fall in the autumn and turn brown as well; these are both examples of oxidation. The enzymes that are released initiate the oxidation process and the more the leaf is handled, crushed, and curled, the more quickly it will change color. Oxidation is stopped by heating the leaves, or firing them, and when the enzymes are heated the oxidation process winds down and is no longer sustained. Here’s a quick guide to the oxidation levels in each of the five teas:

White tea: Completely air dried, unprocessed and no oxidation

Green tea: (Chinese) Pan-fired to stop oxidation completely before it starts

                  (Japanese) Steamed to stop oxidation completely before it starts

Oolong tea: Partially oxidized

Pu’erh tea: Can be oxidized or non-oxidized and aged and fermented

Jason Dalrymple is a tea entrepreneur living in New York City. A recent graduate of Appalachian State University, his travels within China have inspired him to introduce premium loose leaf tea to American culture under a fun, innovative, and socially conscious brand, Teasy.

Many people ask how to make the perfect cup of tea but this question is relative to people’s taste so it is always tough to answer. Perhaps with more knowledge about what affects the taste of a cup of tea, you can experiment and find your own perfect cup.

Infusing tea is a matter of water, tea, temperature and time. The temperature of the water and the time will be determined by the type of tea and the size of the leaf. The flavor of the cup can be changed by adjusting the amount of tea, the temperature of the water and the amount of infusion time. You can use the following table as a guide to start out making whole leaf tea: 

Black- 5 minutes at 205-210 degrees Fahrenheit

Oolong- 3 minutes at 175-195 degrees Fahrenheit

Japanese Green- 2 minutes at 160-175 degrees Fahrenheit

Chinese Green- 3 minutes at 170-180 degrees Fahrenheit

White- 3 minutes at 185 degrees Fahrenheit

The above table assumes 3 grams of tea with 8 ounces of water. If you aren’t able to strictly monitor the temperature of the water, you should know that 205-210 is just below boiling and for anything less, you can either let the water sit for a few minutes after it boils or you can add some cool water to bring the temperature down immediately

Jason Dalrymple is a tea entrepreneur living in New York City. A recent graduate of Appalachian State University, his travels within China have inspired him to introduce premium loose leaf tea to American culture under a fun, innovative, and socially conscious brand, Teasy.

Green tea can be stored longer than other teas and still keep its original taste. But here are some more tips to stretch the freshness even longer. The tea should be stored in a closed aluminum or tin cans. The cans should be placed in cool and dark place. Keep the tea away from any radiation, light, and heat source such as oven, heat, and microwaves. The light and the heat can possibly change the taste of your tea.

We usually think that heat goes with Dry. But actually heat goes with humidity. It’s cold that goes with dry. So if there is a excess amount of heat, the tea go moldy due to the moisture that is released into the air. The refrigerator is a cool place but it’s not a good place for storing green tea. Besides moisture, tea is also sensitive to the fragrances of other foods, like onions or other herbs.

When serving tea, be sure to clean and dry the spoon before you use it to scoop the tea. A little water could ruin the whole can.

A good idea may be to store your bulk tea in smaller containers so you don’t ruin your entire lot if something goes wrong in your storage or use.  You’ll thank yourself when you throw away the small container and still have the rest to use!

One last thing to keep in mind is to make sure the lid of the container you are using is tightly closed. It’s not a great feeling when you are cautious with everything else but find out later that the tea is still ruined because you forgot to close the lid…tightly.

Mr. Pham has great interest in tea, herbs, and their health benefits. He has created Nature Healthy Tea to share his knowledge on simple yet healthy tea drink.

By Jason Dalrymple
Name the five types of teas… Green, White, Oolong, Black, and Pu’erh. Now, what do these five teas all have in common? They all come from the Camelia Sinensis Plant and in fact, any drink that doesn’t come from the Camelia Sinensis plant is actually not considered tea, it would be considered a tisane or herbal infusion. Considering that tea is the second most popular beverage in the world, behind water, it’s surprising most people don’t know more about this amazing plant.

The Camelia Sinensis, or tea plant, is native to Asia but is grown commercially all around the world. It can grow anywhere with a tropical to sub tropical climate and altitudes from sea level to 7,000 feet. The plant prefers lots of sunlight, and a warm humid environment with plenty of rainfall.

When grown commercially, tea plants are placed close to each other with 1500 to 5500 being planted in an acre of land. These tea plant farms are often called estates or tea gardens and can be grown on plots of land as little as a quarter acre by a family or on hundreds of acres and maintained by a village of workers. The tea plants are typically ready to be harvested when they are five to seven years old and can be plucked for over 100 years.

Within this category of plant, Camelia Sinensis, there are different varietals that lend themselves to making tea. Within these varietals, there are two that are the most prevalent, Camelia Sinensis Sinensis and Camelis Sinensis Assamica. The first one, Camelis Sinensis Sinensis, has a smaller leaf and is indigenous to China while Camelia Sinensis Assamica has a larger leaf and was first found in the Assam district of India. Theoretically each of these varietals is able to make all five types of tea but certain varietals lend themselves to making a certain type.

Jason Dalrymple is a tea entrepreneur living in New York City. A recent graduate of Appalachian State University, his travels within China have inspired him to introduce premium loose leaf tea to American culture under a fun, innovative, and socially conscious brand, Teasy.

By Jennifer Wasilewski

A cup of tea can help you get your morning started or aid in relaxation after a long and stressful day. You can warm up on a cold winter day with a steaming mug of your favorite tea, or you can cool down on a summer afternoon with a tall, refreshing, glass of iced tea. Not only does it taste great hot or cold, but it can also help you stay healthy.

With a variety of tea that seem to come in ever color of the rainbow and every flavor possible, walking down the tea aisle at your local grocery store can be a perplexing event. The truth of the matter is that there are basically four groups of tea and most of your favorite will fall into those categories.

• Black Tea: The process of making Black tea is a long process that eventually results in the oxidation and fermentation of the tea leaves. This fermentation process results the darkening of the tea leaves to a deep red or black color. Black Tea is one of the more common flavored teas. Under the umbrella of black teas are some common flavors such as Darjeeling and an assortment of breakfast teas.Benefits: It is believed that black tea can help digestion, improve cholesterol, and possibly reduce tooth decay. While there is caffeine in black tea it’s not as potent your morning cup of coffee and can often give you that needed boost without the jitters.
• Green Tea: Green tea is made from leaves that do not go through oxidization. They are picked and then steamed or pan fried to prevent any fermentation. Although it doesn’t sound extremely appetizing this popular tea is often described as tasting earthy like grass. It has a light and refreshing flavor and depending on the type, can range from sweet to a little bitter.Benefits:Green tea is credited with helping your body fight off cancer, some types of arthritis, and high cholesterol. It also can be a great boost to your immune system.
• Oolong Tea: Oolong Tea is less oxidized than black tea but does go through some oxidation unlike green tea. Most tea drinkers describe oolong as having a earthy/grass taste similar to Green tea, however it’s slightly stronger.Benefits: While it’s not yet proven, there is some research being done into the impact oolong tea has on weight control. Besides that, oolong tea is credited with aiding digesting and cleansing the body from the inside out.
• White Tea: White tea can be thought of the unripe fruit of the tea world. Made from young or immature leaves that have yet to undergo oxidation, white tea is probably the most expensive and rarest form of tea. Although it recently has become more available in the United States, it was originally hard to find anywhere else besides China. White tea is often said to have a smooth sweet flavor.Benefits: The flavor alone isn’t a reason why white tea is becoming so popular in the US. This tea is credited with being the healthiest form of tea because it’s so close to its natural state. Some of the benefits of white tea come from the high amount of cancer fighting anti-oxidants as well as its ability to aid your immune system in fighting off bacteria and viruses.

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