TYPES OF TEA

White tea

This tea undergoes the least amount of processing after picking. The best white teas are composed only of buds, picked over a short period in the springtime.

The processing is very simple: the leaves are placed in the shade for a few days for the withering stage, then dried. This tea is scarce because there's only a short interval for harvesting. It's a fine tea, sought after by connoisseurs.

It is drunk black, made with water at low temperature (so as not to destroy its subtle flavor). Its leaves can be infused several times.



White tea >

Black tea

This is a fermented tea. After plucking, the leaves are spread out on large wooden racks in the shelter of a ventilated room until they have lost 50% of their moisture.

They are then rolled and this process helps to break down the cells in the leaf to release the enzymes that cause fermentation. The fermentation time will depend on the desired effect: too short and the tea will be "green", too long and it will lack character. The tea is then dried and passed through sieves to establish the "grades" according to the size of the leaves.



Ceylan B.O.P. and Assam are just a couple of the huge range of black teas. Black tea is pleasant to drink plain or sweetened, or sometimes with a dash of milk or lemon, depending on the variety. Black tea is frequently used as the basis for flavored teas..

Black tea >



Flavored and perfumed tea

Long ago, the Chinese were already augmenting their teas with flowers and spices to vary the taste. The ancestor of flavored tea is Jasmine Tea.

The tea leaves were rolled in jasmine blossoms during the night, because of the flowers open and release their perfume in the dark. Today's Jasmine Tea is based on the same principle. This perfumed tea yields a subtle and delicate aroma.



As this type of process was very laborious, flavored teas are now manufactured. Once dried, the tea leaves are sprayed with natural essential oils obtained from flowers or fruits. It is possible to flavor all the different types of tea: green, black, white or red. Whatever process is used, the quality of the ingredients (tea and essential oils) is crucial, for obtaining a balanced tea, rich in flavors.

Perfumed tea >

Oolong tea

This is a semi-fermented tea, between green tea and black tea. After plucking, the tea is withered, then the leaves are fired and fermented at the same time, at high temperature.

The fermentation time is longer or shorter, depending on the desired result. In some regions, the leaves are then lightly roasted, which gives them that slight taste of roast chestnut. This is a very widely grown and popular tea in China and Taiwan.

It is low in theine and pleasant to drink, plain or lightly sweetened, in the afternoon or even the evening.