You Do Not Have To Read Tea Leaves To Know That Leaf Tea Is Hot
Leaf tea is catching up to other hot beverages in popularity. Tea comes from the tea bush, called Camellia sinensis. The tea bush grows natively in China, India, and parts of South Asia. The leaf is the most frequently used part of the tea plant, but twigs, stems and buds are sometimes used. Popular types of tea include white, green, oolong, and black. Other types exist, but there is something odd about these types of teas. They all are harvested from the same tea bush. The difference occurs in the processing of the tea leaves.
Tea leaves wilt and oxidize quickly after being picked. When you cut an apple in half, the brown color appears because of oxidation, or a reaction with oxygen in the air. The same sort of decay process happens with tea leaves. The length of time before the oxidation is stopped determines the type of tea that the leaf produces. This stopping process is called fermentation, although it is not true fermentation as that which creates wine.
When the tea leaves are allowed to completely oxidize, black tea results. This a common tea in South Asia. The name comes from the black color of the leaves. The Chinese name translates as red tea, due to the color of the tea produced. The black tea leaves are allowed to oxidize for two to four weeks.
Oolong tea results when the leaves are left out for anywhere between two days to two weeks. The Chinese refer to these teas as blue or blue-green teas. Oolong tea leaves are exposed to air for periods between those of black tea and green tea.
Green tea leaves are processed within one to two days of harvesting. They are exposed to the air for a maximum of 48 hours. Once the tea has aged appropriately, the aging process is stopped with the application of heat by steam or other methods.
White tea is made from the freshest of the tea leaves. These young leaves and buds are not allowed to age at all. They may even be shielded from direct sunlight to enhance their pale color. This extra care needed for white tea leaves makes them more expensive and they are produced less.
It is surprising that all these kinds of tea leaves come from the same bush. They appear to come from different types of tea plants. The only difference is how long the leaf is allowed to age while exposed to air before it is processed. Leaf tea has a long and enduring history that few other beverages have today.