Page 13 - Preparation of Tea Brochure

At about the same time, an enterprising New York tea merchant, Thomas Sullivan, began sending out samples of tea in small silk bags to win customers who thought tea in tins was inconvenient. Before long, Sullivan was swamped with orders for the easy, pre-measured tea sacks, and thus, the tea bag was born.
Today, iced tea accounts for 80-85% of America’s tea consumption. Of the more than 270 million pounds of tea packaged for consumption in the Unites States, more than 65% comes in teabags.
Tea is now grown and processed throughout the world, with the major tea growing regions in Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi and Sri Lanka. These regions have mountainous terrain with milder climates and rich soil. Since consumers are turning to all-natural, relaxing, and refreshing drinks, tea is one of the most compatible contemporary beverages for today’s active and healthy lifestyle. Research is being conducted into the possible health bene ts of this increasingly popular thirst-quencher and each day, new scienti c evidence emerges, enhancing tea’s already positive health image.
With a history dating nearly 5,000 years, and with more than 3,000 variations, the most widely consumed beverage in the world has rmly established itself as a beverage of historic and cultural importance, with unbeatable avors and blends, and all-around appeal as the perfect beverage for today’s health conscious lifestyles.
B. Types of Tea
There are more than 3,000 varieties of tea. Like wine, various types take their inherent taste and appearance characteristics from the regions in which they are grown. General tea types, Black Oolong or Green are all harvested from the same plant species, Camellia Sinensis. The difference in the three categories is determined by the amount of leaf oxidation that occurs during processing. The oxidation process was erroneously referred to for many years as “fermentation” but actually has nothing to do with the true chemical fermentation process.
1. Black Teas: Withered, rolled, fully oxidized and dried.
a. Assam: Grown in the northeast Assam region of India. Bright color with full-bodied malt taste.
b. English Breakfast: Traditionally a blend of China Keemun. Today, the blend has evolved to include many different origins. The goal is to create a rich, bright, full-bodied brew that can stand up to the addition of milk.
c. Darjeeling: Known as the “champagne of tea.” Grown in the foothills of the Himalayas, with a subtle owery bouquet and a delicate muscatel avor.
d. Ceylon Breakfast: A blend of ne teas grown on the hillsides of Sri Lanka producing a rich golden liquor with superb avor.
e. Keemun: A ne black tea from the Anhui Province of China. It has a rich amber color and unique wine-like characteristic.
f. Lapsang Souchong: A large leaf China black tea with a distinctive smoky avor, resulting from its unique process.
g. Irish Breakfast: Similar to English Breakfast but with more emphasis on the robust
character of Assam tea.
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