Tea

From that first cup of English breakfast  that gets you going in the morning to your nightcap of chamomile  to help you wind down, there is nothing quite like a good cup of tea! For extensive information about the history, cultivation and preparation of tea, check out this Wikipedia article.

Types of Tea

Properly, tea  refers to infusions made from the leaves of just one plant, the tea plant Camellia sinensis, sometimes with other botanicals or flavorings added. Popular additions include flowers, especially jasmine  and rose,  and flavorful herbs such as peppermint  and lemongrass.  Infusions made without tea leaves are properly known as tisanes  (see below). Different kinds of tea are made by preparing and aging the leaves for different lengths of time. Tea is sold either as loose leaves  or in tea bags  and you can get numerous decaffeinated  options.

White Tea  is a relatively rare and expensive tea; delicate flavor and light color. Sometimes paired with peach  or jasmine.	Green Tea  ranges from light and mild to rich and grassy. Great hot or ice; try it paired with lemongrass  or peppermint.  Genmaicha  is green tea and roasted barley, which has a robust, earthy flavor.	Oolong Tea  brews up a medium yellow to amber and has a moderately strong flavor. Very versatile, pairs with fruits  nicely.	Black Tea  brews up darker and richer than other teas, usually a medium to dark amber. Great with rose,  spiced with cinnamon,  or vanilla.  Earl Grey  is black tea flavored with bergamot.	Flavored Tea  refers to any true tea which has been additionally flavored with herbs,  spices,  flowers,  fruits,  nuts,  extracts or other flavorings.

Tea Details

White Tea

White tea  is the mildest variety of tea made from the tea plant. It is harvested very early in the spring, before the leaves have unrolled. The leaves still have a dense coating of very fine, white hairs, hence the name "white tea". Because they are so young, the leaves retain a strong concentration of antioxidants.  White tea is not fermented like other teas, keeping the concentration of antioxidants high. The resulting tea has a very mild and subtle flavor, a pale, golden appearence, and up to three times as much antioxidant as green tea.

Popular varieties of white tea include silver needle,  snowbud,  song yang  and pai mu tan  from China, and white darjeeling  from India.

Green Tea

Green tea  is very popular in East Asian cultures where it has been consumed for thousands of years. Even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has rejected claims of its health benefits, many people swear by the medical benefits of green tea. It has been claimed that green tea can increase metabolism, lower cholesterol, treat arthrititis, and cause increased brain and mental function. This is due to the high content of antioxidants in green tea, specifically the potent catechins.

Popular varieties of green tea include sencha  and gyokuro  from Japan and pi lo chun,  dao ren,  and gunpowder green  from China. You can also find matcha,  a form of powdered green tea, and kukicha,  which is the twigs from the tea bush (sometimes called twig tea ). There are many other types of green tea from Japan and China; search for loose leaf green tea  to find more!   

Oolong Tea

Oolong tea  is partially fermented, putting it somewhere between green tea and black tea in terms of flavor and strength. Many oolongs, such as pouchong  and tung ting jade,  come from Taiwan; these are sometimes called Formosa oolongs  because Formosa was the Portugese name for Taiwan. Ti kuan yin,  iron buddha,  and wuyi  all come from China. Oolong is also frequently flavored with jasmine.  

Black Tea

Black tea  is tea which has been fully fermented. It is more popular in western cultures than green tea, although this has been changing in the last decade or two. It is also stonger and contains more caffeine than green tea. Black tea is traditionally served with milk or lemon and sugar  or honey.  (Don't combine lemon and milk!) Because of its strong flavor and caffeine content, black tea is the preferred breakfast pick-me-up for many people. Black tea is more popular in India and surrounding areas (as opposed to green tea in China and Japan) and a large number of varieties are from South Asia. 

There are many popular black teas.  From India and Sri Lanka, we get darjeeling  (lighter bodied, almost sweet), assam  (robust and malty), ceylon  (smooth and versatile), and blends such as English breakfast  and Irish breakfast.  From China, we get golden monkey,  keemun  (both fairly robust), pu erh  (earthy), and yunnan  (slightly peppery). Nepal produces several varieities similar to darjeelings, including Himalayan majestic. 

China also produces a smoked black tea called lapsang souchong, which is something of an acquired taste. More popular are spiced Indian "chais"  (chai is actually just the Hindi word for tea; spiced tea is properly masala chai ) -- black tea flavored with spices (such as cinnamon,  clove,  black pepper,  and cardamom ) served with milk and honey.  

Tisanes ("Herbal Teas")

Often known as "herbal tea," tisanes are made with a wide variety of botanical ingredients. Many of them have medicinal properties — for example, ginger is well known as an excellent remedy for nausea or other stomach problems. Check out Wikipedia's list of popular tisanes.

Teas by Brand Tazo  Stash  Celestial Seasonings  Lipton  Yogi Tea  Harney & Sons  Bigel  Gaia Garden  Paper Street Teas

• Chamomile  is used as a mild sedative; popular at bedtime.
• Peppermint  has a pleasantly refreshing flavor and can help settle the stomach.peppermint tea 
• Ginger  is spicy and is usually sweetened with honey.  Aids digestion.ginger tea 
• Hibiscus  brews a bright red drink and has a pleasantly tart flavor; sometimes mixed with rose hips. hibiscus tea 
• Chrysanthemum tea  has a strong floral aroma and light flavor.chrysanthemum tea 
• Red Tea /Rooibos /Honeybush  are related species that brew a reddish-amber caffeine-free drink that is high in antioxidants.honeybush tea 
• Medicinal Blends  can be used to alleviate a wide variety of symptoms, such as sore throats or headaches.
• Herbal Blends  are sometimes popular for the sole reason that they taste good! Many fruit teas  are popular for this reason. 

Accessories

What good is tea without a teapot? There are lots of gadgets for brewing and enjoying tea.

A teapot  (or two) is handy if you enjoy several cups of tea at time, brew loose tea, or frequently pour a cup for friends.	Tea Kettles  are no more than specialized pots for boiling water. You never brew tea in a tea kettle.	Electric Water Kettles  are more efficient than stovetop kettles and allow you to measure out exactly as much water as you'll need.	Tea Strainers  catch loose leaves as you pour tea into a cup; you'll need one if you don't use an infuser when you brew.	Tea Infusers  hold onto the leave, sort of like a reusable tea bag made of steel. They can be clamshell-like or simply hang down into the teapot.

Tea Canisters  keep your loose leaves stored in a cool, dry place.	Teacups  are usually wide and shallow, so that the tea quickly comes to a drinkable temperature.	Travel Mugs  let you take your tea on the go -- and save paper cups from coffee shops.	Tea Cozies  keep a brewed pot of tea warm so that the last cup is still hot when you get to it.	Honey  and a honey pot  make your afternoon pick-me-up even sweeter.