White Tea

Question 1

What is White Tea made entirely from?

Answer 1

Leaf buds that are covered in whitish hairs and plucked prior to opening.

Question 2

Processing White Tea

Answer 2

Fresh tea leaves- Indoor wilting- Baking - Light Rolling- Drying

Question 3

Kill Green = ______________

Answer 3

Baking (white Tea)

Question 4

What is one of the rarest, most exotic teas in the world?

Answer 4

White tea- finest, youngest shoots, hand picked at beginning of season. Mainly from: Fujian province in China; some from Sri Lanka, Kenya and Darjeeling (India) =

Question 5

How are White teas processed?

Answer 5

Sun dried, gently steamed or oven dried at low temp. to remove water content. Not oxidized.

Question 6

Where and how are Yellow teas produced?

Answer 6

Anhui and Hunan provinces in China. Process like green tea- except longer drying process. Moist leaves left to dry turn yellow in colour and lose some of grassy vegative flavours.

Question 7

How are Green teas processed?

Answer 7

More processed than white teas, but not undergone an oxidation process. Leaves plucked, withered for few hours, then steaming or pan firing to remove moisture. W/o moisture no oxidation can take place and basic production concluded.
Japan= Steaming, grassy vegetative flavours
China= Pan-firing, subtle peach, chocolate, to smoky flavours.

Question 8

What are the time honored traditions of oolong tea production?

Answer 8

1. The leaves are picked in units consisting of one bud and three leaves and exposed to
   the sun.
2. Semi-oxidized: second stage is to dry them indoors to promote oxidation. The most
   crucial part in the production of Oolong
   tea is when to stop the oxidation
   Oxidation: between 20% - 80%
3. Leaves are then rubbed repeatedly to generate good flavour, aroma, and texture, then they are dried.

Question 9

What is the tea that majority of Western world consumes?

Answer 9

Black tea

Question 10

How is Black tea produced?

Answer 10

1. Exposed to hot air for several hours- to reduce water content by 50-60%. this softens the leaves
2. Leaves rolled (by hand or machine) allowing essential oils to spread and permeate buds.
3. Sorting using a screen. Smallest leaves go directly to next stage, and larger tougher ones get 2nd rolling.
4. Oxidation- starts when chemical reaction of the leaves and their components (polyphenols) with air, humidity and heat.
   Firing- to dry leaves in oven to stop oxidation process

Question 11

Describe what oxidation is.

Answer 11

Oxidation- starts when chemical reaction of the leaves and their components (polyphenols) with air, humidity and heat.

Question 12

______ is a large leaf tea variety, grown and picked throughout the year- no dormant season (unlike other teas)

Answer 12

Pu’erh

Question 13

What is RAW (Sheng) pu’erh tea?

Answer 13

Leaves picked, sundried, compressed to allow natural aging process.
Taste: milder tasting, more green in character, colour and flavour.

Question 14

What is Cooked (Shu) pu’erh tea?

Answer 14

leaves picked, processed and partially fired to allow leaves to retain moisture.
Slightly moist tea piled.
Natural bacterium on leaves creates a reaction similar to that of compost pile.
Tea aged in special underground rooms /caves.
Taste: full bodied and earthy.

Question 15

Grading teas: what is the most important criteria for grading ?

Answer 15

Size of the leaf.
Leaf grading is only done in tea producing countries that were influenced by British (India, Sri Lanka, Kenya) and only describes physical char. of the leaves, not the flavors of the cup.
Leaf grading divided into Fannies / Fines and Broken Leaf Grades.

Question 16

Grading in India & Sir Lanka

Fannings / Fines =

Answer 16

made up of the finest siftings and used in blends for tea bags.

Question 17

Grading in India & Sir Lanka
Broken Leaf grades:
FP =
P =

Answer 17

FP = Flowery Pekoe- leaves are rolled into balls 
P = Pekoe- short coarse  leaves

Question 18

Grading in India & Sir Lanka
OP
FOP
GFOP

Answer 18

OP= Orange Pekoe, contains long, pointed leaves, larger than FOP, harvested when end buds open into leaf
FOP= Flowery Orange Pekoe, tea made from end of a bud, and fist leaf of each shoot. Contains fine, tender young leaves rolled with correct proportion of tip, good quality
GFOP= Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, FOP with golden tips- the very end of golden yellow bush

Question 19

Grading in India & Sir Lanka
TGFOP;
FTGFOP;
SFTGFOP;

Answer 19

TGFOP = Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, FOP with large proportion of golden tips
FTGFOP =Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe- exceptionally high quality FOP
SFTGFOP = Special Finest Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe- the best FOP

Question 20

What are the Grading in China, Japan, Taiwan?

Answer 20

China- differentiated by leaf appearance- no indication of quality. i.e. Mao Feng, Pearls, Pi Lo Chun, Dragonwell, Gunpower, Chun Mee.
Japan - also graded using leaf appearance: grade categories: Choice, medium, common, nubs, fannings, dust (not commonly used). Usually by leaf type- Sencha, Gyokuro, Matcha,,etc.
Taiwan- number system- 1st, 2nd, 3rd., or some still use the govt system (govt removed from the tea industry) : standard, on good, good, fully good, good up, good to superior, on superior, superior, fully superior, superior up, superior to fine, on fine, fine, fine up, fine to finest, finest, finest to choice.

Question 21

What are challenges / benefits to tea grading?

Answer 21

Challenges- no standards, not universal system, no regulatory body- left to tea garden, only describes physical characteristics of dry leaf, not flavours.

Benefits- used by tea blenders
Smaller leaf grade increases the surface area of leaf to water- imparting stronger liquor.