The Art and Essence of Asian Tea (1/3)

Interesting Facts about Tea All teas come from the plant Camellia Sinensis. All teas are classified under the six main types of tea; that is, it does not include herbal teas or other teas that do not include the real tealeaves. This plant is rich in antioxidants which have been shown to fight aging. It is an interesting fact that the English tea and the Chinese Oolong or the Japanese green teas all come from the same plant. However, they taste different because of the differences in the manufacturing process. The main component of tea is Catechins. The percentage of catechins that are in particular teas is as follows: Dry black tea 3-10% Oolong tea 8-20% Green tea leaves 20-30% Green tea powder 90% There are many proven benefits of drinking tea. Some of them are: Tea builds up the immunity system Tea helps to prevents cancer, high blood pressure diabetes lowers blood pressure Tea helps in recovery of illnesses Tea stimulates the central nervous system with caffeine Tea helps to fight the ageing process An introduction to Asian tea In Japan, only green tea is grown, brewed and drunk. It is consumed in every day life or during an elaborate Japanese tea ceremony. The highest class of tea from Japan is Gyoku ro from Shizuoka prefecture. This is a type of green tea. To non-Japanese drinkers, the tea may taste a little strong due to the seaweed taste in it. This type of tea is used during the Japanese tea ceremony and is in the powder form. The tea powder is green in color and has a staining effect. Thus, it can be used to dye clothes and garments to produce beautiful green clothing or textile. An ordinary Japanese tea is ryoku cha. It is typically from Yame from Fukuoka, Shirancha from Kagoshima, Shizuoka teas. Locations of Tea gardens in China The location of tea gardens in China are found from Central to Southern China. In the Central and Southwest of China lies the tea growing regions of Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan. In the central to Southeast part of China lies Hubei, Anxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Hunan provinces In the far Southeast region lies Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan and Hainan regions of tea-growing. Finally in the central China belt, there is the Henan region. Oolong tea Oolong is semi-fermented. It is grown especially in the southern regions of China like Taiwan, Guangdong and Fujian. One of the most famous tea regions in Fujina is Anxi. There are 11 main types of Oolong. Japanese, too, love Oolong tea. They buy it prepared containers and these are processed tea. Oolong is also a favorite drink among Southeast Asians. Very often, the tea is consumed together with Cantonese style dim sum or Hokkien/TeoChew style Bak kut teh (a dish of pork stewed with spices like pepper, cloves, nutmeg etc.). Some westerners feel that Oolong is bitter. However, others feel that it leaves a sweet aftertaste after drinking it. Japanese people like to drink Oolong cha tea. It is especially so during the summer as they believe that this Oolong tea actually soothes the body during the hot months of the summer. Most of the oolong tea found in Japan is imported from China. Oolong tea is fermented and most of it comes from Fujian Province. They are also sometimes pan-fried. Black tea Black Tea is another type of tea that is grown in China, and South Asia. The tea is called black tea because of its dark color. It is a popular tea in the west. In Chinese, however, it is called red tea when translated literally. To the Chinese, the color resembles red more than black. Black tea is fermented and there are about twenty main types of black tea in China. In Africa, black tea is sometimes drunk with mint leaves. In the west and in Singapore, it is drunk with milk and sugar. Chinese innovations have resulted in a new type of delicacy - Black tea eggs. Lovers of this dish say that black tea eggs taste better than tea eggs cooked with Chinese tealeaves. You be the judge.