The Differences among Different Variety of Tea

Tea is a popular drink, and it has many health benefits. However, when you stand in the tea section of the supermarket, you can see a wide variety of choices. What makes them different?

True tea is from a bush that originated in China. There are several different types, depending on processing and when it is picked.

White Tea: This tea is harvested while the leaf buds are still immature. They have fine, silky hairs, unlike the other types of tea. It's also the least processed, so it contains more nutrients.

Green Tea: The leaves are quickly dried upon harvesting to prevent oxidation. There may be many health benefits for green tea, including reducing the chance of developing hardening of the arteries and lowering cholesterol.

Black Tea: Oxidation of the leaves is allowed when processing black tea, it is what gives it the full bodied flavor. It, too, has many health benefits. Like green tea, it may help lower cholesterol, and reduce the likelihood of atherosclerosis. It may also help decrease the dizziness some people feel when they first stand up.

Oolong Tea: The benefits are the same, though the taste is not. This is somewhere between green and black, so the leaves are partially oxidized.

Pu-erh Tea: Many people in the West are unfamiliar with this product. The tea leaves are allowed to develop a mold on the leaves. It probably doesn't have the same health benefits of the other types.

A lot of people call herbal infusions "herbal tea." It has become an acceptable term, though it is actually a misnomer. There are dozens of different combinations, each offering different benefits. That's the good news. When selecting them, I do recommend some caution. Some herbs do interact with medications, and they are just as likely to have side effects as medications. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if the tea you select will cause problems if you do take prescription medicines.

China’s Pu-erh Tea

The restorative and medical properties associated with Pu-erh tea are truly astonishing. Often referred to as the "Wonder Tonic" and the "Medicinal Tea", Pu-erh tea has been hugely popular in China for over 1700 years. For centuries it was given as a tribute to the Emperor and high ranking officials within the Imperial Courts of China. Its high value and many health benefits lead to high demands and the frequency of the tributes gave it the title "Tribute Tea".

Accounts on the health benefits and medical use of Pu-erh tea has been documented in various ancient scripts and famous books throughout Chinese history. Pu-erh tea is strongly believed to have wide ranging health benefits from anti aging, prevention of heart disease, diabetic control, removal of toxins to curing dysentery, inflammation, aiding digestion and weight loss, improving the eyesight, blood circulation and reviving those who are overly intoxicated with alcohol.

The long term consumption of Pu-erh tea is believed to help reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol levels and play an important role in preventing heart disease. Pu-erh tea made from wild old tea trees are reputed to be more potent, containing strong Qi (translated as "life energy" or "life force") that helps with the body's blood circulation and aiding the removal of toxins.

In many traditional Chinese restaurants especially those serving dim sum dishes Pu-erh tea is the customary drink served. Its ability to break down oily and fatty food and aid digestion makes it an ideal drink to have alongside delicious Chinese dishes that are often high in fat. After a heavy meal drinking Pu-erh tea is said to help clean the intestines and stomach. In some quarters Pu-erh tea is used as a slimming tea and consumed to assist with weight loss.

The History of Pu-erh Tea

The Chinese tea history of Pu-erh tea is fascinating. Pu-erh tea is one of the oldest types of tea in China with a rich history of over 1700 years that can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD). During its height of popularity Pu-erh tea was freely traded and even used as money for the bartering of goods. Premium Pu-erh tea was offered as a tribute tea to the Emperor of China and to this day Pu-erh tea remains a highly valuable commodity. Pu-erh tea is revered in China as a traditional medicinal tea with many health benefits. It is regarded by tea connoisseurs as the King of Tea for its unique flavor and aroma.

Pu-erh tea also known as “puer” or “po lei” in Cantonese gets it's name from the city Pu-erh in south western China, where the trade for Pu-erh tea was conducted. Not far from Pu-erh city in the areas of Xishuangbanna and Simao, south of Yunnan Province the cultivation and processing of Pu-erh tea was carried out to this day. With elevations of up to 2000 metres, it is high up in these mountains where the air is cool and crisp, amidst scenes of unspoiled beauty and fertile lands that the tea plantations for this unique tea can be found. The secrets for processing Pu-erh tea are carefully guarded and in the past trespassers mistaken as spys have been known to be killed on private tea plantations. To this day the tea secrets for Pu-erh production remains ruthlessly guarded and it is only in China where genuine Pu-erh tea can be produced.

Throughout chinese tea history Pu-erh tea is well known for its unique ability to undergo a post fermentation process designed for further aging. Like classic wines this aging process allows these fine teas to develop added complexity to its character while shedding its harsh youthful elements. The active microbes living within the tea has lead Pu-erh tea to be known as the "Living Tea". This continuous evolution is very exciting for collectors of Pu-erh tea who likes to follow closely the transformation of their fine teas after each passing year. Many believe that it is from these active microbes that Pu-erh tea gets it's many health benefits and reknown as a traditional medicinal tea with restorative powers.

A popular and insightful story about Pu-erh tea tells of a grandfather who makes fine teas for his grandson to enjoy. Pu-erh teas are stored and left to mature for decades like classic wines. These premium teas can fetch astronomical prices at auctions and are worth their weight in gold, often times more.

Pu-erh tea has a wide spectrum of taste and aroma that is very compelling and at times uncompromising. Ranging from lightly floral, honey, heather and fruits to harsh peat, leather, organics, grass, tobacco, wood and deep earth the taste and aromas of these fine teas are exceptionally varied. The color of young Pu-erh tea can start from a golden yellow of summer hay before developing to a deep reddish brown reminiscent of the sunset after 30 years of aging. Black Pu-erh has an imposing aroma of heavy earth that is comparable to the sweet fragrance of mineral deposits emerging from deep within the forest floor after a heavy downpour. Good Pu-erh tea has excellent clarity and clean flavors that is warming to both the body and soul.

Tea from China

My grandma had a saying which is seldom heard nowadays "I wouldn't do that for all the tea in China!" she would say when pushed to do something that she did not want to do. I guess it arose at a time when tea from China was rare and the preserve of the rich and was something that the masses did not have access to. The many different types of Chinese tea have become increasingly common in everyday life, with many people choosing them because of their potential benefits to health. There are many different varieties of Chinese tea. Some of the most common types are briefly described below. In future articles, I will describe some of the health giving properties that each type is reputed to confer.

Green Teas
The main regions of China that produce the different types of Green Tea are Henan, Anhui, Yunnan and Fujian. Green tea is a great source of pleasure and, if the research is to be believed, health to humans. With just two or three cups a day you can feel a difference in your body and mind. It is said to clean the toxins from the body while assisting many organs to achieve a better overall condition. Its benefits have been recognized for thousands of years while combining a great taste and aroma. It has many different types and tastes. Green tea is a wonderful introduction into the joys of Tea Culture.

Oolong teas
The Main Oolong tea producing regions are Northern Fujian and Taiwan. Oolong is increasingly popular. It has fresh taste and is a believed also to be an excellent source of medical nutrients. Oolong is usually served as small broken leaves like small green trees. Once they come in contact with water expand quite substantially and give a great aroma of freshness and a sweet and taste. Oolong not only tastes great but with just 2 or 3 cups a day you could benefit from its many health properties.

White Teas
The main regions of China for white tea are Northern and Southern Fujian and Hunan Province. White tea is perhaps the most natural form of tea. It is only made from the buds, when they are in their most tender form. Like green tea, white teas have neither processing nor the fermentation stage of most teas. A rare drink and a wonderful subtle taste developed by the Kings and Queens of ancient China.

Pu-erh Teas
Yunnan is the main region producing this fine tea. You will see it spelt in a whole variety of different ways, Puerrh, Pu-erh and so on but whichever way it is spelt, it is nevertheless the great "connoisseur Tea". Pu-erh has a unique taste and also famous as a medicinal Tea - research has found many beneficial compounds within this tea variety. It is a treat and like a good wine it should be drunk slowly, while the leaves settle down in the cup. The similarities to wine do not end there - the rule with Pu-erh tea is the older the better. Some of the best teas are more than fifty years old. It has a strong brown color and distinctive liquorish taste. A must for any tea enthusiast to try!

Flower teas
Flower teas are produced in many regions of China - Fujian, Fuzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing in Jiangsu province, Hangzhou and Jinhua in Zhejiang province, and in Sinchuan, Jiangsi, Anhui, and Hebei provinces. Flower teas are teas to drink at any time of day and they also go well with meals. For an extra touch of sweetness you can even add some sugar, although make sure it is always in crystal form as opposed to granulated. Also known as Jasmine tea, Flower teas have many different types and tastes. Most are sweet and are alleged to clean out toxins while offering a great taste. As the name implies flower tea blossoms in the cup while offering that wonderful exquisite aroma.

Pu-erh Tea

Pu-erh is a town in the Yunnan province of China. In former times, it was the centre of the tea trade for the region and so gave its name to Pu-erh tea. Pu-erh tea has a distinctive flavour and produces a reddish-brown brew, a little like the conventional black tea. But that is where the similarities end. It is thought that tea production dates back almost 2000 years in the Yunnan region and some very old trees (getting on for 2000 years of age) are known and still produce tea to this day.

The tea that most people drink, black tea, is fermented and has lost a lot of the original nutrients that are reported as being beneficial. So although it is most definitely better for one's health than coffee, it is not as beneficial as teas that have been fermented less such as pu-erh, or in not at all such as green tea. In common with most teas, it contains antioxidants that can help your body combat disease. It is an accepted herb in traditional Chinese medicine which is perhaps why it attracts so much attention now in the west as awareness of complementary medicine is increasing.

The health benefits of drinking pu-erh have been researched and evidence suggests that it is particularly effective in the reduction of cholesterol. The tea seems to attach itself to the cholesterol molecules and somehow seems to prevent the absorption of these. It that is true, then drinking this type of tea is a must for those with high cholesterol levels as it may reduce the quantity of cholesterol entering the bloodstream from the diet.

Pu-erh and Oolong teas are both reputed to aid weight loss. The theory is that it increases the metabolism and therefore burns off food faster. To be honest, a bit of exercise is probably better! Still, even if it only has a placebo effect then that is an important part of any weight loss programme. Whatever the truth in this, there is a big market in slimming teas - it is a bit like selling carrot as a slimming vegetable!! If they are drunk instead of higher calorie drinks, then again they could help, a tastier alternative to water on its own.

Traditionally, Pu-erh tea is compressed into a variety of blocks for easy storage. The reason for this tradition is that it improves with age. Like a good wine, it is a 'living' tea; it contains active microbes which subtly and slowly change the flavour. The trouble is, that long storage times can make it quite expensive, in fact some of the older varieties (between 30 and 50 years old) change hands for ridiculously high prices - perhaps it is worth buying some as an investment!! The more affordable less aged Pu-erh teas are still expensive by tea standards but are affordable. By the time it reaches 50, it starts to go downhill, so you seldom see any that is older than this.