Nuances of Tea Classification · Tea Epicure

Tea processing charts have been essential objects inside the toolbelt of tea educators for years. Nonetheless, virtually every processing chart that exists proper this second excludes many sorts of tea and usually entire sorts of tea. I posted the first mannequin of my tea processing chart in 2013. Since then, I’ve made quite a few edits to it in an effort to create an merely understandable gadget for tea education. Early on, I adopted a lumper mentality.

In any self-discipline that requires placing points into courses, there are generalists and specialists. These two factions are also referred to as lumpers and splitters. Sometimes, lumpers prioritize similarities over variations and splitters prioritize variations over similarities. Tea snobs are inherently splitters; on a regular basis mentioning variations in points with a view to make themselves actually really feel smarter than the frequent explicit individual. Splitters prefer to say points like “it’s further tough than this!” or “there will not be any absolutes in tea!” And whereas they is perhaps correct, I don’t contemplate that the splitter mindset has wherever in beginner’s tea education.

A critical turning stage in my tea analysis was after I ended attempting to create a chart outlining all of the steps that each tea kind goes by the use of and began to evolve the chart so that it solely exhibited the minimal steps required to be considered a tea of a specific kind. This simple change in contemplating led to the processing chart in it’s current variety.

What follows is an exploration of the challenges that exist when classifying the assorted world of tea and ultimately, what led to the current contemplating exhibited inside the latest processing chart. Nevertheless first, some groundwork… we is perhaps working with seven foremost courses of tea, each outlined by the distinctive processing steps they bear: inexperienced tea, yellow tea, white tea, oolong tea, black tea, fermented tea and altered tea.

It might help to study my put up A New Check out Tea Classification so that you just larger understand the phrases used on this put up sooner than persevering with. And eventually, this put up is admittedly nerdy, so I apologize upfront!

In a single simple sentence, inexperienced tea is a sort of tea created from leaves which had been withered, mounted and dried. There’s no controversy surrounding the reality that leaves destined to be inexperienced tea are heated (by the use of a processing step referred to as fixing) and thus aren’t allowed to oxidize. It is this prevention of oxidation defines inexperienced tea. Nonetheless, the amount of withering that occurs sooner than the leaves are mounted has led to a wide range of confusion inside the tea world.

There is a notion that tea leaves destined for inexperienced tea manufacturing are plucked and rushed to the processing facility to be mounted, whereas that’s likely the case when steamed greens are being produced, it isn’t the case for a lot of pan-fired inexperienced teas. Leaves that is perhaps pan-fired bear a particular withering step to rearrange them for extra processing.

Regardless of the style of inexperienced tea being produced, the leaves are allowed to wither and are flaccid as quickly as they attain the pan or the steaming machine. Whether or not or not or not the producer considers withering a processing step or intentionally withers the tea leaves sooner than fixing them is one different matter altogether and the middle of the confusion surrounding withering in inexperienced tea manufacturing.

Yellow tea is printed by a processing step acknowledged in Chinese language language as Males Huang (闷黄). Translated, this suggests xi. All through males huang, small elements of mounted tea leaves are wrapped into bundles each using paper or materials. Whereas wrapped, the leaves slowly change coloration from inexperienced to yellow-green as chlorophylls are broken down, the vegetal flavors contained in the leaves begin to mellow and the leaves partially oxidize.

The issue with yellow tea manufacturing proper this second, is that some yellow tea producers are skipping this defining males huang processing step altogether, principally selling a inexperienced tea as a yellow tea. This comply with is widespread amongst Huoshan Huangya producers in China’s Anhui province.

One different pleasurable yellow tea classification topic arises with a tea from South Korea referred to as “Hwang Cha” which interprets on to Yellow Tea. Appears that this tea is nothing like yellow tea the least bit inside the Chinese language language sense. South Korean Hwang Cha is produced by withering tea leaves, they then bear a males huang course of and are then dried. Because of the scarcity of a fixing step proper right here, oxidation is able to run it’s course all through males huang and the following tea is further of a extraordinarily oxidized oolong or black tea in nature. In South Korea, it is categorised as a balhyocha (발효차), which interprets to “fermented tea” nevertheless truly refers to “oxidized tea.”

Many take into consideration white tea to be unoxidized as a consequence of the reality that raw supplies destined to be white tea doesn’t bear a processing step labeled oxidation. Nonetheless, it is all through an prolonged withering interval, usually lasting a variety of days that the leaves slowly oxidize.

The oxidation that occurs in white tea manufacturing is minimal, however it certainly can not go unmentioned. One different issue that many tea firms get unsuitable when defining white tea is the reality that white tea won’t be on a regular basis made up of buds. Bai Mu Dan, and it’s lower grade variants, Gong Mei and Shou Mei are made up of buds and leaves. White tea manufacturing won’t be solely restricted to China’s Fujian province each, it is now being produced in small parts in Sri Lanka, India, and Nepal.

Wulong refers to semi-oxidized tea. Nevertheless semi-oxidized is a time interval that desires some unpacking. Regardless of the style of wulong being produced, processing begins with withering. From proper right here we experience some variance the place the initiation and administration of oxidation is anxious. Typical half-ball kind oolongs like these from China’s Fujian Province and Taiwan are each shaken or tumbled, a course of commonly known as Yao Qing (摇青) truly, rocking the inexperienced. The aim proper right here is to softly bruise the perimeters of the leaves, initiating oxidation.

Some teas coming out of India and Nepal labeled oolong do not bear this course of, considerably, they’re rolled using an orthodox rolling desk. The wulong nature of these teas comes from the prevention of oxidation, numerous the tactic resembles black tea manufacturing, nevertheless the leaves are dried sooner than reaching an ordinary black tea stage of oxidation resulting in a semi-oxidized tea. Some tea consultants keep that these sorts of tea do not deserve the wulong designation.

Rolling is one different crucial step in producing half-ball style wulongs as in Anxi and Taiwan. Proper right here, the leaves bear an iterative course of referred to as cloth-wrapped kneading the place bundles of leaves are wrapped in materials then kneaded. The wrapped ball of leaves is then broken apart, then re-wrapped and the tactic begins as soon as extra. That’s an iterative course of that is carried out many events.

First Flush Darjeeling teas are moreover a provide of confusion as they’re generally solely flippantly oxidized to exemplify the first harvest of yr. Resulting from their semi-oxidized nature, many tea consultants take into consideration them to be wulong, though they’re usually marketed as black teas. Some even focus on with First Flush Darjeeling tea as flippantly oxidized black tea which the truth is is an oxymoron on account of the defining attribute of black teas is that the leaves are fully-oxidized all through manufacturing.

Thus, with a view to cope with all semi-oxidized teas in a processing chart, I focus on with the initiation of oxidation as “rolled/bruised” and I’ve omitted the cloth-wrapped kneading step on account of whereas that could possibly be a defining attribute of a variety of teas on the style stage, it is not a defining attribute of the wulong kind itself.

Black teas are generally described as completely oxidized teas. To be further appropriate, let’s say principally oxidized as a result of it’s chemically inconceivable to fully oxidize tea leaves with out first grinding them proper into an excellent powder. The important course of for making black tea from current tea leaves is: withering, rolling, oxidation, and drying. The aim of black tea manufacturing is to induce and administration oxidation until the tea leaves receive a prescribed stage of oxidation.

There isn’t lots confusion with such a tea, black tea manufacturing is sort of easy because it’s essentially the most produced tea kind on the earth. Will probably be essential nonetheless, to note that what lots of the world exterior of East Asia refers to as black tea is known to the Chinese language language (and most Asian worldwide areas) as purple tea (红茶, hong cha).

Calling this tea kind black tea is difficult on account of the Chinese language language already have a tea class referred to as Hei Cha (黑茶) which interprets to black/darkish tea.

Calling this tea kind purple tea will also be difficult on account of lots of the western world makes use of the time interval purple tea for African Rooibos, which isn’t tea the least bit nevertheless considerably a tisane from leaves from the Aspalathus linearis bush. That’s pleasurable, correct?

Some confusion may come up when teas that are not close to being completely oxidized are marketed as black teas. In actuality, I was purchased a lightly-oxidized black tea whereas touring in China in 2015.

There are two schools of thought proper right here when encountering these semi-oxidized “black teas,” the first is that if the tea was produced with none kind of Ya Qing (see Wulong above) course of, then it might’t in all probability be considered a wulong, and the tea is oxidized relatively greater than an ordinary wulong, so it must be a black tea! The second faculty of thought would say that the producer’s intention was to create a black tea and the manufacturing strategies resemble black tea manufacturing, so it must be a black tea! There truly won’t be a unsuitable or correct reply proper right here.

Fermentation in tea manufacturing refers again to the breakdown of substances by micro organism, yeasts or totally different microorganisms. Fermented tea, a provide of lots confusion inside the West. I title this class fermented tea on account of it accommodates heicha, puer, and a variety of different fermented Japanese teas. If I’ve been solely referring to fermented teas from China, I’d title this class, heicha. Positive, heicha.

Puer won’t be the “sixth tea class” however I see tea books and classification charts with no level out of heicha in any means. Puer-heads generally shake their fist at me after I say this, nevertheless try the processing steps that I file for the manufacturing of fermented tea: withered, mounted, rolled, fermented. You may uncover the omission of a variety of processing steps usually associated to those sorts of tea, drying, compression, and so forth.

I dramatically simplified the processing chart so that all fermented teas match into it. Drying wanted to go on account of the drying step occurs sooner than fermentation for Shu Puer manufacturing and after fermentation for a lot of Heicha manufacturing. What’s left are processing steps that define fermented tea, all of it.

Let’s talk about Puer, notably Sheng puer, this tea is further like a inexperienced tea in manufacturing, nevertheless the intent (in any case proper this second) is to age this tea which refers to a combination of sluggish oxidation and fermentation over time. In my unscientific opinion, the getting older of sheng puer is further oxidation than fermentation, nevertheless fermentation does occur and as a result of this reality that’s considered a fermented tea.

The technique of fermentation differs from style to style, Shu Puer and Heicha every bear a wo dui / piling step (and some take into consideration Shu Puer to be part of the Heicha class). Sheng’s fermentation happens all through the aforementioned getting older.

Any tea kind above could also be altered. Altered teas focus on with teas that bear further processing steps all through or after main processing sooner than being purchased. This may occasionally focus on with flavoring, scenting, mixing, smoking, getting older, decaffeinating and grinding. The overwhelming majority of teas purchased within the US are altered finally.

This put up is part of a sequence on tea classification, in case you’re new to tea, start with A New Check out Tea Classification. This put up explains the background of and thought that went into A New Check out Tea Classification. Or in case you’re are already well-versed in tea classification, you’ll skip correct to the final word tea processing chart.