All by means of historic previous, tea has been categorized some methods: by the color of the finished leaves, by the color of the tea liquor, and by the proportion of oxidation the tea leaves have gone via all through processing. The aim of categorizing tea is to provide a clear foundation for coaching by lumping collectively teas with comparable qualities. Each of the above classification methods fall in want of providing a way of classification by which all tea varieties could also be categorized. Classifying teas by the processing methods that created them however, permits us to realize this function as tea varieties can merely be lumped collectively by similarities in processing.
The aim of tea classification is to provide a clear foundation for coaching and evaluation by grouping collectively teas with comparable qualities. All by means of historic previous, tea has been categorized some methods, along with:
- Classification by the color of the finished tea leaves
- Classification by the color of the tea liquor
- Classification by the proportion of oxidation the tea leaves have gone via all through processing
Each of these methods fall in want of providing a way by which all teas could also be categorized. It is greater to classify teas by the processing methods that created them; virtually all teas can merely be lumped collectively by similarities throughout the processing steps they bear. The tea classification chart below represents the minimal stage of processing a tea ought to bear to be considered an archetype of a selected tea class.
New tea varieties typically come up that threaten tea courses, and at situations, variations between tea processing steps should be seen as further of a continuum fairly than distinct steps. Nonetheless, you have to to learn the way these steps affect the tip results of a tea and the creation of a number of varieties of tea.
On account of virtually all tea processing methods in use for the time being are derived from Chinese language language methods, it’s sensible to start out our study of classification in China. Most Chinese language language tea specialists acknowledge the subsequent six tea kinds:
- Inexperienced Tea (绿茶, lǜ chá)
- Yellow Tea (黄茶, huáng chá)
- White Tea (白茶, bái chá)
- Wulong Tea (乌龙茶, wū lóng chá)
- Crimson Tea (红茶, hóng chá)
- Darkish Tea (黑茶, hēi chá)
There are two major variations when evaluating the Chinese language language classification to most Western classification applications. You’ll not pay attention to the phrases purple tea and darkish tea.
Crimson tea is the interpretation of the Mandarin hong cha (红茶, hóng chá) which refers to what most Westerners title black tea. The Chinese language language named this tea after the reddish color of the tea’s liquor, whereas the Western world derives their determine for this tea from the usual black color of the finished tea’s leaves. Calling this tea class black tea is sophisticated when dealing with Chinese language language tea leaves, because of the Chinese language language already have a tea class referred to as hei cha (黑茶, hēi chá) that interprets to black or darkish tea.
Darkish tea refers to a category of fermented teas, as soon as extra named after the color of the tea’s liquor. Darkish teas could also be very darkish, virtually black. The darkish tea class consists of Puer (普洱, pŭĕr) along with many alternative fermented teas.
To steer clear of confusion for a Western viewers, I seek the advice of with hong cha as black tea and hei cha as fermented tea.
Proper right here, I’ve expanded upon the traditional Chinese language language classification applications to encapsulate virtually all teas irrespective of origin. Due to this fact, from up to date Camellia sinensis leaves, it is doable to derive seven forms of tea by the use of processing. These broad courses lump collectively forms of tea that share comparable processing methods and consequently, comparable final merchandise. Inside the chart above, six major tea courses are represented: inexperienced tea, yellow tea, white tea, wulong tea, black tea, and fermented tea. Nevertheless each of these six tea kinds could also be altered by flavoring, scenting, mixing, grinding, roasting, rising older, decaffeination, and so forth. These altered teas comprise a seventh class we’ll seek the advice of with as Altered Tea.
We now know that there are six major tea kinds and a seventh class referred to as Altered Tea, nonetheless this does not make clear why there are so many kinds of tea within the market for the time being (rather more than seven!). These kinds of tea we’ll title varieties. Inside each tea type class, there could also be an entire lot if not 1000’s of tea varieties. What makes them distinctive are the:
- Variations in processing steps they’ve undergone
- The exact cultivar of the tea plant used
- Terroir (soil, native climate, altitude, latitude)
The reality is, some tea varieties are often not considered to be real besides they’re made using very specific processing steps from a selected cultivar grown in a selected terroir. Let’s uncover the differentiating components that make up a tea mannequin in further factor.
Variations in Processing
Variations in processing (like steaming instead of pan firing for fixing, final share of oxidation, or completely totally different shaping methods) can dramatically affect the tip results of a tea, which is why certain variations may make up loads of the definition of a tea mannequin. Some tea varieties are named after the shape or color of the finished leaves, and some are named after the color or fashion of the liquor. All of these components are related to variations throughout the processing methods used to create them.
Cultivar
Whereas we’re capable of technically create any type or mannequin of tea from any cultivar of Camellia sinensis, the tip outcome won’t be fascinating or real. Many cultivars have been bred significantly for certain rising areas to be processed into a selected mannequin of tea.
Some tea varieties are even outlined solely by their cultivar; on this case there’s sometimes a mother plant that has been cloned for industrial manufacturing. China’s Tie Guan Yin and Tie Luo Han are two examples of these from the wulong class.
Terroir
Terroir, usually Goût de terroir, truly “fashion of the earth” is a French time interval used to clarify the fashion imparted by the soil, native climate, altitude, and latitude of a particular rising space. Some tea varieties are named after the place throughout which they’re grown, and others are solely considered real if grown in a selected space.
Variants
Tea variants come into play when discussing variations in a tea mannequin. The phrase significantly refers to variations in husbandry practices, harvesting methods and processing methods. Variations sometimes define the excellence between typical tea manufacturing and industrial tea manufacturing. It is extremely vital phrase that for virtually every tea mannequin, there is also variations hand-made by artisans along with variations mass produced by a producing unit within the market. This brings up the issue of top of the range. Let’s take a look on the variations in husbandry, harvesting, processing and terroir from a typical versus industrial view:
Typical |
Enterprise |
|
|---|---|---|
| Husbandry | Presumably wild or planted from seed. No Chemical substances, not always in neat rows. | Pruned sometimes, planted from cuttings. Use of chemical compounds, planted in neat rows. |
| Harvesting | By hand. | Mechanical methods. |
| Processing | Bigger care on the entire. Usually smaller batches. A lot much less reliance on machines. | Larger batches, most likely a lot much less consideration and care given all through processing. Full reliance on tools. |
| Withering | Open air; usually indoors beneath tarps. | Indoors in withering troughs with pressured air. |
| Fixing | By hand in a pan over fireside. | In a heated tumbler. |
| Rolling | By hand. | Mechanical methods. |
| Drying | Pan or basket-fired. | In an oven. |
Variations in terroir moreover exist. For every tea mannequin outlined by its origin, there is also a variety of variations of the similar tea mannequin made in a neighboring space. In tea circles, the question of authenticity sometimes comes up regarding these areas. What makes a tea real? Is Puer from Guangdong Puer? Is Prolonged Jing from Sichuan Prolonged Jing? There truly are no absolutes close to tea varieties and variations; these phrases are merely devices that we use when describing and evaluating accomplished teas.
This submit is part of a sequence on tea classification. If you wish to greater understand the pondering behind the development of this methodology to tea classification, you will need to be taught Nuances of Tea Classification. Or in case you’re are already well-versed in tea classification, you probably can skip correct to the last word tea processing chart.