Tea 101
What is tea?
All true tea — white, green, oolong, black and pu'erh — comes from the leaves of one plant, Camellia sinensis. What sets them apart is what happens after picking: how long the leaves wither, whether they are heated straight away or left to oxidise, and how they are rolled, dried and aged. Herbal and fruit infusions are made from other plants and are not tea in this sense.
White tea
White tea is the least processed of all teas: young buds and leaves are simply withered and dried, without rolling or firing. Its cup is pale, soft and naturally sweet, with gentle floral notes. Most white tea comes from Fujian province in China. Brew it with water at about 80–85 °C.
Green tea
Green tea is heated soon after picking — pan-fired in China, usually steamed in Japan — which stops the leaves oxidising and keeps their fresh colour and taste: grassy, vegetal or toasty, nutty notes. Most of the world’s green tea is grown in China. Brew it below the boil, at 75–90 °C, for 2–3 minutes; boiling water makes it bitter.
Oolong
Oolong sits between green and black tea: the leaves are bruised and partly oxidised, then rolled or twisted and fired. Lightly oxidised oolongs are floral and creamy, darker ones roasted and fruity. The best known come from Fujian and Taiwan. Brew it with water at 90–95 °C; good oolong gives several infusions from the same leaves.
Black tea
Black tea is fully oxidised, which turns the leaves dark and gives a rich, full-bodied cup. In China it is called red tea (hong cha), after the colour of the liquor. Brew it with water just off the boil, 90–100 °C, for 3–5 minutes.
Pu'erh
Pu'erh comes from Yunnan province in China. It is made from large-leaf tea that is fermented and often aged for years, loose or pressed into cakes. Raw (sheng) pu'erh matures slowly; ripe (shou) pu'erh is fermented faster and tastes earthy and smooth. Rinse the leaves briefly with boiling water, then brew; they can be infused many times.
How much do I need?
TERAN's teas come in 400 g packs. A cup takes 3–5 g of leaves, so one pack makes about 80–130 cups: with a cup a day it lasts three to four months.
Keep an opened pack tightly closed, away from light, moisture and strong smells, and the tea keeps its taste to the last cup.
How to brew the perfect cup
Brewing loose leaf tea at home is easy. Each TERAN tea's page shows how much to use, how hot the water should be and how long to steep it; here is the general idea.
1. Measure your tea
Use 3–5 g of leaves for a cup: more for a stronger cup, less for a lighter one.
2. Heat the water
Green tea likes water below the boil — 80–90 °C for TERAN's teas — so the leaves don't scorch and turn bitter: let the kettle stand for a few minutes after it boils. Oolong, black tea and pu'erh take hotter water.
3. Let it steep
TERAN's green teas are ready in 2–3 minutes; black tea takes 3–5. Pour off all the tea so the leaves don't stew — good leaves can be steeped again.
