NATIONAL HOT TEA MONTH 2014

JANUARY is

A hot cup of tea is like medicine for the soul

It can soothe or energize, enhance your health

and especially during the chilly winter days/nights of January,

warm you up -- morning, noon or night.

Her are a few suggestions for honoring National Hot Tea Month:

<  Be bold and try a new flavor of tea to expand your taste buds.

<  Take a break from your daily routine and treat yourself to afternoon tea by visiting a new tea room.  Even better, invite someone to share the experience.

<  Throw a tea party and share your love of tea.

<  Take inventory of your tea selections, teacups, teapots and accessories. 

Browse a tea shop and find some nice addition to your collection.

<  Make a dish that calls for tea as one of the ingredients.

<  Check on tea events for the month or sign up for a tea class before the year is over.

Enjoy a cup, or a pot of hot tea any time you need a little lift, whether it's Hot Tea Month or not.

 

BREWING TIMES FOR TEAS

There are over 3,000 varieties of tea but they all come from one plant -- the Camellia Sinensis, an evergreen bush with dark leathery leaves.  There are hybrids of this plant and the flavors vary according to soil, altitude and climate. 

How the leaves are processed / fermented decides the type of tea.    

Here is a list of the most common varieties with basic process, flavor and brewing information.

BLACK:  fully fermented and dried -- rich, full-bodied; 
brew at a rolling boil 3-5 minutes

OOLONG:  semi-fermented -- flowery scent, subtle flavor between black and green;
brew at 190 degrees, 1 - 8 minutes

GREEN:  unfermented, steamed, rolled, dried -- grassy, mellow flavor
brew at 160 degrees, 1 - 3 minutes

WHITE:  least processed, made from silver buds and selected leaves that are steamed and dried -- light, delicate, slightly sweet
brew at 180 degrees, 4 - 8 minutes

YELLOW:  rare, produced only in China, fermented but not completely oxidized, slow drying phase -- subtle, fresh taste, light and mild

brew 180 degrees, 1 - 2 minutes

OTHER TEA VARIETIES INCLUDE:

BLENDED TEAS:  a mixed variety of tea

FLAVORED TEAS:  tea mixed with fruit, spice, flowers, smoke or a combination of them. 

brewing both blended and flavored varies according to type of tea used.

HERBAL (Tisane):  made with herbs, flowers, fruit, roots, berries, bark or leaves from plants other than the Camellias Sinensis.  It is not a true tea.

brew at a rolling boil, 5 - 8 minutes

RED (Rooibus):  a South African herbal tea -- sweet, slightly nutty flavor

brew at a rolling boil, 3 - 5 minutes