Tea is the second most popular drink in the world after ordinary water. There are many types and varieties of tea, some of which most people are not even aware of.
Black and green tea
First of all, it is necessary to clarify that all types of tea are made from the same plant - the tea tree. The differences lie in which parts of the plant are used to make tea and the way the leaves are harvested. The most popular and customary tea in Europe and Russia is black tea. It is made from fully fermented (oxidized) tea tree leaves. After collecting, the sheets are subjected to a number of procedures: dried, curled, oxidized and dried. There are several types of black tea: long tea, granulated, powdered and pressed - depending on the quality of the raw materials. Green tea is all the same tea tree leaves, but unlike black tea, which ferments for several weeks, the oxidation of green tea after one or two days is forcibly stopped by heating. The result is a drink with a light herbal flavor that tastes less harsh than black tea and does not taste bitter. It can also be baikhov, powder, tiled.
According to legend, the tea tree grew out of the century of the founder of Chan Buddhism, Bodhidharma, who fell asleep during meditation and, angry with himself, cut off his eyelids. A tea bush grew in this place, a decoction from which helped fight sleep.
Other types of tea
As for the other types of tea (white, yellow, red, blue, pu-erh tea), the difference between them is, basically, all in the same oxidation state, as well as some technological points. White tea consists of tea buds and leaves that have undergone minimal processing: drying and drying. However, it manages to ferment more strongly than green tea, so the drink turns out to be darker. Yellow tea is considered an elite species, since the process of its production is rather complicated: the collected tea buds “languish” for several days in closed containers, while the fermentation process must be carefully monitored. The result is a drink with a bright smoked flavor that is characteristic only of this type of tea. Blue and red teas are almost the same in the way they are made.
In Europe, tea has long been used exclusively as a medicine. In particular, King Louis XIV of France took it to treat gout.
They are highly fermented tea leaves that, after oxidation, are kneaded for a long time to obtain a strong and tart aroma with a slight nutty flavor. Puerh is a tea, the fermentation process of which lasts up to several years (elite varieties of puerh are aged for up to 30 years). Raw materials for it are taken mainly from old trees, after which they are brought to the state of green tea and sent to "aging" - natural aging. This tea can be brewed up to seven times, it has a powerful tonic effect and original taste.
