There is so many different types of tea and yet they all come from the same plant known as Camellia Sinensis, how the tea leaves are processed determines the type of tea.
The taste of the tea itself on the other hand is different story. It is determined by many factors. Like wine, it is influenced by the environmental conditions of the region in which it is grown, such as climate, soil and altitude. So an Oolong tea from say China will be very different from Oolong tea grown and processed in Japan or Taiwan. Likewise for English tasting black tea that are grown and processed in Sri Lanka will taste different from that of Cameron Highlands tea.
There are four major types of tea:
Black tea: The leaves are allowed to ferment fully before being dried. It has a robust and full-bodied flavour, and goes well with milk. Black tea is also known as Ceylon or English tea. Boh Tea is an example of black tea. Other popular kinds of black tea include Earl Grey, English Breakfast and Darjeeling.
Oolong: The tea is semi-fermented and rolled lightly until it turns red, then dried over a fire. After brewing, the tea is usually light brown-red in colour. It is usually drunk without milk or sugar. Most Chinese teas are Oolong teas. Shui Xian, Pouchong and Alishan are some well-known varieties of Oolong tea.
Green tea: This is unfermented tea which is withered, steamed, and then dried. It retains a distinctive green colour and has a delicate flavour with a slight tang. The most well-known form of green tea is Japanese tea. Gunpowder, Green Pekoe and Sencha are some of the popular varieties.
White tea: White tea comes from tightly rolled buds of tea. It does not go through any fermentation; instead, the leaves are immediately fired or steamed after withering. There is also no rolling involved. Types of white tea include Silver Needle, White Peony and Darjeeling White.
Sourced from www.boh.com.my and www.2basnob.com
Boh Tea Production Process
Here's some interesting information about Boh Tea production process. This will give you a fair idea of how Boh make their perfect savoring cup of tea for your enjoyment. I know, I love tea and nothing like a cup of English tea for a relaxing day!
Harvesting: Tea bushes are harvested approximately every three weeks. The leaves are packed into sacks and sent to the factory for processing.
Withering: The leaves are put in troughs or bins with warm dry air running through them for about 12 to 20 hours. This removes the moisture content from the leaves.
Rolling: This crushes the leaf cells while proccessing leaves into smaller particles. It also exposes the cells to oxygen.
Fermentation: Also known as oxidation, this is the critical stage that determines the flavour, aroma and colour of the tea. Therefore, timing, humidity and temperature have to be carefully controlled. After fermentation, the tea leaves turn copper in colour, and the characteristic aroma of tea develops.
Drying: A blast of hot air is passed through the leaves to stop the fermentation process. This is when the leaves emerge in their familiar, crisp, black, curled form.
Sorting: The off-grades, fibres and stalks are removed by running the tea through several machines. A vibroscreen is used to sort and grade the tea leaves according to size.
Tea tasting: The taster examines each sample of dry tea leaves for colour, texture, amount of twist and evenness of grade. The infused leaves are examined for colour, uniformity and brightness. Next, he tastes the tea for taste, flavour and aroma.
Packaging: The tea leaves are packaged and ready for the market.
Sourced from www.boh.com.my
Harvesting: Tea bushes are harvested approximately every three weeks. The leaves are packed into sacks and sent to the factory for processing.
Withering: The leaves are put in troughs or bins with warm dry air running through them for about 12 to 20 hours. This removes the moisture content from the leaves.
Rolling: This crushes the leaf cells while proccessing leaves into smaller particles. It also exposes the cells to oxygen.
Fermentation: Also known as oxidation, this is the critical stage that determines the flavour, aroma and colour of the tea. Therefore, timing, humidity and temperature have to be carefully controlled. After fermentation, the tea leaves turn copper in colour, and the characteristic aroma of tea develops.
Drying: A blast of hot air is passed through the leaves to stop the fermentation process. This is when the leaves emerge in their familiar, crisp, black, curled form.
Sorting: The off-grades, fibres and stalks are removed by running the tea through several machines. A vibroscreen is used to sort and grade the tea leaves according to size.
Tea tasting: The taster examines each sample of dry tea leaves for colour, texture, amount of twist and evenness of grade. The infused leaves are examined for colour, uniformity and brightness. Next, he tastes the tea for taste, flavour and aroma.
Packaging: The tea leaves are packaged and ready for the market.
Sourced from www.boh.com.my
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