A Little Tea-Learning To Stir The Mind

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Do you know your leaves from your roots; your Ayurvedic; and Chinese from your Kenyan? It's about to all be cleared up. We've plucked terminology from the annals of history …

A is for … 

AGONY OF THE   LEAVES

Meaning: unfurling of tea leaves while brewing the perfect cup of   tea. 

AYURVEDIC

Meaning: Ayurveda comes from   two Indian words: ayur, meaning   life and veda, meaning knowledge or science. Ayurvedic herbs enhance health and wellbeing, increases longevity and   ultimately brings fulfilment of one’s own potential.

B is for …

BAKY 

Meaning: Almost burnt; a bad taste caused by   firing the leaf at too high a temperature

BLACK

Meaning: Black tea is green   tea that has been oxidised through the fermentation process and globally is the most common tea.

BLEND

Meaning: A tea, which is not a single variety but rather mixtures of different   teas. Blending creates distinctive flavours.  

BODY

Meaning: The texture and strength of the tea in the mouth 

BOTANY 

Meaning: The study of the biology of plants. It’s vital   that when we chose a herb for a specific purpose that the herb is the right one.

C is for   

CHARACTER 

Meaning: There are many varieties of herbs, each   with distinct characteristics; scent, look, taste etc.

D is for …

DUST

Meaning: The small particles left over when the leaves are sorted and crushed. 

E is for …

EARTHY

Meaning: Herbs that have a natural woody, grassy, soil-like smell. May also refer to the smell caused by storage of   tea in damp conditions.

F is for …

FINISH

Meaning: The impression left on your tongue after   drinking.

FLAT

Meaning:   Not   fresh/old. Tea tends to lose its features and taste with age, unlike those wines,   which get better with age.

G is for …

GRASSY

Meaning: Tastes and/or smells like fresh cut grass and is   sometimes citrusy. 

GREEN TEA

Meaning: Unfermented tea, which has a green or yellow colour once   brewed.

H is for …

HEAVY

Meaning: A thick strong tea.

HERBAL TEA

Meaning: A tea not made from the tea plant, but from herbs,   berries, roots and flowers. Herbal teas are tisanes rather than camellia   sinensis. Herbal teas such as those sold by us, have medicinal effects.

I is for …

Infusion

Meaning: A blend or tisane (see above)

K is for …

Kenya

Meaning: An African country which produces some of the best teas   globally, owing to its rich, fertile soil, which produces a deep amber tea.

L is for …

Liquor

Meaning: The brewed tea.

N is for …

Nose

Meaning: The aroma of the tea.

O is for …

Oxidation

Meaning: The process of   heating that changes the leaf to oolong or black tea. Green tea is barely   oxidised; delicate white tea is not oxidised at all.

P is for …

Plucking

Meaning: Harvesting of the tea.

T is for …

Tea

Meaning: The drink that comes from brewing the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant.