In General:
- White Tea is unoxidized tea; simply steamed and dried.
- Green Tea is unoxidized tea; often withered, rolled or shaped, and soon dried.
- Oolong Tea is semi-oxidized tea; withered, shaken or rolled (never broken), allowed to partially oxidize, and dried.
- Black Tea is fully oxidized tea; withered, broken or rolled, allowed to fully oxidize, and dried.
- Puerh Tea is truly fermented, full-leaf tea, taking many years to process. Puerh is the only tea which can improve with aging.
Tea comes from a beautiful evergreen plant commonly known as “camellia sinensis”. One of nature’s greatest treasures, tea was discovered more than 4,000 years ago in China. Enjoyed for millennium for it’s pleasurable taste and remarkable health benefits, tea holds a very long and colorful place in world history. Today, tea is cultivated in numerous countries worldwide and is the world’s most popular beverage! (second only to water).
Tea is truly an art, as well as a science. From fresh leaf to your cup, the processing of tea is as complex as wine. A crop, like wine, the type of tea crafted is defined by it’s “terroir” (i.e, soil, climate, elevation and season) and the type of processing techniques. The five basic tea types reflect different types of processing techniques, not different plants, because all tea comes from same plant, “camellia sinensis”. After the basic tea types are crafted, they may be scented, flavored and/or blended into a nearly unlimited number of final varieties.
Teas grown and processed in healthy regions, bring good health to all of us. Wild Sage sources only the finest quality “orthodox” teas - meaning hand-plucked the traditional way from tea gardens; not sourced from large, agricultural farms; and certified organic teas, wherever possible. Since it takes more than 20,000 hand-plucked leaves to make just one kilo of fine tea (2.2 pounds), hand-plucking tea remains, as it has for many centuries, truly a “labor of love”.
Brewing tea is a simple art that requires attention to three important variables:
Quantity, Temperature and Time.
Quantity:
Use 1+ rounded teaspoon per 8 ounce cup, slightly less if dense and tightly rolled, and slightly more if very fluffy and leafy.
Brewing Tips: Temperature and Time:
- Green & White Tea brew best with less than boiling water, cooled to between 170-190 degrees, steep for 2-5 minutes.
- Black Tea & Puerh brew best with just boiled water, steep 3-5 minutes, or very slightly longer, if desired.
- Oolongs depend on whether they are green or dark. In general, use less than boiling, if it’s very “green” and a loose, open leaf; use boiling water, if it’s more “dark” and very tightly rolled. Oolongs and Puerh are both full-leaf teas that resteep well for multiple infusions!
