Tea is that delicious drink that we can take at any time of the day, hot or cold, alone at home or to accompany a good chat with friends; it also offers us different flavors, aromas and presentations, as there are several types of tea and blends of tea. there are several types of tea and mixtures of them to never get tired of drinking it.
The most popular are black tea or green tea, but there are many varieties of tea with multiple benefits and properties. That is why we we will show you the 5 main types of tea that exist.essential to understand the large number of mixtures that you can prepare when drinking tea.
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What is tea
Tea is a traditional beverage with a lot of history in its wayIt was very popular in Asian cultures or by the English at the time (hence there is even a kind of tea called English tea). Today, it is more present than ever in our lives. In fact, tea is the second most drunk beverage after water.
It is a beverage made from the leaves of the tea tree, more specifically from the Camellia sinensis plant, a shrub native to Southeast Asia.
The leaves, regardless of the type of tea they are, are characterized by their contribution of stimulants such as caffeine and theine, as well as antioxidants such as cysteine.and antioxidants such as catechin and isoflavones. These leaves are simply infused and the tea is ready to drink after a few minutes.
The origin of tea as a beverage
As we told you, the tea plant is native to East and South Asia.. Those who have studied the origins and trajectory of tea consider that it began to be drunk in the second millennium B.C. in China during the Shang dynasty, but its consumption was limited to the medicinal use of the plant. Some time later it began to be taken as a stimulant drink and later became part of people’s lifestyle.
Many years later tea arrived in Europe, more specifically in the 16th century, thanks to the trade routes of the time between Portugal and China. At this time it became popular especially in the United Kingdom, which made them start to cultivate the plant and produce tea in one of their colonies, India, to stop depending on the Chinese supply.
Today, both China and the United Kingdom are the main producers of different types of tea. the main producers of the different types of tea.
How tea is produced
The different types of tea go through a similar production process that consists of 5 stages. It starts with the harvesting of the tea leaves which are removed from the plant to wither, which is the second phase. When they are withered, the leaves are shaped by rolling them and when they are ready, they are left in the air to oxidize. Finally we let the leaves dry and that’s it.
Now, depending on how we intervene in this process and the time we give to each phase, the different varieties of tea arise and depending on each plant the different types of tea arise, of course. The flavor and aroma of tea can vary between intense flavors, bitter, strong colors, fruity flavors, perfumed, soft colors and more subtle flavors.
The 5 types of tea and their properties
The process of globalization has allowed different types of tea to reach us from all over the world in their variety of aromas, colors and flavors. variety of aromas, colors and flavorsand all of them are part of our lifestyle. To such an extent that every time new brands and different blends emerge that can confuse us a little when choosing which tea we want to drink.
The most important thing is to know the 5 types of tea from which blends can be made, so that you can choose the one you like the most, either for its flavor, aroma or properties. Remember that in general, the types of tea vary in their oxidation process.
1. Black tea
Black tea is the classic tea of the English. and is characterized because it has a much longer oxidation process than the other types of tea, hence its intense color, aroma and flavor. You can drink it alone with water or you can add milk and sugar, as in the English tradition. If you let it steep for 3 minutes, your cup of black tea will give you 40 mg of caffeine on average.
There are many varieties of this tea, such as the popular English Breakfast y Earl Grey in all its shades, since fruity blends are very good for it. In any case, this was the most popular tea until a few years ago.After the commercial opening of China and the current green tea boom, we are more familiar with other types of tea on a daily basis.
2. Green tea
Contrary to black tea, this type of tea is achieved with a minimum oxidation of the leaves and it is for this reason that its caffeine level is lower and its color, aroma and flavor much milder. Green tea is still the most popular tea in East Asia, in countries such as China, Japan and Tibet. However, they consume different varieties that are curiously obtained from the way in which they roll the leaves after they are slightly withered.
Green tea has become popular in the West for its weight loss properties. properties to help you lose weightIt is said to have a diuretic effect, because it helps reduce fat deposits in the liver and is also known as one of the best natural antioxidants.
When you prepare this type of tea in any of its varieties, try to heat the water but do not boil, so you will better preserve its flavor and properties.
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3. Red or Pu-erh tea
Another of the types of tea that are obtained from the plant Camellia sinensis and which has a long production process, as it undergoes a fermentation process that can last a fermentation process that can last from a few months to decades.. As with wine, red tea improves with fermentation time and this is why it can be somewhat more expensive at times.
Pu-erh has an intense red color.Some people confuse it with black tea, but keep in mind that black tea is not fermented and this is a fundamental difference. Its flavor is very particular and different from the other types of tea and contains little caffeine.
4. White tea
White tea is a very mild type of tea, with a very subtle but delicious aroma and flavor. Some call it the tea of youth because of its antioxidant content and because it is a young tea. and because it is a young tea. This means that to produce it, the youngest tea leaves are taken, specifically the most tender buds of the first tea leaves, and it is dried very quickly to avoid fermentation.
Its color is quite light and you may even see small hairs in the infusion, which are the fluff of the bud. Being made from young leaves, white tea is another type of tea that can be a bit more expensive than the others.
5. Blue or Oolong tea
Oolong, which translates as black dragon, is a tea that has an oxidation process that is right in the middle between intense black tea and subtle white tea. Its flavor and aroma has very sweet floral and fruity hints, and soft and somewhat marine and soft and somewhat marine when mixed with seaweed.
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