Tea leaf: how it is classified and why it is rolled

Tea leaf: how it is classified and why it is rolled

Tea tree leaves are fermented after harvest. Connoisseurs are aware of many nuances of this amazing process, and it is useful for all tea drinkers to know: the special taste and aroma of the tea leaves depend on the stage of leaf growth and the processing methods of raw materials. Acquaintance with the classification helps you to choose and buy tea of ​​exactly the type that will suit your personal preferences.

From tips to broken sheet

Buds that have not yet blossomed leaves are tips. They are very expensive and are used for white and yellow as well as black tea. "Silver Tips" stands for luxury white tea tips, "Golden Tips" stands for black. Differences in the methods of fermentation give either "silver" or "gold" tips-tips. The drink does not go on the mass market with the T or GT marking.

But it is quite possible to buy tea with a certain content of tips of high quality (with the designation FTGFOP, TGFOP or FBOP). Let's clarify how to decipher abbreviations and understand what they are talking about. Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe - with a large number of upper buds, Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe - with a sufficient number, FBOP - with negligible. Darjeeling FTGFOP1 is not cheap at all, but still affordable. The name "baikhovy", which now means loose tea, originally referred to "tips" tea.

The Big Leaf designation appears on packages of good quality goods, but obviously it only speaks of the shape of the leaf. Likewise, Broke is not a definition of the type of tea: the appearance of small tea leaves exists in products of different merit. It matters which leaf was "broken" - the first with tips, the second or the third (rough plus the tender part of the branch). So "Broken Flowery Tippy Orange Pekoe" - contains tips, but "Broken Pekoe Sushong", on the contrary, is not so high-quality in its composition. Broken varieties include more than ten types of loose black tea.

In addition to the designations Tips, Tippy and Broken, it is worth deciding on the terms that are important for classification: "flash" - new shoots with tips and two upper leaves; "Flowery" - half-opened buds; Orange - young leaves, Pekoe - small leaves. Orange and Pekoe leaves are curled. But the term "Sushong" indicates that the tea has rough lower leaves. It is clear that the combination of the letters OP, FP, FOP, PS is the designation of tea varieties: by the presence of certain parts of the plant in them.

Tea dust vs twisted leaf

There is, of course, a specially crushed leaf, but, as a rule, “Dust” is used in disposable bags - a crumble of tea (including high-quality) left after production manipulations. In the process of processing, residues appear, which also go into business. Additional letters in the marking will indicate the quality of the “D” tea (O, P are Orange and Pekoe).

Of course, it's not a bad idea to buy tea bags to quickly brew it on busy working days. But real classic tea drinking (be it Chinese or European) requires high-quality brewing. Strong infused black or multi-spilled Chinese (green, white) are especially good if professionally rolled sheet is used. It should be noted here that the classification of green tea in China has a different marking: it has its own subtleties for informing about the size of the leaf, the time of harvest, the variety, etc. And even agrotechnical information can be reflected on the packaging.

Why the sheet is rolled

The centuries-old traditions of making tea in China have shown that the fermentation process is inseparable from the rolling of the leaf, once it was traditionally made only by hand. Deformation of plant cells is necessary because it triggers biochemical reactions. The juice on the surface of the leaf improves the taste and aroma of the product. Nowadays, hand twisting is labeled as "classic" or "orthodox".

Modern rollers mechanize this stage of production, but the purpose of the processing is the same - the cell sap on the leaf surface is exposed to air. It is interesting that such devices make it possible to separate fractions of a rolled sheet. One more task is being solved: sorting of raw materials according to size and tenderness.

The golden color of the tips is obtained due to the sap settling on the villi after rolling. The twisting time of the most delicate buds is less than half an hour, so as not to spoil such a valuable product. Each type of raw material has a certain twisting period. It depends on many components, including how the leaf was dried before further processing.

Leaf aesthetics

The culture of tea drinking in China provides for the additional pleasure of contemplating a tea leaf unfolding in water. In glassware, this process looks as effective as possible; and in white porcelain gaiwan (brewing bowl) it looks beautiful. The skill of "twisting" the leaves (especially hand-twisting) gives interesting options in the form. These are peas and loose balls; spirals, rings, "petaland "and the spindle; "Tail-shaped" and needle-shaped plates. The mention of “pearls” or “gunpowder” on the pack is evidence of the unique curling of the leaf.

Despite the fact that the leaf, slowly and gracefully opening, is good in itself, especially exquisite forms for brewing have been invented. The fermented leaves (sometimes tips) and flowers are used to create delightful compositions: such tea balls are called "tied".

To get detailed information about a new product for yourself and not be faced with counterfeit "products", it is best to buy tea in a specialized store. "Coffeeynya" coffeeynya.ua offers excellent varieties of loose tea: green and black. With us, you can expand your ideas about the rich world of this ancient drink, the benefits of its various types and the abundance of varieties. Stay tuned for new arrivals!