Tealicious Tea Bags or Premium Loose Blend

While a majority of tea lovers use a bag filled with leaves it is not everyone's cup. The advantage of this packaging is that you can carry it everywhere and make an instant cup with the hassle of straining. Though the water still has to be brought to a boil the process nevertheless is much quicker.    

Discovered by accident by an American merchant Thomas Sullivan today's packaging is far more advanced than earlier, with hygiene in place. These square or hexagonal-shaped paper bags are filled with various blends of teas generally less than premium stuff because of cost but nevertheless quality driven.  

A large populace is immersing in these tea bags as a habit inculcated especially when new to the magical brew. They have never tried or want to experience the exciting World of blending the leaves which abound in variants and varieties. 

Does this mean that blending is a mathematical puzzle?

Well yes and know. If you are a master blender employed by a major tea house the art comes easy. If you are a connoisseur the art is easier what with no limitation placed by the company. But for amateurs, it needs a lot of immersion in the World of tea leaves. One has to learn the flavors and what they produce in conjunction. 

This is a full-fledged activity blending teas from all over the World and producing master blends that tingle your tongue and nostril so that you reach the peak of flavor. Believe me, you as a novice can indulge in the passionate world of blending leaves of camilia sinensis. All most all the variants and varieties are available online buy them and say Cheers!

   

Green tea types

One unique characteristic of green tea leaf is that since it undergoes less oxidation and are steamed the leaves retain their herbal freshness, mellow taste and aroma.

Green teas which have gained a lot of popularity all over the World are:

Gun powder

Sencha - Japan

Macha - Japan

Jasmine

Anji

Genmaicha

Darjeeling Green Tea - India

Though green teas have their own characteristic flavor there is a commonality which is basic of all the green tea leaves. While brewing green tea loose leaf is preferred since one has to constantly work to immerse the green tea bags to extract poly phenols rather then let it afloat.

The poly phenol amount increases in the brew if the leaves are steeped for a longer time and the brew does not reach the boiling point during the tea making.

Tea: How to enjoy best

If tea tasting and blending are an art so is the way it is prepared. Tea preparation and serving is something perhaps a regular party giver or tea ceremony holder would hold expertise in. It is a hosts delight to serve this hot brew to his or her esteemed guests.

Tea preparation begins with choosing the leaf. In informal circumstances exquisite tea varieties are not a must since cost matters. Taking the weather into consideration strong, dark tea with astringent flavor suits the best, where as in hot weather brew with subtle aroma and sweet taste is more befitting. In the case of former black leaf should be used where as in the case of latter green leaf is apt.

When serving tea in informal occasions, porcelain cups and saucers should be used. The cups brimming with hot beverage should be served on a plain tray along with biscuits and other light snacks.

In case of formal occasions as tea parties and ceremonies, the finest variety of leaf with strong aroma and subtle muscatel taste should be used. A fine example is Darjeeling black and green tea leaf. Premium variety of Assam black leaf also befits the occasion.

The recipe should always be plain and simple with or without milk. Spices and condiments should never be added as they spoil the original flavor of the tea leaf. The connoisseurs would prefer the drink this way.

Special care should be taken whence preparing the brew. The water should be boiled and then allowed to simmer. The leaves should be added during this phase and should be allowed to soak in for some time. As soon as the strong aroma of the leaves starts to emanate from the steaming brew the mixture should be strained.

This recipe gives fine tasting black tea brew. If milk has to be added then it should be done whence serving.

Whence serving exquisitely designed bone china or silver cups and saucers should be used along with kettles of same quality that hold the black leaf and milk. Specially designed containers should be used to hold sugar cubes. The black tea should be gently poured into the cups. Milk should be poured too for those who wish to have it that way. Along with tea, light sandwiches, snacks and biscuits find good accompaniments.

Green Tea Recipe

If you add milk and sugar to a green tea recipe you are making tea the India way. Indians almost always drink organic green tea with milk and sugar. Some add cinnamon, cardamom and often ginger shreds. These are the three most popular extracts that tea lovers in India add to tea recipe.

Tea is an inseparable part of food consumption in Indian families and the above recipe is standard household way of consuming chai tea. But there are families who are specialist tea drinkers and they have evolved tea recipes of their own of which you come know only when you visit their homes. I have had experience of drinking tea in one home the taste of which I admired like anything. Only secret that I could extract of them was that they had added cinnamon powder in the tea brew. But I knew there were much more masalas in the tea that I was relishing sip after sip.

Black tea without milk may be consumed in some remote inaccessible cold regions of Indian sub continent. In spite of the basic habit of tea drinking in India. There are subtle nuances in the tea flavor depending upon tea blend and variations in taste of milk and even sugar. Hence tea in India is as diverse as India itself is. And for each family that comes up with its own unique recipe one should respect and regard their ingenuity and asking for their recipe is inappropriate, until unless they reveal it to you.

Just learn to sip that wonderful liqueur man!