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AMAZING-GREEN-TEA NEWSLETTER

A Monthly Newsletter About Gourmet Teas
Subscribe at https://www.amazing-green-tea.com/green-tea-newsletter.html

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2008 15 July 2008 Issue #15:

WHITE TEA MAKING SECRET REVEALED
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IN THIS ISSUE:

>> White Tea Making Secret Revealed
>> Understanding Green Tea - High grade versus Low grade
>> Ultimate Tea Diet Book Review
>> Tea Forum - Interesting Threads
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Dear,

White tea was an enigma in the West, and since its debut in the late 19th century, it is still an enigma. No other tea is so widely lauded and so thoroughly misunderstood. Drinkers love it, but don't understand it. Experts praise it, but for the wrong reasons. And even scientists have been known to make fundamental errors in their description of white tea.

What's white tea?

The simple answer is processing. But white tea is not unoxidised - it is slightly oxidised. White tea is not the least processed type of tea, that honour belongs to green tea. White tea is not slightly roasted, its is withered.

Yes, withering, that is the missing mantra.

During withering, you don't do anything. The tea leaves lie rested for up to 3 days. Tea contains enzymes, and during withering, these enzymes cause chemical reactions to take place. The skill of the tea maker is to facilitate the right kind of chemical process: i.e. maximise the production of theanine and sugars so that your white tea taste fresh and sweet, and minimise the amount of oxidation.

Are you ready to be initiated into the secret of white tea processing?

White Tea Processing - The Cool Way

Julian Tai

>>Coming Next... Ready to explode another myth about White Tea Caffeine?

>> Feedback: mailto julian@amazing-green-tea.com
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UNDERSTANDING GREEN TEA - HIGH GRADE VERSUS LOW GRADE

Not all teas are created equal. In your journey of tea exploration, you may have realised that loose tea tastes better than tea bags. As you discover more of loose tea, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer varieties out there.

Have you ever asked yourself what's the difference between low and high grade?

I can write a whole book on this topic. But the simple answer is this: high grade tea is made from tea buds and very young leaves.

What's tea bud? They are made of either

- Single bud, or

- One-bud-and-one-leaf, or

- One-bud-and-two-leaves

The trouble is, most people misunderstand what these leaves mean. They need to satisfy two criterions:

- Equal length or only slightly longer than the tea buds

- Pointed and slightly unfurled.

In other words, if you see open, rounded leaves in your cup, they are matured leaves, not young tea shoots.

Why does tea buds matter? Because theanine, EGCG and caffeine content decreases with leaf age i.e. these tender buds and leaves are the most nutritious and flavourful to drink.

Now, you may say you don't like caffeine, you prefer matured leaves. That is fine, but the point is that high grades have higher theanine to caffeine ratio, so they are soothing to drink rather than stimulating.