Friday Knows Tea

"Yes, I'd like two ounces of the Darjeeling...sfff...tug..fop?" We hear your attempts at pronouncing this alphanumeric stew every day at the tea house, and who can blame you? When an estate or region name is followed by a gibberish string of letters and numbers and you have no idea what they mean but remember your grandmother pouring you delicious steaming cups of fine Indian black tea and just want to recreate the experience for some nostalgia and comfort, dang it? Worry not, my dear. I've got you covered. Let's talk tea grades! The mysterious collection of letters and numbers on your Indian and Sri Lankan tea labels is a code and I am here to help you crack it. This is a simple leaf grading system created by our brilliant and hard working South Asian tea appraisers, and understanding what each letter means can give you a hint as to what flavor you are about to enjoy! First things first: the more letters, the higher the grade. If you like a full-bodied, astringen...

The shiny cut jewel that is the tea industry has many many beautiful facets. We see plants as art and have hearts open to the new and unusual. Science and innovation intrigue us and a connection to the earth drives us. We are in a line of passion that naturally lends itself to compassion and hospitality. Overall, tea people are wonderful!  Unfortunately, there are also flaws in the jewel of our community, the most glaring of which is a tendency toward gatekeeping. The art of tea can be intimidating to new explorers, and many shy friendlies have come into our shop sheepishly admitting that they are "bad tea drinkers" or apologizing for not already knowing everything about every way that every tea has ever been brewed. Please allow me to assure you first and foremost: If you enjoy your tea, you are doing it right. That being said, allow me to impart what I hope will be valuable guiding points to begin your tea journey. I'll outline here the baby basics (and throw in a few p...

When it comes to tea, there's a whole world of information floating around out there. Agriculture is a complicated realm and tea in particular has been spread, traded, cultivated, spliced and specialized into about a million versions of its original self. With thousands of years of culture and evolution, information about tea can feel like a game of telephone. Here are ten of the most common misconceptions we've encountered over the years, and the real facts behind the myths. 10. "Tea doesn't go bad." While your tea leaves should certainly not be going moldy on you (unless you're rocking that post-fermented tea life), they will absolutely go stale and lose flavor. The more light and air hits your tea, the faster it will stale out. The average bag o' loose leaf will last you about 6 months before it's noticeably degraded. Much longer if you can keep it in the dark and airtight! 9. "Drinking tea makes you lose weight." Lo siento, ...

When you think of a shot of caffeine, that morning jolt, that buzz in the veins, what association do you make? Espresso? Matcha? Tea, Earl Grey, hot? Probably not holly! It’s true through, the holly family has produced some super tasty rocket fuel level caffeine. We’re talking specifically  ilex  paraguariensis, ilex guayusa and ilex vomitoria, each native to one of the Americas. Each of these holly varietals offer up about 90 milligrams of caffeine per cup, about on par with drip coffee! These plants rank among only a tiny handful of indigenous caffeinated plants in the Americas, and have each played an important cultural role in their native growing regions’ histories. Let’s learn a thing! Yerba Mate (South America) For sure the most well-known of the imbibable holly trio, Yerba Mate ( eeAIR-bah MAH-tay )   is a mainstream staple in South America. The leaf of the plant is cut and dried, then brewed like tea and enjoyed socially. It's most popularly enj...

When teaching classes, speaking on panels, or even just in casual conversation, two of the most common questions I've been asked are: What is oxidation?  What does fermentation mean in regards to tea?   Tea terminology can be confusing to those who work outside the industry or are just getting their start. We tea workers have our own language for sure! When it comes to oxidation vs. fermentation, things can get especially murky. We hit a translation barrier when working with Chinese tea especially, as it's pretty standard for the terms to be used interchangeably in that region. Generally speaking, however, oxidation and fermentation refer to two completely different processes. Let’s break it down (ha ha cellular biology joke). Oxidation is the process of oxygen getting into the cells and  primary factor that distinguishes between the six true types of tea: white, yellow, green, oolong, black and post-fermented. You know how an apple turns brown when you bite in...