The most delicious tea for true connoisseurs

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

There are so many different types of tea on the shelves of stores today that it is easy to get confused by their abundance. In order not to make a mistake with the choice and buy a truly tasty and aromatic tea, you should always carefully read the information on the package.

There are only four criteria by which one can judge the quality of a drink. The discrepancy between at least one of them can affect the taste of the tea, and, therefore, the pleasure of the whole tea drinking.

Place of growth

Tea bushes are very sensitive to growing conditions. Although with a strong desire they can be grown even at home on the windowsill, tea acquires the correct taste only where there is a lot of heat, light, moisture and clean air. Teas grown in the highlands and on volcanic soils are distinguished by a special delicate aroma. Countries located near the equator have such a climate. The farther north the plantation is, the poorer the quality of the tea itself, and the poorer its harvest.

If the packaging indicates that the tea was harvested in China, Kenya, Indonesia, Tanzania or Sri Lanka, this is a good sign. This tea passes the first selection criterion among connoisseurs.

Collection method

When collecting tea, only 2-3 upper young leaves on a branch and buds are picked. Throughout the history of the production of this drink, a large number of technologies for collecting tea have been invented that could fulfill this seemingly simple task.

However, any mechanical device copes with this much worse than dexterous human hands.

Dry parts of the plant and branches often get into the machines along with the desired leaves. This negatively affects the quality of the drink. Manual labor is more expensive for producers, but tea harvested by hand is considered to be of the highest quality.

Tea leaf processing

After the tea is harvested, it must be dried. This makes the leaves more pliable for further curling, which is necessary for the tea leaves to give juice. It becomes a natural oxidizing agent at the next stage of production - fermentation. Here the leaves acquire the desired flavor and color for brewing. The only difference between black and green tea is that the latter is not fermented. The tea leaves also need to be dried. Drying takes place at strict temperatures, which also affects the quality of the tea.

After all these manipulations, the tea leaves can be sent for cutting. Chopped and shredded leaves brew faster, which is why these teas are often packaged in tea bags.

The special taste of tea

When choosing a good tea, you should pay attention to its composition. It should not contain artificial flavors and impurities of cheaper teas. Tea blends like English Breakfast should only be harvested from high quality black Ceylon and Kenyan teas.

Into tea Earl gray only natural flavoring - orange bergamot oil can be added. In quality green tea varieties Gunpowderthat has a characteristic smoky aftertaste, there should be no flavors at all.

For the production of this tea, larger leaves are used, which gives the tea that special smell. Tea blends with fruit and herbal aromas should contain fruit pieces and herbal leaves, not chemical imitations. Naturalness is the main criterion for quality tea blends.

Where to look for quality tea

You can find good tea not only in specialized stores, but also in regular supermarkets. Back in 1890, Sir Thomas Lipton set two goals for his company: tea should be affordable and of good quality.

The Sir Thomas Lipton collection of elite tea was created for true connoisseurs of this drink. This tea is handpicked, containing only the best leaves of the famous plantations of Indonesia, Kenya and Sri Lanka.

All noble tea blends are collected in the traditions of Sir Thomas Lipton himself, whose admirers were the English royal family. Lovers of black tea will appreciate the Sir Thomas Lipton Fine Ceylon large-leaf collection with a particularly mild aroma and refreshing taste, with delicate floral notes. Sir Thomas Lipton Delicate Gunpowder green tea will surprise you with notes of smoke.

The famous blend Sir Thomas Lipton Earl Gray Finesse will give the drink a refreshing citrus aroma. And you can learn the taste of the purest tea in the world by trying Sir Thomas Lipton Kenyan Estate black tea.

Choosing a good tea is easy. To do this, it is enough to know four indicators of its quality: tea must be grown on plantations with a suitable climate, harvested by hand, processed in compliance with the necessary requirements, and it must not contain artificial additives. And then every drop of really delicious tea will bring you real pleasure and benefit.