w-TEA-f?!

On cold night's like this, tea really hits the spot. My current favorite is green tea with barley. It has a nice toasty flavor to it.

With so many varieties...what is what??

Most tea is from the Camilla sinensis plant and depends on how it's processed. As soon as the tea leaf is picked, it begins to wilt and oxidize (ferment). Drying the tea leaves stops this process. The longer the oxidation the more robust the flavor. However fresh leaves (ie unoxidized leaves) have higher levels of some phytochemicals, especially antioxidants...this applies to white, yellow and green. All these teas derived from the C. sinensis plant contain caffeine. Here are the different varieties from youngest to oldest.

• White: Wilted and unoxidized
• Yellow: Unwilted and unoxidized, but allowed to yellow
• Green: Unwilted and unoxidized
• Oolong: Wilted, bruised, and partially oxidized
• Black: Wilted, sometimes crushed, and fully oxidized
• Post-fermented: Green tea that has been allowed to ferment/compost

Now I've never heard of yellow tea, but read that it is allowed to dry slower than green, which causes the leaves to yellow. Sometimes the smell can be mistaken for black tea, but the taste is in between white and green. Post-fermented tea are aged in open air for additional months to years, with the most common variety being Pu'er.

You also have other varieties such as:

• Rooibos: African for "Red Bush". Commonly called South Africa red tea. High in antioxidants and no caffeine.
• Chai: Black tea (therefore caffeinated) of Indian origin with spices. Can be sweetened with sugar and mixed with milk/cream.
• Herbal: No caffeine. Varieties include ginger and chamomile.

Now every tea has an optimal brewing temperature and time. This is to ensure the flavors properly develop without becoming bitter. General rule of thumb is that the younger the tea, the lower water temperature to avoid destroying their delicate flavors. Older teas such as Oolong and Black can withstand higher temperatures which will also allow more complex flavors to be extracted. Steeping time and how many times you can infuse your tea leaves will vary as well.

Here's a general guideline:

Type	Water Temp	Steep Time	# of Infusions
White Tea	65 to 70 °C (149 to 158 °F)	1-2 minutes	3
Yellow Tea	70 to 75 °C (158 to 167 °F)	1-2 minutes	3
Green Tea	75 to 80 °C (167 to 176 °F)	1-2 minutes	4-6
Oolong Tea	80 to 85 °C (176 to 185 °F)	2-3 minutes	4-6
Black Tea	99 °C (210 °F)	2-3 minutes	2-3
Pu’er Tea (Post-Fermented)	95 to 100 °C (203 to 212 °F)	Limitless	Several
Herbal Tea	99 °C (210 °F)	3-6 minutes	Varied

Now grab some tea and get brewing!