I met Judy, founder of K’Tizo, several months ago at an event at a local cupcake bakery. After sampling a few of her products I knew I had to do a tea post on the blog. So a few weeks later over a glass of Indian Summer iced tea, Judy shared about the art and science of this intriguing beverage, launching me into a new obsession that I couldn’t wait to share with you.
In just a few hours with Judy, a tea sommelier and Certified Tea Specialist, I was captivated by all there was to learn. You can expect many more tea-related posts to come, but for this first one I wanted to whet your palate by sharing a few main points and brewing instructions for four types of tea – black, green, herbal and rooibos.
Black teas have been highly oxidized. In other words, the leaves from the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) have been through a natural chemical process known as enzymatic browning (the same thing that makes apples turn brown when they’re left out). Usually this process begins after tea leaves are rolled or macerated, which begins the cell breakdown that results in the “browning” (for more on the oxidation process, click here).
Black teas range a great deal in their flavor profile, and many blends lend themselves well to adding milk and sugar. The amount of caffeine in black tea is about half that of coffee. Steep most black teas with water at 208 degrees for 3-5 minutes.
In green teas, no oxidation has taken place. Many people see it as bitter and harsh and one of the main reasons for that is improper brewing. Pouring boiling water over green tea will scorch it and letting it steep for too long yields undesirable bitterness. Green tea should typically be steeped with water that is at 180 degrees for only 1-2 minutes. A cup of green tea, which is high in antioxidants, contains less caffeine than black tea since it’s steeped at a lower temperature for a shorter period of time.
Herbal teas (also sometimes referred to as tisanes) aren’t actually tea at all. True tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. Instead, herbal tea is a mix of fruit, flowers, leaves, spices or other plant materials. Herbal teas contain no caffeine and should be brewed with 208 degree water (just under a boil) for 5-7 minutes.
For a long time, I actually had no idea what rooibos tea really was – I just knew I liked it. Through K’Tizo I learned that rooibos is a tisane from South Africa and is sometimes referred to as Rooibush or “red bush”. In other words, rooibos tea comes from a South African herb, not the Camellia sinensis. Rooibos tea tends to have an earthy and nutty flavor, contains no caffeine and is high in antioxidants. Brew rooibos with 208 degree water for 5-7 minutes.
K’Tizo puts the basics of tea brewing into an extremely helpful chart pictured below. K’Tizo also includes this chart on each one of their bags of loose leaf tea so you can ensure your tea is properly brewed every time.
The Giveaway! If you’ve been following us for the last few months, you know that we LOVE to give things away! And of course the best way to learn more about tea is to try it, so K’Tizo is giving away three teas plus a loose leaf tea infuser. The winner will be able to choose which tea set they’d like – greens/whites (organic), black (organic), artisan or herbal/rooibos. The giveaway is only open to US residents. Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below!