The Endless Possibilities with Tea

by Sue Ann Scheppers Wercinski

When autumn weather gets a slight chill, nothing's better than sipping a hot cup of tea while reading your favorite book in front of the fireplace. With so many tea varieties, spices and flavorings available, delightful drink and dessert creations are endless.

Ubiquitous tea is a beverage that many of us take for granted. It's always in our cupboards and readily available when we're searching for a morning pick-me-up or afternoon stress-reliever. But, it hasn't always been a convenience food.

Steeped in history, tea has been cultivated for over 4,000 years beginning in China. However, Europeans didn't discover it until the 16th century. The English expanded tea's popularity when the British East India Company developed tea plantations India. Today, it is grown in China, Japan, India, Pakistan, Ceylon, Taiwan, Indonesia, Africa, Russia, Malaysia, Turkey, Brazil and Argentina, with each region having its own processing methods and specialty teas.

Extracting the Truth About Black, Green & Herbal Teas

Native to China, true tea is made from the dried leaves of a magnolia-related evergreen shrub. All tea plants come from the same species, but depending on the soil, climate and processing conditions, hundreds of unique teas are available.

Black tea is made from leaves that have been fermented before they are heated and dried. The tea leaves are then graded according to size. Orange pekoe refers to leaves that are smaller, and pekoe is designated for medium-sized, coarser leaves. The most well-known black teas are Darjeeling, English Breakfast and Lapsang Souchong.

Green tea, which is more popular in Asian countries, is made by steaming freshly-picked leaves before heat-drying. Closer in flavor to fresh leaves, green teas are grassy and bitter, but less assertive than black varieties. A favorite green tea is Gunpowder Green, whose tightly-rolled leaf resembles lead shot.

Oolong tea is made from leaves that are partially fermented, producing tea with a flavor, color and aroma between black and green teas. The best known is Formosa Oolong from Taiwan.

Herbal tea, or tisanes, is not tea at all, but rather an infusion of herbs, flowers and spices. Popular herbal teas include chamomile, peppermint, rosehip, hibiscus and many other varieties.

Caffeine in Tea

The longer tea leaves are fermented, the greater the caffeine content. Consequently, green tea has about one-third the caffeine per cup as black tea, and partially-fermented oolong has about half as much caffeine as black tea. In contrast, coffee has approximately twice as much caffeine as black tea. Generally, herbal teas typically have no caffeine, depending on the herbs used.

No matter which tea you prefer, you can control the amount of caffeine extracted into your cup. According to The Republic of Tea Company, black tea steeped for 3 minutes yields 20 to 40 milligrams of caffeine per cup versus a 4-minute infusion, which will produce 40 to 100 milligrams of caffeine.

Spicing Up Your Tea

Tea can be enjoyed as is or embellished with citrus, herbs or other flavorings depending on the season and your mood. Here are some ideas for spicing up your favorite tea:

For British style tea, add milk to strong black tea.

For Russian style tea, add fruit preserves, such as strawberry, to hot tea with lemon.

For an easy Chai tea blend, brew English Breakfast or Earl Grey tea with a few whole cloves and a pinch of cardamom and ground ginger. Add milk and honey to taste.

Brew several herbal teas together, such as apple and ginger-flavored teas.

Add orange, lemon or apple juice to hot or iced tea.

Brew tea with a cinnamon stick and whole cloves for an autumn-flavored drink.

Do you like your tea sweetened? Try honey for a more delicate flavor.