Products
Green, White & Oolong Teas - The Healthy Option
The Chinese have been using unfermented (green) and semi-fermented teas (oolong) as medicines for milennia. Great value and thoroughly healthy, unfermented teas are an excellent cleanser of the system and are thought to aid healty living and working-memory related learning (good for office workers and students!).
Green Teas: India : China : Japan
White Teas
Silver Teas
Oolong Teas
Green Teas
Healthy, light, fragrant and refreshing should spring to mind when we think of green teas, but many people are put off by the unpleasant acrid, tannic flavour that many exhibit. The main reason for this is overbrewing. Most green teas are ready after about 1½ to 2 minutes. You might like to try an infuser tea pot which stops the brewing exactly when you want it to and to make things easier, a tea timer.
A connected problem is that this acridity is often associated with green teas in tea bags – that’s probably because lower grade tea is crushed to speed up the brewing, which alters the way the tannins come out of the tea, making it bitter. We suggest you use good quality green tea in leaf form, and if you have been put off green tea before, dare to give it another go – it should be refreshing like a sea breeze blowing over grassy plains, not sludgy and acrid like a bad wine!
And remember that Green tea can usually be brewed again, up to 5 or 6 times, which makes it really fabulous value – in fact some teas are best on their later brewings.
India
Generally people are largely familiar with Black Indian teas, less so with their green cousins:
It's not often you meet a green Assam, since in this country we are so used to the delicious Black Assam teas. Slightly lighter than it's fermented version, this orthodox green tea retains all of the pleasant robustness & sweetness one expects from an Assam. Brew light for about 2 minutes to avoid the natural bitterness of the Assam leaf.
This green tea from the renowned estate at Risheehat is a charming alternative to the more classic black Darjeelings. With a mid-strength flavour and lovely darjeeling flowery scent, it is best brewed light and well worth a try if you are a fan of the sweeter green teas from across the Himalayas in China.
Prefer milk? Take a look at our Indian Black Teas.
China
Sometimes known as "Dragon Well", this is a classic tea with a tender, sweet flavour and jade green cup colour - very easily digestible. It's important to be careful with Lung Ching as the quality can be widely variable. However we are proud that ours represents the perfect balance between high quality and affordability.
Organic China Green CHUN MEE £1.89 per 100g
An organic tea with a slightly dry, but aromatic taste; intriguing and light, slightly smoky but above all really very enjoyable and unexpectedly good with shortbread [well, any excuse for shortbread!]
Organic China Green GUNPOWDER £1.69 per 100g
The Chinese invented gunpowder and are the top producers of Green tea, so (with dubious logic) it’s no surprise that this deliciously healthy green tea, with a pleasantly light tannic aftertaste, is a corker. And it represents great value too for a bio-organically produced tea. Perhaps try it with some crystalline stem ginger, another winning Chinese invention!
Organic China SENCHA £1.99 per 100g
Fresh and with few tannins if brewed light, this tea has a delightfully refreshing and healthy flavour - somehow you know it's doing you some good when you drink it. Perhaps try it with a little piece of Vanilla fudge?
Oh go on, live a little!
Japan
Harvested from the slopes of Mount Fuji, this is a classic tea, typical of Japanese sencha: grassy & vibrant with good tannins when brewed stronger; a yellow liquor colour.
Japanese sencha tea with roasted wholemeal rice, dry scented and roasted taste, with a low caffeine content.
In the west, we pour chocolate into our coffee and call it a "Mocha" - but it's hard to say that's a healthy option. The Japanese, ever health-conscious, have been putting roasted rice into their teas for centuries – with virtually no calories, low caffeine and wholegrain, it must be good for you!
White Tea
White tea, a specific type of green tea, has come to prominence recently with both scientific and anecdotal research suggesting that it may help in the fight against a number of diseases and conditions, possibly including cancer. White tea was found to have around three times as many antioxidant polyphenols as green or black teas (Paganga et al, 1999) which is great news for us tea drinkers!
Keep an eye on our range, because we will be looking to add to the which tea range soon - but we have to make sure of both quality and supplier ethics before we can accept a new source.
The best known white tea with an open big leaf and a pleasant, mild flavour. Delightful, light, healthy: as with all unfermented teas (but particularly more delicate white teas), take care not to overbrew - the great joy is in repeat-brewing the same leaves until the flavour is gone.
Back by popular demand, this truly excellent white tea with a light flavour and slightly grassy nose is packed full of silver tips and buds, and is not only a super tea to drink, but aesthetically pleasing also.
Oolong Tea
Oolong tea is semi-fermented, that is to say some way between Green (unfermented) and Black (fermented) tea. There are light oolongs and dark oolongs depending on the degree of fermentation, and the processing is more complex than that of standard green or black teas. Thus it is that the flavours can range widely from buttery to leafy, sweet to bitter.
Interestingly there is an increasing body of scientific evidence suggesting that oolong teas may aid weight loss and promote the general well-being of the heart and bodily systems... which is nice!
Vietnam Imperial Green Oolong £3.69 per 100g
It is exciting to have this top quality oolong from Vietnam, which is a country with a relatively small production of fine tea.
Very light in flavour, with a delightfully light buttery nose balanced by the light yellow-green cup colour. The refreshing nature of this tea is undoubtedly what gives it it's popularity and the flavour stays pleasingly in the mouth for minutes after it is drunk.
Best brewed for around 4 minutes with off the boil water, with four or five repeat brewings.
VIETNAMESE IMPERIAL OOLONG IS CURRENTLY SOLD OUT.
WE ARE EXCITEDLY AWAITING THE 2008 PICKING SEASON
& EXPECT TO HAVE MORE OOLONGS IN STOCK SOON.
Organic China Dark Oolong £2.99 per 100g
A typical oolong, earthy with a very mild taste and low tannic content.
If you've never tried an oolong before then this is a good place to start. Try this dark oolong without milk, and let the wonderful earthy sensation take you over. It’s like being hugged by mother-earth herself, or something…
If you are a smoker, this might be a good one for you, as the real opinons panel likened the taste to a sweet tobacco - just like grand-pa’s pipe. Equally if not just enjoy it because it’s fabulous!