Nothing beats waking up in the morning to a nice,
steaming, aromatic cup of tea. This quintessential drink is so popular, it is
the second most consumed drink in the world after plain water. From the Earl
Grey tea of the United Kingdom, to the pu er tea of China or from the rooibos tea of South Africa, to the yerba mate of Argentina, almost
every country and culture in the world have their own version of this versatile
drink. For the purposes of this article, we will be taking a closer look at
green and black tea, both originating from the Camellia sinensis, the
most commonly used tea leaf in the world. While both green and black tea come
from the same plant, they are normally produced from different varieties of
the Camellia sinensis. Camelia
sinensis sinensis, a smaller-leafed variety native of China is usually used
to make green tea leaves, whereas black tea normally comes from a larger-leafed
variety typically found in India called Camellia
sinensis assamica.
There are many different kinds of green tea produced all
over the world today, including China, Japan, India, New Zealand and Hawaii to
name a few, but China and Japan are the top two green tea producing and
exporting countries in the world. Green tea is produced by harvesting and
withering the tea leaves, then heating it either by steaming (Japanese style)
or by pan firing (Chinese style). This process halts oxidation so that the
laeaves retain their delicate, fresh flavor. The leaves also retain their green
color due to the halted oxidation process. The way that the tea is processed as
well as the environment or "terroir" that the tea is grown in affects the taste
of the green tea. A Chinese pan-fired green tea usually takes on a
yellowish-green or dark green color, and has a grassy, earthy, roasted flavor.
Some popular types of Chinese green tea are Dragonwell tea and the Gunpowder tea. On the other hand, the Japanese way of steaming the
tea leaves retains the rich green color of the tea leaves while imparting them
with a sweet, vegetal, seaweed-like taste. Sencha, Genmaicha, Gyokuro and Matcha are just several kinds of Japanese green tea.
While
green tea is more predominant in eastern countries, black tea, on the other
hand, is consumed in western countries. Sweet tea, sun tea, iced tea are well
knowned categories of tea typically made using black tea. The process to make
black tea leaves involves an oxidation process. During the oxidation process,
oxygen will interact the cell walls of the tea leaves which turns them into a
dark brown, black color (hence, its name). The flavor profile of the tea leaves
are altered during oxidation, adding fruity, malty and even smoky tastes to the
tea leaves. There are two ways to process black tea leaves. The Orthodox
method, the tea leaves are harvested, withered and then rolled in a variety of
ways in order to bruise the leaves and start the oxidation process. Once
sufficient oxidation has been achieved, the leaves are then fired up to stop
oxidation. On the other hand, the Non-Orthodox, or the Crush-Tear-Curl (CTC)
method cuts the leaves instead of rolling them, speeding up the oxidation time
and producing a consistent, strong, bold flavoured tea. The cut leaves are also
more easily packed into tea bags than loose leaf tea made using the Orthodox
method, therefore making them more popular with consumers. Three of the largest
black tea producers today are India, Sri Lanka and Africa. The more popular
types of black tea includes Assam tea, Darjeeling tea, Ceylon tea and Kenyan
tea.
The DXN
Reishi Gano Tea is an example of a black tea. It is made with high quality
black tea leaves that contains all the goodness of nature, such as polyphenols (catechins and flavonoids), trace elements and vitamins. Polyphenols possess
potent antioxidant functions which help to protect the human body against
harmful effects of free radicals that may weaken our immune system. Not only
will you enjoy all the benefits of black tea, but with the DXN Reishi Gano Tea,
you get the added benefits of the Reishi Gano powder such as polysaccharides,
triterpenes and adenosine.
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