I received this beautiful gift of teas from Umitea which resulted in a wonderful tea tasting experience. It included three of my favorite types of tea, green tea, oolong and white tea. The light, refreshing taste of white tea; the slightly grassy “green” flavour of green; slightly earthy and smoky flavour of oolong tea. Below are the following teas in this wonderful gift:
- Snow Water Cloud Green Tea
- Dragon Pearl Jasmine Green Tea
- Dragon Well Lung Ching Green Tea
- Wuyi Rock Oolong Tea
- Bai Hao Oolong Tea
- Tie Guan Yin Tea (Oolong)
- Jasmine Silver Needle White Tea
You can learn more about Umi Tea Sets green teas on their site.
What makes each of these teas different?
All teas are all from the same plant but where they are grown, climate, when harvested, oxidation duration and method all play a factor into the final product.
Oolong teas are partially oxidized. This means, they are oxidized anywhere from 8% – 80%.
A black tea is fully oxidized and a barely oxidized tea is a green tea. This is why a black tea has a dark leaf colour and a green tea leaf has a more greenish colour, closer to the original tea leaf colour. Since oolong teas are oxidized on a spectrum, their flavour also ranges on a spectrum resembling that of a milder, light green tea to the rich, bold flavour of a black tea.
Now, where does white tea fall in oxidation level?
White teas don’t undergo a formal oxidation process but they do oxidize slightly during the drying process. As a result, they have a delicate, floral flavour.
What makes white tea “white”?
What makes white tea white is when it is harvested. This tea is harvested before the tea plant’s leaves are open fully. The buds are still young and covered in fine white hairs.
What are the optimal brewing times and water temperatures for tea?
When participating in a tea tasting experience, for optimal flavour from a from a tea, water temperature and steeping time play a significant role. When I first stated drinking tea I used boiling water for every tea and left the teas in the water forever! Big mistake!
- Black teas can be brewed with boiling water and for 4-6 minutes for optimal flavour.
- Since oolong tea is oxidized on a spectrum between green and black its optimal brewing temperature is also between green and black teas at around 190F. The optimal steeping time for oolong is 5-8 minutes.
- Green tea, being less oxidized, requires a gentle touch and is brewed in water around 150-160F for 2-4 minutes only. You don’t want to burn the leaves.
- White tea, another delicate tea, requires care with a slightly warmer water for brewing at 180F and for a bit longer to get that light flavour at 4-6 minutes.
To summarize brewing times we have,
| Tea | Temperature | Steep time (mins) |
| Oolong | 190F (87.8C) | 5-8 |
| Green | 150-160F (65.6-71C) | 2-4 |
| White | 180F (87.8C) | 4-6 |
Tea and Food Pairings
Food and drink are always paired. Tea is no different. To add to that tea tasting experience, consider adding food to your tea. So, what foods go best with which teas?
- Oolong teas have that nice smoky flavour profile and pair wonderfully with herby dishes, fruity desserts and smoky cheese and meats. Citrus fruits and flavours match and pair well with oolong teas as well. For more oxidized oolong teas, these pair well with chocolate.
- The gentler, subtle, grassy flavour of green tea goes well with mild and subtler flavoured foods such as seafood, rice, salad, melon or chicken.
- Black tea has that stronger more robust flavour which goes well with richer foods like roast beef, lamb, venison. It also goes well with heavy past dishes like lasagna. Other black tea pairing ideas are with fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, bananas and pears. An example of fruit pairings would be with desserts. Vegetable dishes including zucchini, eggplant, sweet potato and pumpkin also pair well with black tea.
- Since white tea has a gentler flavour, you want to pair it with light foods so that it doesn’t seem tasteless if paired with very rich foods. A white fish or mild cheese or dessert are best paired with white tea.
What should you consider when tasting tea?
When tasting tea it more than just the flavour. There is so much to a tea besides the taste. Even before drinking the tea there is so much to consider. For example, the leaf. What is the colour and shape of the leaf when dry and after steeping when it’s wet. What is the colour of the liquid after the tea has steeped? Does it smell like anything? Now you don’t want to taste the tea when it’s too hot because then you just burn your mouth. Not fun. So you want to wait a bit until it’s cooled off and then taste it. Now, what is the flavour? Compare all these factors to other white teas or green teas or oolong teas. Not all are the same. A tea tasting wheel can be helping in describing the tastes, fragrances and appearance of tea.
A record of my tea tasting experience courtesy of Umiteas
| Name | Wuyi rock | Bai Hao | Lie Guan Yin | Dragon Pearl Jasmine Green | Snow water cloud green tea | Dragon-well Lung Ching Green tea | Jasmine Silver Needle White tea |
| Type | Oolong | Oolong | Oolong | Green | Green | Green | White |
| Dry leaf appearance | Dark black and curled | Dark brown, grey long strands | Dull, dark green, curled and wrinkled | Round greyish, green balls | Thin, flat, grass-like, very dull and dark green | Flat, wide, grass-like, bright grey strands | Greyish-white long strands |
| Wet leaf appearance | Dark black, short, thin strands | Long strands; shiny, rich brown in colour | Big, flat, dark green; slightly wrinkled around the edges | Unravelled, yellowish green | Bright, grassy green | Bright, yellowish green | Light, dull brown |
| Infused liquor analysis | Dull brown | Reddish brown | Pale, golden brown | Bright, pale brown | Golden, yellowish green | Light, yellowish green | Light, pale, pinkish red |
| Flavour analysis | Light refreshing and slightly earthy | Earthy | Earthy and grassy | Strong and grassy | Refreshing | Grassy, light flavour | Light, faint floral flavour |
To me tea is more than just a drink. It’s a tea tasting experience from beginning to end. This includes opening the packet of tea, viewing the tea leaves, waiting for the water to boil and then reach the correct temperature for steeping, waiting for the tea to steep, looking at the colour of the steeped tea, viewing the wet tea leaves and finally tasting the tea. Below is a selection of photos of the beautiful teas gifted to me by Umiteas.
References:
- Snow Water Cloud Green tea, Colorfultea, Umi Tea Sets, URL: https://www.umiteasets.com/products/snow-water-cloud-green-tea
- Wuyi Rock Oolong Tea, Colorfultea, Umi Tea Sets, URL: https://www.umiteasets.com/products/wuyi-rock-oolong-tea
- Dragon pearl jasmine green tea, Colorfultea, Umi Tea Sets, URL: https://www.umiteasets.com/products/dragon-pearl-jasmine-green-tea
- Bai Hao oolong tea, Colorfultea, Umi Tea Sets, URL: https://www.umiteasets.com/products/bai-hao-oolong-tea
- Tie Guan Yin tea, Colorfultea, Umi Tea Sets, URL: https://www.umiteasets.com/products/tie-guan-yin-tea
- Jasmine silver needle white tea, Colorfultea, Umi Tea Sets, URL: https://www.umiteasets.com/products/jasmine-silver-needle-white-tea
- What is Oolong Tea?, Teatulia Organic Teas, URL: https://www.teatulia.com/tea-varieties/what-is-oolong-tea.htm
- Tea Oxidation, April 2019, Artful Tea, URL: https://www.artfultea.com/tea-wisdom-1/2017/7/7/tea-oxidation
- Tea Brewing Temperature Guide, S. Paajanen, Oct, 2020, The Spruce Eats, URL: https://www.thespruceeats.com/tea-brewing-temperature-guide-766367
- Food Pairing with…Tea!, Twinings, URL: https://twinings.co.uk/blogs/news/food-pairing-with-tea
- A Primer on Tea Pairings, foodpairing.com, URL: https://www.foodpairing.com/a-primer-on-tea-pairings/
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