Tea and Myanmar

As you know tea grows in many regions all over the world.  I recently had the pleasure of travelling to Myanmar (Burma) and spent a few days trekking into the hills around Hsipaw and the Shan people.  We were fortunate to trek to a tea plantation area, and I wanted to share some of the photos with you.  Tea is grown in Myanmar principally for their own use.  It is not really exported, and virtually every restaurant serves green tea with your meal free!  Here is our group trekking thru the tea plants.  I had pretty good weather for most of my trip, but this was one of the few days that it rained almost all day.  While we were soaking wet - it was still warm out -thankfully.

Tea Picker in the fields

Tea Plant

There were lots of tea pickers on the trail, and they were all super friendly.  Unfortunately they didn't speak much english, but allowed us to photograph them!  The processing of the tea was pretty cool to watch.  This was done at night when it was dark.  Most of the day they worked in the fields etc. 

Tea Pickers Coming In With Full Load

Steaming the tea

The tea was first steamed for a few minutes.  The large pot was filled with leaves and put on a wood burning stove.  They checked it by feel and eye sight.  I'd say it was steamed for about 5 minutes.  Once it was fully steamed they dumped it on a flat table and two people used these large forks and tossed it around to cool it off.

Cooling off the leaves

Once the tea was able to be handled, they put it in a large metal pot on top of this type of spinning table.  When the table was spun, the leaves fell between the two table platforms.  The bottom platform was was grooved, and the spinning motion rolled the tea leaves through this grooved cut outs.  Once it was determined that the leaves were rolled enough, they opened the shoot and the leaves fell out onto a tarp.  They were then bagged into large sacks that were transported to town where the leaves were either dried and sold as tea, or fermented further and used as food for tea leaf salad.

Rolling the tea leaves

Transporting tea to town

Kids having fun while parents work

Rolled tea

Tea leaves fermenting

Tea Traditions: Russia

A Little Bit of History:

Tea arrived in Russia in 1638 when a Mongolian ruler gifted some to the Tzara of Russia.  By 1679 Tea was being traded with nearby China, and was transported by camel caravan.  The transport was quite costly and at the time only the rich and famous could afford to drink tea.

Photo by Catherine Murray

Over time improvements were made to the route and it became easier to make the journey.  Tea was being transported in greater quantities and more frequently, so that by by 1796, Russia was importing 3 million pounds of tea, at a decreased price, which opened the market to the middle and lower class.  Soon after the railroad was built, which of course made the product even more accessible to the masses.

Tea Tradition:

Russians drink primarily black tea made from loose leaf tea.  It is brewed differently than how we typically brew our tea.  Loose leaf tea is brewed in a small teapot with a high concentration of tea leaves to water.  The brew becomes very concentrated and is very strong.  Russians refer to this brew as 'zavarka'.  Once the liquid is brewed, a small amount of it is poured into a large cup and then boiling water is added.  The amount of water added is adjusted by individual to the the strength of tea that they desire.  Tea is drank either black or with milk, and is often sweetened with jam!!

Traditionally a samovar is used, however has now been replaced by electric kettles for ease of use.  The Samovar is pictured below and usually has a spot for the tea concentrate to keep warm up top, and the large belly of the pot is filled with water and kept hot.  The hot water is accessed by a spout at the bottom of the large water belly.  

Tea must be served with food, otherwise it is considered to be rude.  The samovar is a symbol of hospitality and comfort.  In Russia tea is used for socializing, and you will always be offered tea and snack at somebody's house.  

Although the method of brewing and consuming tea differs from what we are accustomed to, the tradition of being social, sharing and caring is the same everywhere.  It is a consistent theme across all tea traditions, and part of the reason why I enjoy tea so much.

I have never tried the Russian way of tea.  Has anybody had any experiences with this tea tradition?

The Science of Taste

Tea 103 from the Tea Sommelier course put on by the Tea Association of Canada is finally here!  This module is somewhat different from the others in that it's not so much about tea, history terroir, etc.  It's more about how we taste.

In this first week we did two tastings:  The first involved tasting sensory.  So we chewed down on a coffee bean, honey, salt, lime and a tomato!!  The objective of this was to demonstrate where on the tongue certain flavours are concentrated.  So the coffee was to show bitterness, and how the main area we taste bitter is at the back of the tongue.  Sweet is on the tip of the tongue, salt on the sides of the tongue near the front and sour on the sides of the tongue near the back.  If you are interested you can do this experiment as see for yourself how these flavours are predominant in those area.

Let's get tasting!!

The tomato was an interesting one.  It is a fifth sense that has been put forth by the Japanese.  They refer to to this as Umami - and represents the flavour savoury.  It encompasses the whole mouth working together producing this explosion of flavour that is - well savoury, full bodied and all encompassing.

We aslo did a cupping.  They were all teas that we had cupped before except for Mao Jian.  So we basically did Sencha, Gyokuro, and Mao Jian, and then we did First Flush Darjeeling, Second Flush Darjeeling and black tea from Nilgiri.  The purpose for this is to really learn about cross sectional cupping and be able to identify teas not just as to what class it belongs, but also to identify the country and the region within the country, as well as the particular style.

The Mao Jian was a new tea for me and I found it to have a spinachy taste, that light and refreshing.  I enjoyed this tea very much.  The color of the liquor is very light, like straw.

Errors in tasting can happen for a variety of reasons.  For example say you read on the package of the tea what the expected flavour is suppose to be, then you have predisposed yourself to taste that.  Sometimes even the packaging could cloud your taste judgement.  Perhaps the product is packaged in colors and graphics that appeal to you - then the tea is more likely to be appealing as well.  Another error that I've noticed already is if my palate isn't totally clean when I taste the tea, then sometimes the lingering flavours on my palette distort what I am actually tasting.  There are so many ways that our taste can be distorted or influenced without us really even knowing it is happening.

Does anybody have any other barriers to effective tasting that they could share?

Tea is PART of a Healthy Lifestyle

There seems to be such controversy over the health benefits of tea.  Some say yes, some say no, some say whatever!!  The funny thing about researching on the internet is that you can find any support you want on any topic you are looking up.

I do believe that there are health benefits to drinking to tea.  However, I don't believe that drinking tons of tea alone is going to cure you of your ailments, get you to loose weight or give you a long life.  But, there are certain elements of tea that can help you get to your health goals.  I'm not going to relay those details here, but if you go the website of Roberto Caicedo www.myjapanesegreentea.com (click to follow the link), and type in health benefits in the search area you will find numerous topics on how green tea in particular can be beneficial to your health.  All you  really have to do is google it and you'll get tons of info.

Still there are those that think overall the health benefits of tea should be ignored and teas should only be drank for the pure joy of drinking tea.  Personally, as I've already indicated, I believe that drinking tea can add many benefits to your overall health, but it is not a catch all for having a healthy life.  We still have to honour our bodies with clean eating - eating pure natural wholesome foods that are good for us, we need to ensure we are getting all our appropriate vitamins, minerals, anti oxidants etc., which is where tea can add value to our health regime, and we need to exercise our bodies.

Tea is always in the news for its weight loss properties.  I'm not sure about the science behind those stmts, but tea alone will of course never get us to lose weight.  We have to eat less and exercise.  But drinking tea as a supplement to our efforts could certainly help us along.

The statement to drink tea because you enjoy it is true, but I think enough science has been done for us to know that drinking tea does benefit us, but is not a catch all cure for us whether we are looking to cure ourselves of a particular ailment, or loose weight.

I think it is safe to say that tea is part of a healthy lifestyle, but a healthy lifestyle encompasses many aspects.  So drink tea, enjoy it and know that you are doing something good for yourself!!

Tea is part of a healthy life!!  From top left:  Bottom of Grouse Grind!  On the Way Up!  Success at the Top! and of course the rewards - a Beautiful View and and Cup of Tea!!

What's All The Fuss About Bubble Tea!?

Here I am at the Richmond Chinese Night Market sipping on the second bubble tea I've ever had in my life:

I don't know what to say.  About twenty years ago I tried bubble tea for the first time, and I just couldn't  find any amount of enjoyment in the gelatine balls.  I didn't then, and I still don't now.  It will likely be another twenty years before I try it again . . .

I mean the gelatin balls don't taste like ANYTHING!!  They are gummy and just all around not pleasant.

I did some reading on bubble tea and here is what I found out:

• The tea used in bubble tea is usually black or green tea.  As we know, teas are a healthy low fat beverage that has many health benefits in the form of antioxidants and other nutrients.
• To add flavour to the tea many vedors use a fruit puree, which is good, but many vendors will also use a sugary fruit syrup that is high in sugars, carbohydrates, and fat.
• Milk products may add a creamy texture to the drink, but it also adds additional fats etc depending on what the milk product being used is.
• But the real kicker is in the tapioca pearls.  They can push your drink into the 300+ calorie range - YIKES!!

 I don't know why the gelatin balls are so popular, but the actual tea and fruit juice is pretty good.  Maybe I'll give it another whirl someday without the balls .  .  .

The Chinese Tea Shop

I was in Vancouver recently and paid a visit to The Chinese Tea Shop in Chinatown downtown Vancouver, BC, Canada.  Daniel Liu is the proprietor and the visit I had with him in his tea shop was extraordinary.  He only sells Chinese tea.  Week one of the tea sommelier course covered tea tastings and history of Chinese tea.

We were there for 2 hours.  And in those two hours Daniel sampled us 3 types of Chinese Tea.  A Green tea, an Oolong Tea and a Pu-Ehr Tea.

We sat in his shop

 and he served us tea using the Gongfu Cha tea way.  He used authentic yixing tea pots.  All the while he explained to us how the yixing pots was a superior clay to use for making tea.  He had a gentle way about him as he relayed that the clay came from the province of Jiangsu, in the region of Yixing.  He explained that the clay allows for oxygen to pass thru the pot, thereby not allowing the leaves to 'cook' in the pot.  The oxygen also allows for the best of the tea flavours to come thru and not become bitter.  Here is a collection of tea pots that Daniel uses for his tea tastings:

We sampled a green tea (Dongting  Pi Lo Chun (Bi Lo Chun)).  This tea was not pan fired, and it was very grassy and a touch kelpy in flavour.  We also sampled two types of Pu-erh (Lao Ban Zhang and  Ye Lu Xiang  - Green/Sheng) and a Phoenix oolong tea Mi LN Xiang (honey orchid flavour) Wu Dong Mountain.  I was in love!!  This tea was light in flavour and truly had the sweetness of honey with a light flowery taste!!

The Lao Ban Zhang was dark in color and had a very earthy flavour to it.  The Ye Lu Xiang was light in color and had a bitterness to it, that was not overpowering. He steeped each tea in multiple steeps.

After he was done I purchased a few things that I am VERY excited about.  I purchased my first Yixing teapot, and bamboo brewing set complete with a tray, tongs, and tea scoop.  I also purchased 4 Gunfu Cha tea cups, a justice jar, and a strainer and strainer stand.  I'm excited, but will likely go hungry for a while ;)

Daniel Liu was great, and his tea shop is well stocked with tons of selections.  He is hugely knowledgeable in what he does, and it was a pleasure to be in his shop and learn so much about tea.  He mentioned that the Vancouver Community College also runs the tea sommelier course and he has often had students in the shop asking for demonstrations etc.  I would recommend anybody who is in the Vancouver are to go and give Daniel Lui a visit.  Tell him I sent you!!

Taiwan and Their Oolongs

In the second module we focused on learning about teas from different countries, we also learned about the tea history of those countries as well as how the industries are set- up, and how they compare in the line-up of tea producing countries.  We also talked about the geography, and where in each country the tea grows.

This week we tasted tea from Taiwan and Argentina.  We also did our first cross-sectional tasting.  This involves tasting the same type of teas from different countries.

Taiwan:

Tea History started around1624 when the Dutch established a colony on Taiwan as a commercial base and a military stronghold.  They began to move workers from the Fujian and Penghu regions of China as slave labourers to help build the Dutch colonies.  These Fujians, already knowledgable in tea established various tea gardens in the interior mountainous parts of the islands by using both wild tea plants, and cuttings from China.

By the mid 1700's the Chinese finally expelled the Dutch from Taiwan and more Chinese people began to immigrate.  It is because of this Chinese influence that oolong tea industry became prevalent on the island.  

In the late 1900's the Japanese invested a significant amount of resources to aide in the industrialization of the island by establishing transportation, sanitation infrastructure and revising the education system and farming methods.

Taiwan is famous for its light fragrant oolongs and exports 60% to 70% of its annual tea production.  Oolong means 'Black Dragon' in Chinese and has varied oxidation levels - anywhere from 10% to 90%.

Taiwan Oolong

Oolong teas are produced as follows:

Leaves are laid in direct sunlight to wither, reduce moisture content and to soften the leaves. The leaves from the plants used to make oolong are typically larger in size, and tougher.  After withering, the leaves are shaken in a basket to lightly bruise the leaves and then spread out in the shade to dry.  This process of shaking and drying is repeated several times.  Only the bruised edges are oxidized, leaving the core of the leaf green (oxidization is exposing the leaf to heat, moisture and air).  The leaves always remain whole and should never be broken.  Once the desired degree of oxidization is reached, the process is stopped by pan firing the leaves at high temperature.  Oolongs generally have a lower moisture content than green teas and therefore have a longer shelf life.  Styles can range from open leaf to semi or completely rolled shape.

We also learned generally about other tea growing areas in the world  It was interesting to note that when looking at tea by volume of production, Japan as a country does not make the top ten list.  But Japanese tea is certainly a better known tea than say Turkey or Bangladesh, that produces more volume of tea.  

We also tasted some black tea from Argentina.  The main claim to fame for black tea from Argentina is that it is used in packaged iced tea like Lipton or Nestea etc.  They use the Argentinian tea because it does not get cloudy when brewing for cold tea, so cold tea drink producers use this tea.  Consequently their main export is to the USA.

Well, this was the last week and our exams are coming up.  In Tea 101 the cuppings were relatively simple.  Identify if you are tasting white, green, oolong, black or puerh.  Now we have to identify between different whites and greens, and we have to be able to identify the country of origin for the black teas.  It's a blind cupping, so you only get the liquor in the cup.  No leaves to look at!  I'm worried!!