graceland

INTRODUCTION

Introduction & Tea Origins

It’s high time to think outside the tea bag. The typical tea bag contains tiny scraps of tea leaves, usually with the flavour equivalent of sawdust. Yes, it’s convenient, but so is instant coffee and how often do you drink instant coffee? What more, brewing a great pot of tea is even easier than making coffee from scratch and is a lovely ritual to share. Furthermore if you wish to make a quick cup of tea for yourself, you can use our tea infuser to make a quick fresh cup of tea and it will take the same time and effort as using a tea bag

Once you enjoy a superior cup of tea brewed from whole leaves, which are not only incredibly perfumed but often beautifully flecked with various ingredients, you’ll have a hard time going back to a bagged industrial blend. And once you have embraced whole leaves, you will probably find that you already have the makings of a great personalized tea in your home.

INTRODUCTION

Tea Origins

All tea leaves come from a warm-weather evergreen plant called Camellia sin-enosis. Teas come from all over the world. Most take their names from the district which they are grown, like many wines and certain cheeses. Much of world’s tea comes from mountainous regions, up to 7000 feet above sea level. The leading producers of tea are Sri-Lanka, China, India, Argentina, Brazil, Kenya, Indonesia, Tanzania and Malawi.

When the leaves are harvested, what happens to them next, the way they are processed, and the amount of oxygen they are exposed to a processed called oxidation all determine what kind of tea will result: black, white, green or oolong.

Tea contains certain enzymes that interact with oxygen when the tea leaf is broken or crushed. When the leaf is heated until it dries, the oxidation stops. Nothing is added to the tea leaves, but water is taken away during processing. Tea leaves go from freshly plucked, steamed, sun-withered, or roasted; then they are rolled and graded. The process takes approximately sixteen hours. During the processing, the removal of all moisture changes the leaf texture. The reasons for drying tea are for colour enhancement, aroma and stabilization. After processing, the tea will keep for approximately two years.