The colors of tea-part 2

In the previous article we learned about the color classification of tea and, in particular, about green and white teas, but there are four more categories. Without further ado, let’s take a look at them together!

YELLOW TEA

Yellow tea is a Chinese specialty produced in small quantities in the provinces of Hunan and Sichuan. It owes its name to the typical color of the leaves and infusion. It’s unique feature is the yellowing of the tips of the leaves, due to mild oxidation, provoked by storing the leaves all together when still damp. It’s very similar to green tea, but with less grassy and vegetal notes, which are replaced instead by strong toasted notes and hints of dried fruit that recall the hull of the walnut. I recommend you this one.

GREEN-BLUE TEA OR OOLONG 

This family of teas, better known by the name of oolong tea (which in Chinese means “black dragon”), includes a series of teas whose leaves undergo partial oxidation while being processed. Depending on the desired intensity, different types of products are obtained, each with unique organoleptic characteristics.

Low levels of oxidation provide oolong tea with floral notes that more closely resemble green tea. Meanwhile, higher levels of oxidation produce oolong teas characterized by a much darker color, with fruity and toasty notes that are very similar to a red tea. Traditionally these are a Chinese specialty from Fujian and Guangdong, as well as the island of Taiwan. 

Oolong tea is prepared through a long and complex process.

Freshly picked leaves are laid out on sheets and left in the sun to allow an initial quantity of moisture to evaporate. This drying process is also called sun withering. Phases of air drying, in which the leaves are placed in bamboo baskets within the workshops in order to allow the heat to dissipate, are then alternated with phases of rotation, performed both manually and with the help of machines. This process causes friction between the leaves, which darkens their edges. Once the desired level of oxidation has been achieved, the leaves are heated so that, through high temperatures, the enzymatic activities responsible for oxidation are halted.

Subsequently, the process continues with various types of rolling depending on the oolong tea that’s being produced. The rotating movements release essential oils from the leaves and contribute to their typical rolled or twisted shape. At this point the leaves are ready for the final drying phase. My favourit are: Anxi Tie Guan Yin Imperial, Osmanthe d’Or, Tung Ting Suprème, Oriental Beauty.

RED OR BLACK TEA

This is tea that’s completely oxidized, known in China as red tea and, in the rest of the world, as black tea. 

The dark color of these teas, which led the English to call them black, is due to the high level of oxidation (and not fermentation, as is often erroneously written) that the leaves undergo during their processing. 

Withering, rolling, oxidation, and drying are the fundamental phases of its preparation.

During the first phase, fresh leaves are laid out on racks and left to wither. This decreases the moisture content of the leaves by up to 60%. Once the leaves are softer and easier to work with, they won’t break during subsequent handling. The rolling phase serves to break the cellular walls, allowing the essential oils in the leaves to be released, and contributes to giving them their desired form.

At this point, thanks to enzymatic activation, the oxidation process begins and “colors” the leaves of the tea red. This is the most important phase in the processing of red tea. The leaves, laid out on racks, are left in contact with the air until they’ve acquired the distinctive aroma and typical color of oxidized tea, a red tone that, during the final drying phase, turns even darker as the moisture content of the leaves is further reduced in preparation for storage.

In the cup, these teas are strong and full-bodied, with a color that varies from amber to orange and from ruby red to garnet. 

You can taste these ones: Grand Keemun F.O.P., Assam Hatialli SF, Golden Yunnan. 

FERMENTED TEA (OR BLACK TEA)

Real black teas bear no resemblance to the ones we call black tea in the West and belong to a family of teas with unique characteristics and incomparable properties. The leaves of this kind of tea undergo a true fermentation process. From a chemical perspective, fermentation is a very different reaction from oxidation and is performed by microorganisms present on the tea leaves. It’s not caused by contact with oxygen. 

These teas are the only ones to be fermented and also the only ones that require a true ageing process before they can be sold. Only time can exalt their flavor and characteristic aroma to the fullest. Furthermore, the highest quality ones are not consumed immediately, but rather are intended to be aged.

Real Chinese black teas are produced in the provinces of Yunnan, Hunan, Sichuan, Hubei, and Guangxi and were originally primarily consumed by the populations that lived in these border areas. Given that it’s difficult to travel in these mountainous regions, historically the tea was transported by horse towards Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macao. For years the Tea-Horse Road connected different cultures, nations, and religions and became the key to spreading the tradition of tea around the world.

These teas are available as loose tea or in various compressed forms, like bricks, nests, or round cakes, and have incredibly unique smells that range from the scent of wet earth, undergrowth, mushrooms, and the forest after it has rained, to more animal, marine, and woody notes. 

In the cup, this family of teas has a denser texture as compared to all of the other types, a non-transparent color that ranges from dark amber red all the way intense inky black. 

Only the teas produced in Yunnan can receive the Pu’Er geographical indication.

Pu’Er, the most famous of the fermented Chinese teas, is divided into shēng, a tea intended to mature gradually over time and subjected to natural ageing during its preservation, and shu, a post-fermented tea that has been fully aged through a specific process in order to obtain the characteristic taste and properties of an aged Chinese black tea. Fermented teas are considered true drugs by traditional Chinese medicine.

In recent years the production of this very unique family of teas has become not only a Chinese specialty, but has also spread to other countries like Vietnam, Japan, and Malawi, to name just a few.

I recommend you these ones: Pu Erh Millesime 2013, Malawi Dark Tea, Yamabuki Nadeshiko, Gong Ting Puer.

All that’s left is to find out which is your favorite type!