My Tea Break

Rediscovering Tea around the world

Category Archives: Yellow Tea


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Huoshan Huangya – Yellow bud Tea

Yesterday I tried  Huoshan Yellow bud Tea. I only had Yellow Tea once before –  is a rare variety of Tea produced in China – mainly in the Hunan, Anhui and Sichuan provinces. Because the process of making proper Yellow Tea is very time consuming, this Tea is only produced in small volumes and considered quite exclusive and rare.

The process is similar to Green Tea but undergoes a slightly longer oxidation process, removing the grassy aftertaste which is often associated with Green Tea. You can learn more about Yellow Tea and its oxidation process in our previous post about Yellow Tea.

Huoshan Hungaya is a high grade yellow Tea from the Huo Shan county, Anhui Province.  It is made from tender slim buds and processed by a traditional stir-fire procedure hence the name Yellow Bud Tea  - Huangya.

Huoshan Huangya was created in the Tang dynasty (618-907 A.D) and Lu Yu described this special yellow Tea in his famous book “Classic of Tea”. It is said that the processing method of this Tea was lost in 1940s and only reproduced in 1972 by three distinguished Tea masters.  Some Tea experts say that even today the original processing techniques are not followed and is made as green Tea.

The colour of the Tea is bright and clear and the taste is very subtle, mellow and refreshing with a sweet aftertaste.

If you get the chance do try this wonderful Tea please do so. Highly recommended!

Happy Tea Break.

Tania


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Cold Tea / Chá Frio

The Spring is here and the weather is now warmer (ihih!) ! So, today, I am suggesting Cold Tea.

How to prepare it? It´s very simple!

- You should infuse 10g of Tea in 1 Litre of water at room temperature for one night.  Take the leaves in the morning and put your Tea in the fridge.

- Another way to prepare it is by infusing 10g of Tea on 1/2 L at the recommended temperature, let it cool down and add 1/2 L of cold water.

You can use aromatized or flower Teas, but also plain Teas. Last summer I used to drink a lot of Oolong Bao Zhong, an amazing Tea from Taiwan. I also recommend cold Rooibos, which is great for children! You can also add citrus peel, sugar, honey, mint, ginger and/or spices.

Happy Tea Break,

Mariana!

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Chegou a Primavera, o tempo está mais quente e apetece mais beber um refresco! My Tea Break aconselha que beba Chá Frio!

È muito simples de preparar: 

- Faça uma infusão de 10g de chá para 1 litro de água à temperatura ambiente. Deixe as folhas durante a noite. Na manhã seguinte retire as folhas e ponha o chá no frigorifico.

- Outra forma é fazer a infusão de 10g em 1/2 litro de água à temperatura recomendada, deixar arrefecer e acrescentar 1/2 litro de água fria.

Tanto os Chás aromatizados como os simples são óptimos para fazer Chá frio. Recomendo Oolong Bao Zhong, um fantástico chá do Taiwan e Rooibos, que também é óptimo para as crianças! Depois da infusão, pode acrescentar cascas de limão ou laranja, gengibre, menta, açúcar, mel e/ou especiarias a seu gosto.

Tenha um óptimo dia,

Mariana!


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How To Choose The Right Tea for You?

Hi Tea Lovers,

Jesse Jacobs, from the Samovar Tea Lounge, can help you decide which is the right Tea for you. You should answer the following questions:

  • How do you wanna feel?
  • What am I eating?
  • Tea Category and what kind of flavour do you like?

Check out his video –  

Happy Tea Beak,

Mariana


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Special T from Nestlé

Last year, Nestlé launched a new concept , Special T,  which brews Tea from capsules.

“Special.T by Nestlé offers a selection of 25 tea varieties – ranging from green, black, blue, red and white teas, to flavoured teas and organic herb teas – which are carefully sourced from selected tea farms in China, Japan, Sri Lanka, India and South Africa. 
The high quality tea leaves are protected by aluminium capsules, with each dosage measured to precision. The perfect brewing time and temperature for each individual tea variety is calculated by the innovative Special.T machine system, which in turn, releases the full benefits and infusion of the tea beverage.”

“I have never tasted the Tea capsules and, to be honest, this is definitely not my cup of Tea! Although I´ve got to say it is a very creative idea!” Mariana

“I actually tried it last weekend as my uncle just bought one. I was quite suspicious about its quality but actually I enjoyed it. I tried a Rooibos capsule and it had a pleasant smooth and fresh flavour. It also comes out with a small layer of foam on top which gives it an  Espresso look and feel ” Tania

Click here for more information about Special T.

Happy Tea break!


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Tea and Reiki

Did you know that according to the American Medical Association, stress is a factor in more than 75 percent of illnesses?

Life is difficult, as M. Scott Peck wrote on his great book “The Road less travelled”.  Life can be quite stressful with the increasing career and family demands, economic uncertainty and other factors. There are times when we feel down, lost and alone. We forget to take care of ourselves and to ensure our well being. Finding a way to balance our life can be challenging, although I feel that it is our duty to ensure we have the right tools that allow us to relax and feel good about ourselves.

In order to be happy and relax people pursue activities like cooking, sports, travelling, reading, going to the cinema, meditation, massages or even art. The way I escape stress is by taking time for Tea and by doing Reiki.  These two instruments have been very useful in ensuring I keep an equilibrium in my life.

Reiki means Universal Life Energy, an energy which is all around us. Reiki is a natural healing process that gently balances life energies bringing health and well-being to our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual state.

For me Reiki and Tea are a great (and a natural) combination, as both allow me to stop and connect to my mind, my body and my spirit. Both allow me to feel calm and relaxed. Both allow me to feel more balanced. I feel that I have been very lucky to have found these two great tools, which contribute to my happiness.

Different people have different ways of relaxing and feeling balanced. The important thing is that you find out what is right for you.

Happy Tea break,

Mariana!


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Yellow Tea, a special and rare variety.

Getting back to the Camellia Sinensis plant and the different types of Tea…. We already introduced white and green Tea so today we will lead into Yellow Tea, a very special and rare variety of Tea which is exclusively produced in China.

Yellow Tea is fermented and oxidized for longer than green Tea and it has a slower drying phase. The leaves are dried and then wrapped in thick sheets of paper or cloth.  The leaves are then fried and wrapped again and again. The farmers call this process – “killing the green”. With this process, the chlorophyll of the leaves is broken down so yellow Tea looses the grassy taste which is often associated with green Tea and the leaves take on a yellow coloration.

Yellow Tea Process

The process is time consuming,  difficult and more expensive so this is the least produced and the least known Tea variety. Yellow Tea is produced in very small volumes, smaller even than the exclusive and rare white Teas. Is is mainly manufactured in Hunan and Anhui provinces in China and the most famous variety is Jun Shan Yin Zhen (a Silver Needle yellow Tea from the Hunan province).

Yellow Tea is famous for a golden yellow colour and a mild, smooth and floral taste. Yellow Tea should be brewed in the same way as white Tea: Ideal water temperature should be between 76º and 80º  and infusion time is around 1,5 to 3 minutes.

Being a rare variety of Tea, there is no significant research about the health benefits of Yellow Tea, however it is possible to say that it also has a high number of antioxidants and still maintain the health benefits of green Tea.

Happy Tea Break. :)

Tania

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