Have you tried our new batch of Jasmine Pearls? Art of Tea proudly offers certified organic Jasmine Pearls that are now sourced from a fair trade vendor. Being a green tea lover, I naturally gravitated toward Jasmine Pearls for its exquisite presentation and flavor. This supreme quality, organic green tea is hand-picked in Fujian, China and scented with night jasmine blossoms. The wonderful aroma of the jasmine flowers embodies the tea, which is hand-rolled into tiny pearls. As the silvery-sheened pearls are steeped in boiling water, the green tea unravels into its original shapes of leaves and buds. Jasmine Pearls brew a yellowish- green cup of mild flavor. As you indulge into each sip, the smoothness of the green tea harmoniously blends with the floral and sweet scent of the jasmine to craft a heavenly treat for your taste buds. This is definitely my favorite green tea.

Over a thousand years of traditional tea scenting techniques are still used in creating Jasmine Pearls. Green tea leaves and buds are hand selected and harvested in the spring. They are stored until summertime, when the jasmine flowers begin to bloom at night. The jasmines are meticulously picked accordingly to the color of their petals, which indicates their readiness and extent to bloom. Plucking an open flower means the scent has already escaped, but if you pick a bud too early, it may not bloom in time to impart its scent onto the tea leaves. Every evening, the tea is carefully placed on burlap and layered with fresh jasmine. Layer upon layer, the flowers open up, leaving their scent on the leaves. Every morning, the flowers are removed, and the process is repeated nightly. Once the tea leaves have sufficiently absorbed the jasmine scent, the green tea is dried and hand-rolled into little spheres about 8 to 10 mm. in diameter. Because of their beautiful shape and color, Jasmine Pearls are often called Dragon Phoenix Pearls.

-MELISSA CHUA

The Neem tree is an evergreen native to India and other parts of Southeast Asia. For centuries in these countries, Neem has been called “the village pharmacy”, because its leaves, bark, seeds and oil are used as a mainstay of traditional healing and Ayurvedic treatments. More than 150 bioactive substances have been identified in different parts of the Neem plant, many of them offering antiseptic and astringent qualities.

Because Neem has long been such an important presence in the culture of India, Gandhi often held his prayer-meetings beneath the generous, spreading canopy of a Neem tree, and also ate Neem-leaf chutney daily.

Neem is still a vital part of Indian culture, used to address health concerns ranging from bad breath to preventing malaria. Today, Neem is also being discovered and embraced by modern health-enthusiasts in the west, as an ingredient in invigorating teas.

Although the clustered white flowers of the Neem tree are sweetly fragrant, the flavor of Neem tea is very, very bitter, one of the six tastes recognized in the Ayurvedic palette. In this system, taste is important in order to understand the properties and functions of an herb or botanical.

The goal of integrating Neem, whether as a tea or in another preparation, is to balance the energies for greater health. In this system, bitterness is not to be avoided, and in fact is viewed as corrective, purifying, and tonifying, or tonic, to the liver. A real-life analogy might be a craving for a salad of crisp, sharply-bitter, dark greens—dandelion and endive—after snacking on leftover Halloween candy. Too much sweet calls for correction, with a bit of the bitter.

In the Ayurvedic tradition Neem is associated with the dosha known as Vata. Vata is characterized as cooling, drying, reducing, dispersing. A traditional image for Vata is wind moving through space, offsetting the heavy moisture of the Kapha dosha, and the excessive fire or heat of Pitta. With this reasoning, many practitioners of Ayurveda use Neem tea and other Neem preparations as a digestive before meals, and as a slimming aid to reduce fat.

Neem adds a vibrant and detoxifying note to Art of Tea blends “Feel Better Blend” and “Tea For Him”. To balance out the acrid bitterness which defines Neem, “Feel Better Blend” adds Organic Chili Pepper, Cinnamon, Licorice Root, Fennel and Green Rooibos, among other choice botanicals, for a brew which releases stagnation.

Manly “Tea for Him” blends Neem with Organic Orange Peel, Vetiver Root and Assam Black Tea in a malty, yet earthy infusion with a musky-sweet finish reminiscent of sandalwood, ideal for re-energizing after intense exercise and exertion.

Considered the “coldest” of the six tastes in the Ayurvedic palette, Tikta, or bitterness, is also felt to inspire introspection. It is linked with winter, and the beginning of the new year. For any season, the instructive bitterness of Neem is an acquired taste worth acquiring.

- Victoria Thomas

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Many tea blends in today’s marketplace identify themselves as “Lotus” teas, when in fact they are green and white teas of the Camellia sinensis variety. Art of Tea’s “Lotus Flower” is the actual flower, picked at its peak, intact, perfect, as the basis of a refreshing cup.

Green and white teas may be infused with Lotus essence by stuffing a Lotus flower with tea leaves and leaving them overnight, or by baking Lotus flowers with Camellia sinensis to infuse them with the floral scent. I prefer the purity of just this immaculate flower on its own.

In keeping with the concept of pure enlightenment, the primary virtue associated with the Lotus blossom across centuries of Egyptian, Hindu, Buddhist, Bahá’i and Confucian learning and practice, this elegantly simple offering contains no other ingredients, and is naturally caffeine-free. No additional perfumes or flavorings are added, because they are not needed.

The dried blossom is a thing of beauty, ranging in color from purple, pink or red through a range of yellow and white tones, depending upon the picking season. For a bright yellow infusion with an equally bright flavor, steep for 2-3 minutes. The dried flower is potent enough to be re-steeped four to five times for a satisfying replay.

The Lotus blooms in sacred iconography from India to the Nile delta, across China, Japan, Vietnam, and other cultural stops where Buddha, Ganesha, Shiva and others are revered.

One of the most archetypal thoughts associated with the Lotus is its quality of transformation, arising from mucky, muddy depths to offer a pristine, unstained blossom to the rays of the sun. For this reason, the Crown Chakra, the state of ultimate enlightenment, is often depicted as an unfolding Lotus of a thousand petals.

In some areas of Buddhist thought, the Lotus is also contemplated as a symbol of detachment, the process which is key to releasing one’s self from suffering, and which also facilitates this release in others. This meditation is often depicted in the way that rain collects in the upraised petals of the open Lotus. The petals collect only as much weight as they can bear, without breaking the stem. When the petals are filled with rain, they gently tip and release their burden to the pond, without resistance, regret, or attachment.

Today, water-lilies or Lotus plants are a popular aquaculture plant, adaptable to even the most urban settings. Hundreds of varieties, many fragrant and night-blooming, may be grown in a small tub—I favor treated rain-barrels—which can fit on a small terrace or patio. Even in the midst of the city, the radiant blossoms of the Lotus will attract dragonflies, large moths, bees and other remarkable creatures.

The Lotus blossom is a regal and soothing companion, whether steeped as a pristine botanical brew, or nurtured as a living plant.

VICTORIA THOMAS

Tea-culture is both science and art.  To produce a masterfully crafted tea requires both precision and intuition, accuracy of technique and sheer inspiration, much like composing and performing music.

In both cases, science supports art. It’s valuable to use tea-terms carefully, and to explain the tea-cultivating process and method as precisely as possible in order to more fully appreciate the next cup. An example is the word “fermentation”.

Teas are often described as semi-fermented, and fermented, and this is rarely the case. Teas are generally semi-oxidized, and oxidized. The terms are often used interchangeably, but this may lead to confusion.

Fresh picked tea-leaves undergo enzymatic oxidation simply by exposing them to air and allowing them to dry. This process differs scientifically from how true fermentation is defined. “Ferment” generally requires the action of yeast, bacteria or mold.

Part of the art of tea cultivating is deciding when to stop this oxidization process. This may be accomplished with steam, or dry heat, in various ways. Classically, this was done over wood-fire, charcoal or heat vents.  Heating deactivates the enzymes which have been triggered by plucking the leaves, and determining when to step into the cycle is an example of tea-making mastery. This sense of timing is learned and taught, but also must be felt, in a less literal way.

If we are looking at the Camellia sinensis plant, a tea’s ultimate type will be determined by how much oxidization is allowed to take place. In their natural state, the leaves wilt if not dried soon after picking. As the chlorophyll in the leaves breaks down, the leaves darken, and tannins are released.

The mathematical possibilities begin to unfold as you contemplate the potential variations. White teas are traditionally wilted, and completely unoxidized. Green teas are both unwilted, and unoxidized. Oolongs are wilted, then bruised or “rattled” to an exacting level, and partially oxidized between 1%-99% depending on the artisans result they are looking to reveal. Black teas are wilted, bruised, and fully oxidized. There are virtually unlimited nuances of variation possible between the plucking of the fresh leaf and the final blending, including adding florals, fruit, spice and other elements before the mixture is steeped. Natural cycles, such as season and rainfall, also greatly affect the tea-leaf, its nature, quality and character. All of these factors determine the lightness, depth and flavor of the brewed tea.

The fact that the potential of the tea-leaf is unleashed merely by exposure to air—and not by the more chemically complex action of true fermentation—makes a cup of tea even more of a thing of wonder.

I love the fact that the tea that’s generating so much excitement these days –Rooibos– isn’t technically a “tea” at all… in the sense that it is not made from the leaf of the Camellia sinensis plant.

The Rooibos plant actually belongs to the legume family (Fabaceae), meaning it’s botanically related to beans. No wonder an herbal Rooibos tisane is sometimes referred to as a “coffee-drinker’s tea”. It’s robust, hearty and earthy, and hip-minded cafés now offer Rooibos in coffee-inspired concoctions, like “lattes” and “espressos”, made coffee-free and caffeine-free with Rooibos instead of the obvious. But unlike the coffee-originals, Rooibos is naturally sweet, with a creamy-vanilla aroma top note that’s straight from the earth.

The plant’s name is Afrikaans, the Dutch idiom spoken in South Africa—it means “red bush”, which is another common name for this plant. The bush is grown exclusively in the Cedarberg Mountain region of Cape Town, South Africa. European colonists who emigrated to the Cape in the early 20^th century initially took an interest in this rugged, shrubby plant because tariffs on Asian teas were, pardon the pun, steep. The local Khoi-Khoi people had been brewing and drinking the fine, needle-like leaves for centuries (they loved it so much that they collected the precious seeds from anthills!), so the new arrivals decided to join them.

One of the reasons that Rooibos is a modern-day success story for South Africa is that bean-connection. Legumes are “nitrogen-fixing”, meaning that they minimize the need for fertilizer in low pH, less-than-rich soil. For instance, when growing other veggies, many farmers plant rows upon rows of Fava beans for this reason alone. This make Rooibos economical to grow, and also reduces its planetary footprint, since it does not require heavy ag-chemicals in the form of fertilizers. The bio-efficiency of Rooibos as a crop creates a dynamic basis for both Organic and Fair Trade growing and harvesting practices.

Generations of indigenous Africans used Rooibos as a soothing bath, especially for babies, and anyone with rashy, irritated skin. These soothing properties, according to their traditional beliefs, also eased insomnia and headaches when the plant was brewed and sipped.

Today, Rooibos is enjoying renewed popularity as a topical ingredient in modern skin care formulations. Research is currently underway to establish its other health benefits. For now, there is no arguing that a cup of Art of Tea Rooibos, or Art of Tea’s headier Rooibos Chai (infused with a spice-route of Organic Cloves, Cardamom, Cinnamon and Ginger) refreshes and satisfies, from the first gorgeously-transparent red sip, until the pot runs dry.

–Victoria Thomas

October is Fair Trade month. You hear and see the words “fair trade” all over the place—in supermarkets, retail stores, coffee shops–but do you really know what it is? Fair Trade is a social movement where the goal is to help producers in developing countries create healthier trading conditions and promote sustainability. This global practice started in the 1940s when North American and European organizations helped underdeveloped communities sell their handmade crafts to local markets. Fair Trade is an exchanging partnership that contributes to sustainable developments by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers. Fair Trade practices assist in creating more equal exchanges between consumers and producers. Funds from Fair Trade practices solely support social, economic and environmental development projects in these poverty-stricken regions.

Art of Tea founder Steve Schwartz, documented a few of the ways in which Fair Trade benefited a tea-producing community in China. Click on the link below and see for yourself what Fair Trade means to the tea producers in a town  near Wuyi Shan in Fujian:

Why Does Fair Trade Matter?

Fair Trade Gift Set

Art of Tea is a leading purveyor of Fair Trade USA certified Fair Trade blends. We offer about 39 Fair Trade certified teas and continue to search for Fair Trade opportunities to produce more. Among these Fair Trade teas are favorites such as Caramelized Pear and Velvet Tea.

But as we usher in the fall season, Tali’s Masala Chai seems fitting in my mug. I am a Chai fan, so I had high hopes when I tried my first cup. Not only is it Fair Trade, it is organic certified. The mildly caffeinated blend consists of the traditional Assam black tea from India, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.

Tali's Masala Chai

This aromatic concoction is smooth with hints of spiciness garnered from the cinnamon and ginger. I was quite pleased with its strong yet well-balanced flavors. This also makes a great latte. Simply stir in milk, and you’re moments away from a heavenly treat.

Here are just a few reasons why Fair Trade practices are so important to Art of Tea:

· Fair trade practices help producers in under-developed countries have greater opportunities to acquire the resources they need to improve their livelihood.

· Sustainable development protects against land loss by promoting environmentally friendly processes which in turn creates a healthy working environment for producers and their families.

· Fair trade practices also promote fair wages for workers, build schools and hospitals, create cultural centers, promote gender equality and fight against child labor in tea producing areas.

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Why-you-suh…let’s say that together…Why-You-Suh. Guayusa or Ilex guayusa is one of three caffeinated holly trees known in the world. The other two are its more popular cousin, Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) and Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria). The evergreen, holly-leafed tree originates and almost exclusively grows in the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest. But they can also be found in Peru and Colombia. Guayusa is harvested from trees that grow under shaded canopies. These trees can grow up to nearly 100 feet and live to be over 100 years old.

Although guayusa is not related to the Camellia Sinesis plant, the evergreen shrub that produces tea, guayusa leaves are similarly picked, dried and brewed for drinking. Over the years, guayusa was used as an energy lift because in addition to its caffeine content, it contains stimulants such as methyl xanthine alkaloids, theophyline, and theobromine.

Guayusa travels back to a history of cultural heritage by indigenous tribes in Ecuador. The Jivaro community nicknamed guayusa, “Night Watchman” because they believed it keeps you awake. Even while asleep, you are aware of your surroundings. Everyday the Jivaro woke up early in the morning to boil a pot of guayusa leaves, which they drank while telling stories. This tradition strengthened their kinship with each other and cultivated their relationships. The Jivaro also believed guayusa caused hypnotic effects that induced lucid dreams, which foretold the successfulness of hunting expeditions.

A prominent myth illustrates how the Kichwa people chewed on the guayusa leaves to be energized and strengthened, so they would stop being lazy and tired. Ages ago, the Amazon rainforests were over-populated with native tribes. People were always tired and unproductive. One day, a man traveled into the forest and fell asleep next to a tree. Legends say the guayusa tree spoke to him, telling him to eat the leaves. The man listened to the tree, and immediately, he was full of energy, strong and rejuvenated. This experience was passed down throughout the tribe, and eventually this began a tradition of chewing and later drinking guayusa for energy and strength.

I had my first cup of guayusa a few days ago. The beautiful honey hue it created smelled of vibrant earthy tones. It was like a freshly cut lawn on a spring morning after an evening of rain. I could taste the “awakening” almost immediately. The bold caffeine-content was subtle, almost comforting on my palate. It offered rich layers that soothed my throat and soon my entire body.

In addition to Art of Tea’s guayusa, try one of their newest blends also containing guayusa called Happy Tea. This organic certified tea combines guayusa, strawberries, green rooibos, apple bits, Jasmine green tea, hibiscus, rosehips and natural flavors to awaken you. Enjoy the smooth yet mild taste of the guayusa gently paired with the fragrance of sweetness.

- Melissa Chua

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Japan is renowned for its high-quality green teas. At first glance, it may seem that Japanese teas are fairly uniform because most (but not all) of them are green teas. However, there is a wealth of diversity in these jade brews. In part one of this two-part exploration of Japanese green teas, we’ll share some of the key differences that separate the main types of Japanese green teas, including origins, tea plants, shade growing and harvest times.

Origins

The main specialty tea-producing regions of Japan are Uji, Shizuoka and Kyushu.

Uji is known for Uji Gyokuro, Uji Matcha and Uji Kabusecha, but there are also some exceptional Uji Sencha teas we’ve found in our travels. Tea from Uji is often called “Ujicha” or “Uji tea.”

Shizuoka is known for its Sencha and, especially, its light, sweet Shincha.

Kyushu tea is generally lower quality than Uji and Shizuoka tea. However, some Kyushu tea farmers are planting new and interesting varietals, and there are many organic tea farms in the region.

Tea Plants

The varietal of tea plant and the parts of the tea plant that are used to make tea also determine how a green tea will look, smell and taste.

Japan’s most common tea varietal is known as Yabukita, or “North of the Bamboo Forest.” Around Uji City, the Kyotowanabe is popular. And, of course, Kyushu is experimenting with new tea varietals. Each has a unique appearance, aroma and flavor when processed.

Many Japanese green teas use two leaves and one bud. However, some traditional Japanese teas are intentionally made of stems for a lower caffeine level and milder flavor. Our Green Kukicha, Kukicha Twig Tea and Houjicha de la Crème are all examples of Japanese twig teas.

Japanese Twig Teas

Shade Growing

Most Japanese green teas are grown in ample sunshine. However, a few are partially shade-grown to mimic the mists of high-elevation Chinese green teas. These teas include Gyokuro and Matcha (which are shade grown for 20 days or more before harvest), as well as Kabusecha (which is shade-grown for about two weeks before harvest).

Harvest Times

Sencha that is harvested in early spring is known as “Shincha” (or “new tea” or “first-flush Sencha”). Summer and fall pluckings of Sencha are often referred to as Bancha, a type of “everyday green tea” that’s commonly served after meals in Japan.

Depending on the region and the weather patterns of the year, Gyokuro (a type of shade-grown green tea) and Matcha (a shade-grown, powdered green tea) may also be plucked slightly later in the spring than Shincha.

More on Japanese Green Teas

In next week’s blog post, we’ll talk about the differences in processing and blending that distinguish Japanese green teas from one another.

Because the crop yield is so low this year many of the farmers that would harvest their commercially grown fields are now looking elsewhere. In other words they are diving deeper into wild beyond the regularly planted crops and going back to find tea plants that were once harvested regularly but the tea plants were left once they stopped producing good leaves. This time allowed the tea plants to rest and develop the natural soil again which created a new focus for farmers this year. Many farmers in Southern Mountains in China are picking just what nature has provided are seeing tremendous results with the taste and monetary value.

This reminds me of the true the sense that we may do our best to plan, to organize and to overstock but nature has a wonderful and sometimes mystical way of showing that the what we need is really out there. In some cases more than we know we just have to look for it. Unfortunately the time for lucking is sparked in our lives by running out of options and making the most of what we got. If this lesson of what is provided in nature is true then let the taste and experience of the wild tea plant such as Wild Honey Sprout and White Monkey Picked be the reminder of our own natural potential.

Thanks to new data from several studies, the idea that tea leaves could be decaffeinated simply by rinsing prior to brewing is now both outdated and inaccurate. At Art of Tea we are dedicated to providing our customers with accurate information and pride ourselves on being on the leading edge of research.  Here are the facts regarding home decaffeination and caffeine levels in different teas:

To begin with, it’s important to understand that decaf and caffeine-free are not the same thing. Caffeine free means that there was never any caffeine in the product to begin with, while decaf means that caffeine was removed from the product, leaving behind small amounts of residual caffeine.
According to tea experts, the “30-second decaf” theory has been officially debunked.  Noted tea technologist Nigel Melican, founder and managing director of Teacraft, Ltd. says, “You cannot (despite what some notables in the tea industry believe) you just cannot significantly decaffeinate tea by using a 30 second hot water wash (in fact 30 seconds leaves 91 percent of the caffeine in place – and removes a lot of the antioxidants).”

A 1996 study at Auburn University backs Melican up. According to the study, only nine percent of the caffeine was removed during the first 30 seconds of infusion. The researchers also found that it took approximately three minutes to remove 50 percent of the caffeine, about nine minutes of infusion to remove 80 percent, and approximately 15 minutes to remove more than 96 percent.
A 2008 study conducted by Dr. Bruce Branan, Professor of Chemistry at Asbury College, found that a three-minute infusion removes 46-70% of the caffeine from a cup of tea and that it would take a six-minute infusion to remove 80% of the caffeine.
The conclusion to be reached on the “30-second decaf” theory is thus: it doesn’t work. If you want to enjoy a cup of tea that is truly caffeine-free a Tisane (a fusion of different botanicals) or stand alone herb is your best bet. Art of Tea has an entire section dedicated to delicious caffeine-free blends.

Now, on to tackle the caffeine levels of the four major tea families; white, green, oolong, and black.  It’s a popular misconception that both white and green teas have lower caffeine levels than oolong or black teas. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University conducts micronutrient research for optimum health.  They suggest that the popular belief of low caffeine level in White Tea is misplaced: “Buds and young tea leaves have been found to contain higher levels of caffeine than older leaves, suggesting that the caffeine content of some white teas may be slightly higher than that of green teas.”

In 2008 a study at Asbury College corroborates this finding, concluding that white tea does not have less caffeine than green, oolong, or black teas. Likewise, an article in Food research International, Vol 29, 325-330 (1996), states that, “All teas have roughly similar caffeine contents, and one cannot rely on the belief that green tea has less caffeine, as asserted by many popular claims.” So now we know that the myth that both white and green teas have less caffeine than black or oolong teas is just that: a myth.