Inexperienced and Black Tea Come From the Similar Plant—So Why Do They Style So Totally different?

For one thing so simple as leaves steeped in sizzling water, tea carries a profound legacy that dates again to the southwestern Chinese language provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan as early as 6,000 years in the past. Tea leaves have been traded throughout empires, impressed revolutions, and warmed billions of palms for hundreds of years.

Tea is a continuing in my routine—a small ritual that anchors my days. I take a bracing mug of robust black tea with milk within the mornings and wind down with a relaxing cup of floral inexperienced tea within the afternoon. My fascination with tea’s many profiles is what drew me into studying extra about tea, together with the variations between inexperienced tea and black tea.

Each forms of tea share a typical origin: Camellia sinensis, the versatile evergreen shrub behind almost all teas (aside from natural teas, which are not thought of true teas). But inexperienced and black teas could not be extra completely different in taste, shade, and utilization. How can one plant yield such dramatically distinct brews? 

To study extra concerning the variations between these two beloved tea varieties, I spoke with Virginia Utermohlen Lovelace, MD, tea educator and writer of Tea: a Nerd’s Eye View, Tomoko Honda, Head of International Operations for Ippodo Tea, a family-run tea firm that has been producing and promoting advantageous Japanese inexperienced tea since 1717, and Jason McDonald, co-owner of The Nice Mississippi Tea Firm. 

It turns on the market’s lots to unpack about tea.

Processing Strategies

“The core distinction between inexperienced and black tea occurs after the leaves are plucked,” says Lovelace. “Processing performs with the leaf’s chemistry to create varied profiles, and you will get a panoply of prospects relying on what you do.” She explains the principle steps beneath. 

Pluck and Wither

The primary steps in producing any tea are the pluck and wither, the stage when plucked leaves dry out. In response to the trauma, the leaves produce protection chemical compounds which have a grassy and vegetal style. This step could be very quick when making inexperienced tea—usually solely so long as it takes to deliver the leaves in from the sector—about 4 to eight hours, says Lovelace. For black teas, the withering stage sometimes lasts 18 hours.

Oxidation

After the withering stage, black tea leaves are rolled by hand or machine to rupture the cell partitions, releasing enzymes and compounds that produce fruity, floral notes whereas lowering the grassy flavors developed throughout withering. The rolled leaves are saved in a cool, humid surroundings to advertise oxidation for one to 4 hours, which darkens the leaves and creates massive polyphenols—compounds that contribute physique, construction, and taste—answerable for black tea’s wealthy golden-red shade. Inexperienced tea leaves skip oxidation and go straight to the kill inexperienced stage (beneath).

Kill Inexperienced

This heating step is important in stopping oxidation by deactivating polyphenol oxidases and peroxidases—two pure enzymes present in tea leaves. In Japan, kill-green is usually carried out with steam, leading to inexperienced teas with a recent, grassy style. In China, tea leaves are normally heated in a wok, which supplies the tea a toastier taste. The period of time between plucking and this kill inexperienced step determines what number of dark-colored polyphenols will kind, which impacts the tea’s closing shade and taste.

Storage

Inexperienced tea might be loved instantly after the kill inexperienced stage. Because it’s minimally oxidized, inexperienced tea tends to degrade in a matter of months and turn into stale and rancid. Relying on storage (the most effective teas come vacuum packed), inexperienced tea might be good for as much as a yr, however must be consumed inside two to a few months after opening (hold it away from mild, which hastens staling). To inform in case your inexperienced tea has gone stale, search for pale leaves and a musty or flat scent. Contemporary inexperienced tea ought to have a vibrant inexperienced shade and vibrant, grassy aroma. As soon as rested for just a few weeks, black tea is able to drink or retailer, and infrequently lasts indefinitely if saved dry, which makes it best for export.

Taste: Contemporary vs. Daring

Tea’s taste comes from three foremost parts: polyphenols, amino acids, and important oils.

• Polyphenols, together with catechins, give tea its physique, construction, and bitterness. Catechins are compounds that defend the plant. The compounds act as a pure sunscreen and bug repellent, and provides inexperienced tea its signature taste. 

  “Inexperienced tea has layers of sweetness, astringency, and bitterness,” says Honda. Japanese inexperienced teas, resembling sencha and gyokuro, are sometimes steamed to forestall oxidation and protect polyphenols, leading to a vibrant, nearly broth-like taste. 

  Oxidation converts catechins into bigger, extra advanced polyphenols, resembling theaflavins and thearubigins, which contribute to black tea’s deeper taste and its amber to reddish-brown hue. Nonetheless, these bigger polyphenols additionally contribute astringency—that dry, puckery feeling you get after ingesting some teas and purple wine.

• Amino acids, notably L-theanine, add a easy, savory, nearly brothy style—what Honda describes as umami—to tea. This richness helps steadiness out the bitterness from catechins and provides depth. It is a prized attribute in high-quality inexperienced teas, notably in Japanese varieties resembling gyokuro or matcha. Shade-growing the tea plant 20 days earlier than harvest (widespread in Japanese teas) will increase the quantity of amino acids within the leaves. That is why shade-grown teas usually style sweeter and richer than sun-grown ones. In black tea, the oxidation course of breaks down amino acids, leading to tea with much less umami and extra strong, fruity, or malty flavors.
• Important oils in tea leaves are unstable natural compounds which can be answerable for the tea’s aroma, whether or not that is floral, fruity, or grassy. Whereas catechins and amino acids form style and mouthfeel, important oils are what your nostril picks up earlier than you even take a sip. These oils are delicate to warmth and oxidation, so how the tea is processed determines what number of of those compounds stay within the closing product. As an example, a tea that has a floral high quality could have been withered for an extended time and heated (kill inexperienced) with pressured air quite than by a sizzling wok to retain important oils.

Environmental circumstances through which a tea is grown additionally play a significant function within the taste of tea.

“Each space that grows tea can have its personal distinctive nuance,” says McDonald. “Some name this terroir, however I believe it has extra to do with stress-related phenotypic expression.” By that, he signifies that terroir is the baseline style of a tea or area (formed by elements resembling altitude, soil, and solar publicity) that’s at all times current within the tea; nonetheless, on a regular basis stressors, resembling climate and temperature fluctuations, trigger completely different flavors to emerge within the brewed tea. “As we take away tea from native or conventional areas, we’re discovering the broad range of the plant and its potential,” he says.

Caffeine Content material: Which Tea Packs Extra Punch?

Typically, black tea accommodates extra caffeine (40 to 70 milligrams per cup) than inexperienced tea (20 to 45 milligrams per cup), however not at all times by a lot. Nonetheless, the precise quantity is determined by the leaf kind (youthful leaves have extra caffeine than mature leaves), brewing time, and the way the tea is processed, says Honda. Matcha, a powdered inexperienced tea constituted of shade-grown younger leaves, accommodates considerably extra caffeine (as much as 70 milligrams per serving) since you’re consuming the entire leaf. (With different teas, you are solely consuming the steeped liquid and discarding the leaves.)

Tips on how to Brew Tea

To unfurl and totally launch their flavors, entire tea leaves must steep in sizzling water for simply the correct quantity of time. Nonetheless, oversteeping could make inexperienced tea bitter or black tea too astringent. To get the most effective out of your tea, some precision issues, however do not overthink it.

It is usually good to brew inexperienced tea with steaming sizzling, not boiling, water to keep away from scalding the fragile leaves. When you’ve got an instant-read thermometer helpful or an electrical kettle with temperature settings, you’ll be able to intention for about 170°F (77°C). However for those who do not personal these instruments, to not fear: Simply search for small bubbles, not a rolling boil. 

“You possibly can simply roughly brew a cup and revel in it,” says Honda. “And relying on how you’re feeling, the climate, or time of day, you’ll be able to mess around with the recipe to your liking.”

And, oops, for those who depart it steeping longer than the really helpful time on the bundle and the tea’s too astringent, Lovelace says including a pinch of salt will make all of it higher. “Tastes compete with one another,” she says. “Salt cuts bitterness by interfering with the bitter message that your tongue sends to your mind.”

You should utilize a tea infuser, however once more, specialty instruments aren’t essential to get pleasure from tea. Throughout China, as an example, some folks put a few pinches of tea leaves in a cup, fill it with sizzling water, then let it steep for a minute earlier than sipping and utilizing their lips to filter out the tea leaves.

Another choice for brewing tea is to make use of a standard Chinese language gaiwan, which consists of a small bowl, saucer, and lid. You pour sizzling water into the empty gaiwan to heat it up, then empty it and add just a few teaspoons of tea leaves. Pour in sizzling water, let it steep, then use the lid as a strainer as you pour the tea right into a cup.

For the Tea Nerds

If you wish to get granular (that is Severe Eats, in any case) with brewing inexperienced tea, ensure the water you employ is the very best quality obtainable to you (for those who would not drink your faucet water straight, do not use it for tea). Japanese inexperienced teas are sweetest when brewed at 160 to 170°F and gyokuro even decrease at round 140°F (60°C) for 30 seconds to 1 minute, however Chinese language inexperienced teas can tolerate hotter temperatures as a result of they have been intensely heated in a wok, because the dry warmth and gradual publicity make the leaves extra strong or immune to temperature fluctuations. As compared, steamed leaves stay extra supple and delicate. Begin with a teaspoon or two of tea per three fluid ounces of water for a wealthy, full-bodied tea, and experiment with completely different ratios to search out what fits you greatest.

To brew black tea, use water at round 200 to 212°F (93 to 100°C) and steep one teaspoon of leaves per six to eight fluid ounces of water for 3 to 5 minutes. (If you happen to plan on including milk, go for an extended steep for a stronger infusion.)

Chilly Brew

To make cold-brewed iced tea, use eight to 12 grams (a couple of heaping tablespoon) of tea per quart of water and steep in a lined glass or plastic container in a single day (hold it refrigerated). Pressure off the leaves the following day.

What Are the Finest Makes use of for Tea?

Custom

Tea evokes ceremony and encourages folks everywhere in the world to decelerate and meet up with family members and new acquaintances.

• In China and Japan, tea ceremonies are a celebration of hospitality, mindfulness, and custom. Matcha is whisked in Japanese tea rituals, whereas oolong ({a partially} oxidized fragrant selection), inexperienced, and black teas are sometimes served throughout Chinese language dim sum. 
• Chai, a brew of black tea, milk, spices, and sugar, is central to life in India and Pakistan. It’s warming, invigorating, and social. 
• Thailand’s iconic Thai iced tea is made with black tea, sweetened condensed milk, and spices, leading to a creamy, dessert-like drink. 
• In Myanmar, fermented tea leaf salad, referred to as lahpet thoke, is a nationwide delicacy. 
• Afternoon tea, with its scones and finger sandwiches, is nearly synonymous with British tradition. Robust black tea blends, resembling Assam or Ceylon, are the celebrities right here. 
• Malaysians pull tea from cup to cup with milk to create a frothy concoction referred to as teh tarik.
• Whereas most locations around the globe drink their tea sizzling, McDonald says Southern People are likely to drink iced tea and flavored teas.

Tea Pairings

Lovelace says pairing teas with meals follows the identical tasting ideas as wines. Teas and wines have related polyphenols, flavonols, amino acids, and fragrant volatiles that affect taste, aroma, and mouthfeel. Consider inexperienced teas just like the whites, particularly Riesling and Gewürztraminer, each wines with vibrant floral, fruity notes. Oolong is much like Pinot Noir, with its wealthy floral and cherry notes. And black tea, like a malty, tannic Assam tea, can be like cabernet. 

“Pairing tea with fruits, cheeses, and candy treats is a pure inclination,” says McDonald. She explains that black teas work nicely with darkish berries like blackberries, pomegranates, and purple grapes, whereas inexperienced teas pair particularly nicely with mild, crisp fruits, resembling lemon, apples, or lychee. 

Honda likes ingesting hojicha, a roasted inexperienced tea, when consuming pizza. Its grassy, toasted notes “go nicely with oily meals and type of cleanse your palate.” She additionally recommends having fun with matcha with chocolate, sencha with citrus desserts, resembling lemon meringue or key lime pie, and gyokuro with sushi.

Baking and Cooking

Cooking with tea provides complexity and nuance to meals. “Every tea has its personal distinctive taste profile so as to add to a dish,” says McDonald.

Black tea can infuse baked items with a deep, malty taste, as seen in Thai tea cake, Earl Gray cookies, and tea-soaked Irish bread. Inexperienced tea’s delicate nuances, alternatively,  (particularly matcha) work fantastically in shortbread, ice cream, and soba noodles. Tea-smoked duck, a basic from China’s Sichuan province, will get its earthy, woodsy notes from smoked inexperienced tea leaves. (Tea smoke is milder than wooden—barely candy, much less oaky, however nonetheless deeply savory.) The identical technique additionally works with fish and rooster wings. 

When cooking or baking with tea, McDonald says it is important to be aware of its software. “Since there are completely different compounds within the leaf that infuse and dissolve in another way, varied strategies will end in distinct tastes,” he says. His e-book, The Nice Mississippi Tea Firm Cookbook, gives varied methods of steeping or infusing, with every serving to to deliver out completely different nuances relying on whether or not you are making use of warmth or utilizing fats and what kind.

Tea Cocktails

Tea is basically an herb with nuanced flavors, and is incessantly added to blended drinks. Vegetal gin takes exceptionally nicely to tea, resembling smoky lapsang souchong in sage and gin punch, or gunpowder tea in gin and celery punch.

The Takeaway

Inexperienced and black tea are merely completely different expressions of the identical plant—Camellia sinensis—however they could not be extra distinct, because of the best way they’re processed after harvest. Inexperienced tea is shortly heated to protect its grassy, umami-rich character, whereas black tea is totally oxidized for a bolder, extra astringent brew. Elements like oxidation, terroir, and even steeping approach all affect every cup, from caffeine content material to aroma. Whether or not steeped historically or casually sipped from a mug, tea is each science and ritual—an historical beverage with limitless prospects for exploration.

One of the best tea is the one you get pleasure from—and the one which fits the second. If you happen to crave a daring, energizing brew with depth, black tea is your buddy. If you happen to’re searching for one thing lighter and refreshing, inexperienced tea is the best way to go.