Tea Advisor
Essential Components of Tea
[This month and the next few upcoming months] you'll find some of today's most popular herbs, with a brief description of their effects plus instruction on how to brew each one into a tea. (Caution: When brewing herbs that you've gathered, do not use roadside herbs, which may be coated with noxious car exhaust, or herbs that may have been sprayed with pesticide.) You'll also find recipes for herbal tea blends and beverages as well as herbal recipes to transform your home and bath. Soothing, stimulating aromatic herbs - they are all here.
Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius, American ginseng: P. ginseng, Korean or Chinese ginseng) has been proclaimed an aphrodisiac and cure-all for many human ailments. Its root often resembles the human form, indicative, some believe, of its curative powers. To make a decoction, use ½ teaspoon of the powdered root in 6 to 8 ounces of boiling water, simmering for 10 minutes.
Hops (Humulus lupulus) are small, cone like flowers that flavor and preserve beer. The mellow and peppery tea made from hops is believed to work as a mild sedative that relieves tension. Use 2 teaspoons of the fresh flowers or freezer-dried hops in 6 to 8 ounces of boiling water. Steep for 5 minutes or to taste.
Lavender (Lavandula spica, L. vera, L. angustifolia, L. officinalis) is one of the world's favorite herbs. Its aromatic flowers have scented baths and given fragrance to perfumes and potions since ancient Roman times. As an herbal tea, it has a slightly sweet, highly aromatic flavor. It's often used as an accent in blends. (Peet's Coffee & Tea makes a delightful Earl Grey with Lavender.) Lavender is said to relieve fatigue, depression, and tension headaches. Use 2 teaspoons of the fresh flowers or 1 teaspoon dried in 6 to 8 ounces of boiling water. Steep for 3 to 5 minutes.
The New Tea Book | By Sara Perry
Lu Yu, Chinese Tea Authorities
At the factory the tea leaves are spread out on bamboo trays to dry off the dew and other superfluous moisture. If green tea is being made, any fermentation is now brought to a halt by killing off the enzymes with heat. This can be done by a few minutes of steaming or roasting. The roasting is quite mild - the leaves being tossed about in a shallow iron pan and heated over a charcoal fire until they are just hot enough still to remove by hand. They are then tipped out on to the rolling table.
At the wicker rolling table the workers make balls of the leaves, which they roll between the palms of their hands and about the table, both to expel any moisture and to put a twist on the leaves. If there is too much moisture left, the brief roasting and the rolling may be repeated a few times. Then the leaves are returned to the roasting pans for a much longer final roasting. This may take an hour or more, the leaves being continually moved around with the hands so that they do not blacken. At the end of this final roasting the tea is ready for use. All that remains is to sieve out the dust and sort the leaf into different grades.
Tea | By Roy Moxham
Back To Top ‹ Previous Article | Next Article ›
