Review: Tea: A Nerd's Eye View

There are tea nerds, and then there are Tea Nerds. The folks that get into the details of the leaf and then go deeper into the science of tea. The new book Tea: A Nerd's Eye View by Virginia Utermohlen Lovelace brings together information for Tea Nerds of every kind. Everything from tea chemistry and plant biology, to how our senses perceive the flavors in tea. Below is a little bit about the book, and what I thought while reading it.

Who Is The Book Really For?
This book is for anyone curious about the science behind tea, from leaf to cup. It may seem daunting to open this book and see so many chemical diagrams and charts, but Virginia does a great job of taking her wealth of knowledge and break it down for readers to understand. This is a book for anyone interested in getting deeper into tea. And it's enjoyable to read!

Flavor And Perception- Personal and Botanical
Flavor is of course key to enjoying tea. As tea drinkers we talk endlessly about flavor and aroma, what we like and don't like. The book goes into depth on flavor- how we as humans perceive it, and how it's created both within the plants and through processing. Virginia touches on how taste perception is super personal, and genetics plays a huge role.

I may perceive something as bitter but enjoyable, but someone else may find it repulsive. I may notice something as sweet, but someone else may find it pungent. I love how she discusses the perception of flavors, and how our personal memory and knowledge will change how we taste a tea.

The book also focuses on how flavors in tea are manipulated from the grower but also the tea brewer. When we brew at home, our parameters have an effect on the flavor we taste in the cup. This is all quite logical, but not something I normally sit and deeply think about. Virginia gets into the science behind all of this, and she keeps easy to follow.

Plant Biology
The book really gets down to the tea leaf on the cellular level. The plant biology is fascinating and even though I didn't understand every concept, I gained an understanding of how the plant's survival influences the development of flavors.

Virginia examines the different flavor compounds in tea plants, and how they present differently in each type of tea. She discusses basic chemistry properties in tea leaves, and I think it really helps in understanding the flavors we taste in our tea.

Caffeine
Caffeine content in tea is such a misunderstood thing and I'm glad Virginia covers both how it's produced, and how it may change during processing. And if anyone tells you delicate green and white teas have less caffeine than other teas, just tell them this:

Caffeine is a poison for many insects that would otherwise consume tea leaves. The younger more tender leaves are easier for herbivores and insects to attack, so younger leaves produce a greater quantity of caffeine. Older leaves are stiff and hard, thanks in particular to their greater content of woody compounds such as lignin. They are much less inviting to insects so they don't need as much caffeine to defend themselves.

Processing And Brewing
The book goes through the chemistry involved in each step of tea processing, and how it changes the flavors and aroma. It then examines how the brewing process changes the flavors as well. Virginia says that out of all the ways to brew tea, there is really only one main thing you need to have...

What is fascinating to me now is how many acceptable ways there are to brew tea, and how few true imperatives there are- in fact there is really only one absolute imperative: you must use good water. Or modify your approach if you have poor water.

Traditional brewing techniques are discussed such as tea ceremonies around the world, and how everything from the vessel, to the cup shape, to the brewing parameters will change the flavors in the tea prepared. She also writes about water temperature at length (for both hot and cold brews) and even touches on the tea serving temperature.

I think Tea: A Nerd's Eye View is a fascinating read for the tea lover looking to learn more about the science of the leaf. This book does get quite scientific with everything covered, but it's all very digestible. And, if you're not really interested in the nitty gritty of the science, it's easy to skip paragraphs and jump around the chapters. It's a great book to have on hand as a reference, and for learning more about flavor and chemistry.

Review: Ocha & Co. Organic Japanese Fukamushi Sencha

It's been quite cold in NYC lately, and I've mostly been sipping on roasted, darker teas. But this blustery weather also has me craving something deeply vegetal, fresh, and sweet. Cue this beautiful Fukamushi Sencha from Ocha & Co., which entered my life at just the right time.

Ocha & Co. is an online business focusing on selling the freshest Japanese tea possible. Based in Japan, the company procures their teas on a weekly basis so customers from around the world will receive their teas shortly after they've been processed. The company recently reached out to me to try a few samples, and I decided to start with the Fukamushi Sencha as this is also part of a holiday giveaway we are hosting together (be sure to check it out!).

Japanese green teas can be tricky for me- sometimes they upset my stomach, and if they aren't prepared correctly (which happens much too often in restaurants), they can be bitter and almost undrinkable. But when it's prepared carefully, sencha can be a symphony of greenness (is that a thing? Well, it is now).

This is a 'deep steam' green tea, which is a little bit different from a typical sencha. From Ocha & Co.'s website:

The steaming process is twice as long as usual, breaks down the structure of the leaf, releasing valuable healthy nutrients and bioactives such as beta-carotene and Vitamin E into the brew.

The dry leaves are a rich, deep green. The flat, needle-like leaves are soft and delicate. The scent of these leaves are certain to help cure the wintertime blues. Sweet fresh green peas, tender baby spinach, and spring grass after a soaking rain.

The brewed tea is a vibrant green, with lots of little dark green bits. The liquor tastes as deeply steamed as the name implies. It tastes as if I took the freshest baby spinach I could find and steamed it until it was thick and concentrated. Not a crispy leaf to be found, just lush, soothing greenness (a symphony of it, shall we say?). There is a savory hint to the brew, as if I added a dash of soy sauce to the greens.

I prepared this tea in a glass teapot outfitted with a very fine mesh strainer, similar to a kyusu teapot. This tea needs short steeps, and water no hotter than 185° (I prefer using closer to 170°). You can certainly use a gaiwan, but I'd recommend pouring through a strainer if you don't want to have bits of broken leaf in the brew. This is a good tea for the morning or early afternoon; it's mild in flavor but complex.

If you are intrigued by this tea, please be sure to enter the giveaway I'm hosting with Ocha & Co.! You can win a 100g packet of this tea, as well as a beautiful Tokonameyaki teapot. Thank you to Ocha & Co. for this tea, I greatly enjoyed it. To learn more about this tea, please visit the Ocha & Co. website.

Review: Golden Yunnan from The Republic Of Tea

It's nice to have a tea or two in the stash that's easy to acquire, fairly inexpensive, and of course tastes good. Many of the teas from The Republic of Tea can be found in certain grocery stores and health food stores, and today I'm reviewing their Golden Yunnan black tea.

I usually prefer to focus on smaller tea companies but I thought it would be nice to give Republic of Tea a try since it's been years since I've had their teas. When the company's 'Minister of Creative Ventures' reached out to send a few samples, I decided to request this black tea since I've seen it in our local Whole Foods, so I know it's reasonably easy to obtain. 

The Dry Leaves
This Golden Yunnan is an orthodox black tea from Yunnan, China. You may also see the same tea referred to as Dian Hong. There are a good amount of lovely fuzzy golden buds scattered throughout. I served this tea during Office Tea Club and everyone had fun touching the fuzzy leaves. The dry leaves have a bittersweet chocolate aroma with a touch of roasted sweet potato. 

The Brew

I decided to brew this in a gaiwan, and it worked quite well. The tea brews to a light mahogany (or dark mahogany, if you're like me and tend to be heavy handed with the leaf and steep time) with dominant notes of malt and chocolate. There is a slightly tangy citrus note as well as lingering spice. It has a thick mouthfeel and is quite soothing. A good tea to have on chilly mornings or crisp afternoons. Add in a couch, a fireplace, and maybe a few butter cookies and you wouldn't need to check up on me for a few days...

The Takeaway and Possible Pairing
This Golden Yunnan tea has enough flavor to drink in the morning (I've been enjoying it as the first tea I brew when I get to work), but is also a nice way to cozy up in the afternoon. As I mentioned, the Office Tea Club enjoyed this one, and we nibbled on cranberry spice cake along with the tea. The cranberries were a little too tart for the tea, as there is a slight citrusy note in the brew that starts to take over with the introduction of the cranberries. Not a bad pairing, just not to my liking. I'd stick with something with buttery and/or chocolatey, but maybe a milk chocolate so the flavors don't get too muddled.

This is a good tea to recommend for novice tea drinkers as it's very forgiving. It can be oversteeped  and it still produce a smooth and flavorful cup. As I mentioned, this is a tea that's easy to find locally, which also makes it a good choice for beginners. I'll definitely keep this one around the office for the cold winter days that are right around the corner. Thank you to The Republic of Tea for providing this sample for review.

Review: East Frisian BOP from Upton Tea Imports

Last week I wrote about the East Frisian tea ritual that creates a deeply satisfying cup of tea. I loved learning the history and culture behind this tea. This week's post is a review of the East Frisian BOP blend from Upton Tea Imports that I used in last week's post. I've been drinking it all week with and without the added cream and sugar, so it's definitely time I give it a full review.

It's not easy to find true East Frisian blends in the US, and I was excited to see that Upton sells more than one. Upton has two main blends to choose from, the BOP (broken orange pekoe) blend and the TGFOP blend (tippy golden flowery orange pekoe). I'd normally go for the TGFOP which has full leaves, lots of tips, and more complexity. But, I wanted the closest thing to a strong East Frisian blend, so I went with the BOP. The broken leaves steep up quickly and produce a stronger brew. Also, Upton referred to the BOP blend as the 'classic' brew, so that sealed the deal for me.

The dry leaves

The dry leaves have a raisiny aroma, with honey and a bit of malt. Smells like an Indian or Sri Lankan tea blend, and Upton's website says it's an Assam blend. The leaves are orthodox (whole, not CTC) broken leaves, with some lovely golden tips peppered throughout.

Tea without cream and sugar, so you can see the color

I tasted the tea two ways- straight, and prepared with the addition of sugar and cream in the East Frisian tradition. This tea was blended for the addition of cream and sugar (as many breakfast blends are as well), but I wanted to try it both ways to get a true feeling for the tea. I prepared the tea as instructed- 1 tsp per 6 ounces of water, steeped with boiled water for 3 minutes. The tea steeps up to a beautiful dark mahogany color. Sips of the tea on its own are quite bracing but surprisingly not too astringent. There isn't much nuance, but it's malty with bitter notes of unsweetened chocolate. The liquor is a bit drying on the palate with a malty finish. It's fully bodied and thick. I think I'd cut back slightly on the amount of tea if I was drinking this straight. 

The wet leaves

Pouring this tea over a lump of sugar (kluntje) and adding cream (no stirring!) creates a different cup altogether. It's still quite strong but the cream and sugar tempers the bitterness. The first few sips are quite potent, then the cream turns everything turns into a big cozy hug. It's quite decadent, especially when you get the sweetness from the kluntje. 

This is a great tea for the morning, I've been sipping on it while getting the kids ready for school and it gives me quite a caffeine jolt. This stuff is potent! As I mentioned, if you are preparing it straight you may want to play around with the amount of leaf if it's a little too strong for your taste. With cream and sugar, this is the perfect way to unwind on a chilly winter afternoon. I don't usually prefer adding milk and sweetener to my tea, but this blend really benefits from it. Each sip feels as if you're being wrapped in a cozy blanket.

I definitely want to give the TGFOP blend I mentioned earlier a try, just to see how much it differs from the BOP blend. That could be an interesting comparison of the leaf grades. I imagine the TGFOP blend would also be more drinkable without milk, as I usually prefer not to add it to my morning cup. If you are sensitive to caffeine, definitely keep this as a morning sip. But if you're not prone to the jitters, it's also a great afternoon pick-me-up. I'd recommend brewing the BOP blend in a Western style teapot, as the leaves are too small for a gongfu method. But of course, it's always fun to experiment.

To lean more about this tea you can visit the Upton Tea Imports website here. As I mentioned, they have other East Frisian blends to check out as well. To learn more about the East Frisian ritual of taking tea, you can read my write-up here. Thank you to Upton Tea Imports for this sample! It helped me learn all about the East Frisian tea tradition.