How to choose tea

How to choose a quality tea? Simple tips for connoisseurs of elite Chinese varieties

How to choose the right tea? What is the best Chinese tea? What is the most delicious Chinese tea? How to choose high-quality tea? Where can I buy good tea? These and many other questions are asked by almost everyone when it comes to choosing one of the popular drinks of the Ukrainians of tea, saving winter from cold and in summer from the heat.

Quality, variety, taste and aroma, as well as useful properties. These are exactly the criteria that you should pay attention to when buying tea. In reality, the situation is as follows: as a rule, most Ukrainians buy the product in supermarkets, without thinking about the above-mentioned qualities of the tea leaf. And in vain! Tea is a drink «for the soul and body», and tea drinking is a great opportunity not only to enjoy a delicious, flavorful, healthy drink, but also to relax, put your thoughts in order, get a rush of new strength, calm the nervous system… So, at least, not only the Chinese believe, but millions of people around the world. Each grade of high-quality Chinese tea (we do not take into account the bagged surrogate from dust and seeding) has not only unique taste and aroma properties, but also a medicinal composition that has a positive effect on the activity of the human body as a whole. Each type affects in its own way, while it has an exclusive taste and aroma with individual notes and shades.

The use of Chinese tea

If you turn to the topics «tea benefits and harm» and «varieties of Chinese tea», you can highlight the main thing. With regular use:

• Black - increases blood pressure.
• Green - protects the cardiovascular system from diseases.
• Red - strengthens the immune system, perfectly quenches thirst.
• White - slows down the aging process at the cellular level.
• Yellow - regenerates bone tissue, helping to get rid of arthritis and rheumatism.
• Puer - tones, normalizes the work of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Oolong - promotes proper and active weight loss.

The best varieties of tea have more than one healing direction, which we have indicated above. The benefits of each type are really great and are counted in whole lists. To find out more about each variety, please visit our blog.

Back to the topic of our article: how to choose a good tea? There are main criteria that determine the quality of tea leaves.

• Color. the Blend must have a uniform color. If it concerns black tea, the leaves should be black, green – green. If there are brown, "rusty" or gray shades in any variety – this is an indicator of poor quality or improper storage.
• Size. Good tea has tea leaves of approximately the same size, the size of which corresponds to the international standard.
• Cleanliness.high-Quality raw materials do not have foreign inclusions (crushed leaves, crumbs, sticks, dust, twigs, wood, paper, etc.).
• Tea leaf curl: weak and strong. The indicator of high-quality fermentation is the strong Curling of tea leaves. Large-leaf varieties are characterized by a long thin shape. As for the green varieties: if the leaf is twisted strongly, it means that the tea will be stronger, if-weak, the taste of the drink will be softer, and the aroma is stronger. If the leaf is not twisted, it is an indicator that the raw material was dried in a natural way.
• Degree of humidity. Quality tea has 3-6% humidity. The more moisture the leaves contain, the worse the quality. At 20%, the raw material becomes moldy and becomes poisonous. If the leaf is too dry, it becomes brittle. This is easy to check: RUB a few tea leaves in the palm of your hand. If it easily turns into dust-the quality is zero. If the sheet quickly returns to its previous shape, it shows the presence of the desired amount of moisture, therefore, and high quality.
• Smell. the Leaves should have a pleasant smell without additional nuances. Good black tea smells resinous-floral or sweet aroma, green-herbal, slightly bitter. If there is smoke in the aroma – this is a sign of over-drying. Any foreign smell is an indicator of improper storage and poor packaging.
• Freshness. All varieties of high-quality Chinese tea are characterized by freshness, except "Puer", which only gets better and more expensive over the years. The cost determines the age of the tea leaf: the most expensive tea – leaves 1-2 months, leaves 3-5 months will already cost less, but when brewing, You will almost not feel the difference in taste and aroma, and the healthfulness of the drink will remain unchanged. Tea loses a lot in price if it is stored from 6 months to a year. You should buy recently Packed raw materials that have not lost much in flavor. If the tea has been stored for more than a year, its infusion acquires a pronounced astringency, bitterness, and unpleasantness.
• It Should be understood: the maximum flavor and useful properties of real Chinese tea are short-lived. Therefore, you should buy the product in small portions.

How to choose black tea?

In Ukraine, black tea is called both classic black varieties and Chinese red ones. They also include PU-erh – one of the most elite fermented varieties, which becomes tastier, more flavorful with age, and therefore more expensive. Since black tea is the leader in popularity in Ukraine, we decided to pay special attention to it and set out the main criteria for its selection.

• tea leaves should have a uniform black color.
• leaves match the same size.
• when rubbed with your fingers, the raw material should not crumble into dust. When crumpled, the sheet should return to its previous shape.
• tea should have a pleasant smell, without foreign notes. A large leaf gives a soft taste, medium-astringency, saturation. Granulated is considered to be of the lowest quality.

How to choose a tea by variety?

As for the variety, it has two divisions: the variety in the form of a leaf and the variety of packaging.

Varieties by leaf shape

• whole-Leaf tea is the most expensive and high – class tea. It is created on the basis of undeveloped buds-tips and young leaves. The more tips the raw material has, the higher its quality (the drink is more flavorful, tastier, more valuable).
• mid-Range – average price category. It is created on the basis of broken and specially crushed leaves. The infusion is strong, tart, the raw material is brewed faster, but loses the flavor present in whole-leaf tea.
• small-leaf-the cheapest. This tea is made from specially crushed leaves and even waste formed during the production of whole-leaf and medium-leaf species.

Types of packaging

• Loose-the most common form, consisting of a mass of individual tea leaves, closed in paper or metal packaging.
• Pressed-has the form of briquettes of various shapes, created under high pressure. The shape can be either the simplest or the most bizarre – a ball, square, disk, or mushroom… Weight - from 100 grams and higher.
• Extracted-an extract or concentrate of tea that does not contain natural tea leaves. These are granules or powders synthesized by chemical means.

Which tea is better to buy?

This is a question of taste, preferences, desire to get a certain healing effect, as well as the cost of the product. If the brightness of the sweet taste with a smoky aroma is important for You – the ideal option is expensive PU-erh. If you like delicate, refined drinks-find out the exquisite privilege of white, yellow varieties. If you want to taste something original, and at the same time slowly but surely reduce the level of excess weight - regularly use Oolong, and Your figure will always be slim and attractive.

Whatever variety you choose, remember: elite Chinese tea should be drunk slowly and in small SIPS, gradually enjoying the subtle flavor and aroma shades. It is not intended for drinking "on the go". It gives healing only when it is treated with due attention and respect.

Chinese tea for weight loss, names

Losing weight women, and men, can not help but be interested in the question of the impact of Chinese teas on the cleansing of the body. The effectiveness of these products has been proven for centuries. Millions of people were able to make sure that high-quality elite Chinese teas:

• accelerate metabolism,
• cause the body to actively break down stored fat,
• prevent the formation of fat layers,
• removes toxins,
• get rid of excess liquid,
• blunt the hunger,
• get rid of the habit of "overeating",
• tone,
• improve your mood,
• helps to cope with stress.

If we look at the classification of success, we can conclude:

• Oolong is the best way to lose weight,
• in second place – white teas,
• on the third – green,
• on the fourth – yellow.

Where can I buy good tea?

Let's say You decide on the question of which tea to choose. Remains - Chinese tea, where to buy? This means a high-quality type variety. The answer is certain: only in proven specialized tea shops and online stores that provide not only direct deliveries of the product from China, but also the correct storage of raw materials. Otherwise, it makes no sense to buy a non-cheap product. Delicious Chinese tea will be such if you buy it from a professional seller who treats tea as a true value, able to give people warmth, joy and pleasure on a physical and mental level. If you contact Miy Chay, you can make sure that the staff is professional, the quality of raw materials is appropriate, its proper storage, as well as fast delivery and optimal product cost.