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From: bbanerje@sjuvax.UUCP (B. Banerjee)
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Subject: Re: Tea
Message-ID: <627@sjuvax.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 10-Nov-84 13:56:11 EST
Article-I.D.: sjuvax.627
Posted: Sat Nov 10 13:56:11 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 13-Nov-84 04:39:50 EST
References: <732@hound.UUCP>
Organization: Saint Josephs Univ. Phila., Pa.
Lines: 48

>> Also, according to many of the books I've read on the subject, and many
>> of the people I've talked to in the West, the little tea leaves and the
>> tea "dust" used in many of the tea bags is considered the best tea.
>> This conflicts with what I've heard and learned in China, where the
>> bigger, more complete tea leaves are considered to be better in
>> flavor.
>> 
Well, time for one of my periodic lectures.  The following only applies
to Indian Tea.  I don't really know enough about Chinese Tea to comment
on it.

The traditional teas, have usually been handpicked.  A tea plant (sort
of bushy shrub) takes about 30 years to get to a state of maturity.
The tea leaves used to be picked by hand.  This gave rise to the following
tea types.

a) Fines. - These are the flowers.  Typically used to add flavour to
tea.  Unfortunately, as they contribute nothing to the body, they are
blended with other leaves which add the body.

b) Pekoe - This consists of the buds.  Adds lots of flavour, but not
much in the way of body.

c) Broken Pekoe:  The buds which are broken in the above process fall
under this category.

d) Leaves - The younger the leaf, the better the flavour.

e) Dust -  accumulated debris which has accumulated from the above
sorting process.  Cheapest and worst variety.

If you drink Darjeeling Tea, this is the process it goes through.
However, Assam Tea goes through a different process.  Machines are
used to cut all the Leaves, buds and stuff together.  This is called
CTC tea (Cutting, tearing and ? ).  Anyhow, This tea has a great deal
of body, but not a lot of flavour.  Typically a good mix is 50/50
Assam, Darjeeling.  Assam Tea is a good substitute for coffee in the
morning.

Enough rambling for now.

Regards,

-- 
				Binayak Banerjee
		{allegra | astrovax | bpa | burdvax}!sjuvax!bbanerje
P.S.
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