TEA 101

Tea 101 is an educational series for beginners designed to bring clarity to some of the most commonly asked questions about tea. Follow along as we explore the origins and history of the different types of tea as well as several common botanicals.

 

What is Matcha?

What is Matcha?

Matcha is a traditional Japanese green tea powder produced by stone-milling a shade-grown green tea called tencha into a fine powder…

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What is Green Tea?

What is Green Tea?

Green Tea is the least oxidized of the six tea types. Green teas are crafted with the application of heat in a step called firing. This heat denatures the enzymes that cause tea leaves to change in color…

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What is Black Tea?

What is Black Tea?

Black Tea,” as it’s called in the West, is known as “Hong Cha” or “Red Tea” in Asia, due to its dark reddish infusion color and dark colored dried tea leaves covered with reddish-orange pekoe…

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What is Herbal Tea?

What is Herbal Tea?

Herbal Tea refers to naturally caffeine-free products that are not actually “tea” in the botanical sense. Many people are surprised that all true tea is made from the leaves of a single plant…

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What is Oolong Tea?

What is Oolong Tea?

Oolong Tea is the most artisanal style of tea that is highly sought-after by tea connoisseurs for its wonderfully complex…

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What is White Tea?

What is White Tea?

White Tea is a pure and noble expression of Camellia sinensis. Unlike the other types of tea, white teas are neither fired nor rolled & allowed to simply air dry…

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What is Gongfu Cha?

What is Gongfu Cha?

Gongfu Cha (literally, “Kung Fu Tea”) is a traditional Chinese term that refers to two things: a special class of artisanal, handmade teas and a method of brewing teas of that caliber using particular vessels such as a gaiwan,

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What is Pu’er Tea?

What is Pu’er Tea?

Pu’er tea is one of the oldest types of tea, with a history dating back more than 2,000 years. This ancient tea originates in Yunnan province on China’s southwestern frontier.

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What Is Dark Tea?

What Is Dark Tea?

There are many versions of dark teas prepared through fermentation, also known as post-fermentation. The addition of fermentation increases the potential benefit to aid digestion.

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HOW TO BREW TEA

No matter how you plan to brew your tea, check out our brewing guides above with videos and step-by-step instructions.

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