The main indicator of whether a tea is elite is its quality. At the same time, the quality of planting, collection, technological aspects of production and storage, packaging and packaging matters.
Take a look at dry tea brewing. Its appearance, as well as how it smells, looks and what the already brewed tea tastes like, will tell a lot about its quality.
There are two main levels of tea quality:
• Ordinary,
• Orthodox.
The first is tea, which is drunk by the masses; it is sold in the windows of shops, markets and supermarkets. All stages of its production are carried out mechanically. Not too much attention is paid to its quality. The main task there is the amount of tea.
The raw materials for its production are old, long-ripe leaves and twigs, of which there are a large number of them on the bush. When you drink such tea, you will feel a tart taste and even bitterness. Its natural aroma is so poorly expressed that it is often artificially aromatized. There is little benefit from this tea.
The second is tea, which was made according to methods that have passed through the centuries. Each type of tea uses its own technology in order to obtain a truly high-quality product.
The raw materials for this type of tea are young leaves and unblown buds from the tea bush. The drink from them turns out to be aromatic and very tasty. This tea is not on the shelves in stores, it is difficult to find it on sale even in his homeland. The scale of its production is several times smaller than that of ordinary tea.
All processes from assembly to packaging of orthodox tea are done by hand. At all stages of making such tea, the process is controlled by a master who was specially trained in this art.
Collection tea, belonging to the elite varieties, has a unique taste and aroma. You will taste this tea with pleasure, it is like a well-oiled orchestra, each note sounds perfect, and the aftertaste leaves a pleasant memory of it.
Storage conditions and location also play an important role. Since storage in the wrong place and conditions, even elite tea can make garbage.
Except for fermented teas, all teas are stored for a year. The temperature should be in the range of -5 to + 5 ° C and depends on the type of tea. The dishes for storing it must be completely sealed so that foreign odors do not mix into the tea.
Unfortunately, few people adhere to these rules, even shops that specialize in teas.
What can be considered tea defects? Here are the main signs:
• Trash in the brew. If you notice foreign impurities in the tea, then this indicates poor cleaning and sorting of the tea.
• Sour taste or smell. These are signs that the fermentation or drying process has been disrupted, or their duration. It is possible that old leaves are used.
• Foreign odors. Most likely, this tea was stored in a damp room and should not be consumed.
• Irregular dry welding. Sorting or blending rules were violated.
• Different color of tea leaves with turbidity indicates that spoiled or damaged raw materials were used.
• Bad tea – the fermentation may have been disturbed or the storage conditions were poor. You will drink this tea without pleasure.
Pay attention to the color of the tea. Higher quality tea in this case should have a lighter color. This will mean that the top leaves and shoots were taken. In addition, the premium tea is not crushed. If the brew has been crushed, you should think about the quality.
The highest grades of tea are never additionally flavored. As a rule, teas with additives do not have the taste of the tea itself, but only the taste and aroma of the additives.