Loose leaf tea
1 JAPAN GREEN SENCHA FUKJYU 2 BARNET 4-2-1 BLACK BLEND 3 CHINA LAPSANG SOUCHONG 4 IRISH BREAKFAST LEAF 5 CHRISTMAS ROOIBOS 6 CHAMOMILE FLOWERS 7 GUNPOWDER GREEN TEA 8 DARJEELING MARGARETS HOPE 9 ENGLISH BREAKFAST N0. 28 10 EARL GREY CHOICE These are the 2025 Top Ten Teas, as sold by weight.
The origin The history of tea looks back on a rich tradition reaching back to the ancient times and continues to gain in importance in the modern world. The tea shrub was already mentioned in Chinese literature as early as 2,700 B.C. In 500 A.D., Buddhist monks brought tea to Japan. In 621 A.D., Buddhism … Read more
In a recent piece, British broadcaster and columnist Adrian Chiles shared his quest for one of his cherished teas: the robust and distinctive Lapsang Souchong. Struggling to find it on store shelves, Chiles was gifted a box of Twining’s “Distinctively Smoky” teabags, a claimed homage to the traditional brew. Yet, the imitation fell short, leaving … Read more
Tea production involves three main steps: withering, rolling, and fermentation. Withering, which takes 12-18 hours, reduces leaf humidity by about 50% and prepares them for rolling. The rolling step breaks cells, letting cell fluid contact oxygen, initiating fermentation. Fermentation depends on perfect conditions and monitoring as it dictates tea quality. Enzymes develop taste profiles and change leaf color during this 2-3 hours long process.
Differentiation According to Leaf Sizes Generally it is differentiated between leaf teas and broken teas. The small-leafed broken teas, which are cut during the repeated rolling, are naturally very high yielding. The names of the grades of tea are often very imaginative and vary even from plantation to plantation. They are always an expression referring … Read more
Processing As opposed to coffee, which is imported as green coffee and receives its final form in the country of consumption via sorting and roasting, tea is already processed on the plantations in the country of orgin and then exported in its final form. The most important phases of the treatment with respect to orthodox … Read more
Tea, a tree-like plant, is maintained shrub -like for the tea cultivation by regular pruning. Tea belongs to the species of the camellia. The evergreen shrub has got dark, ridged, leather-like leaves. The flower is white or rose-coloured; the fruit is small with a hard shell, similar to a hazelnut. Nowadays, its reproduction is rarely … Read more
Thea sinensis (or Chinese Tea) This plant remains shrub-like even without regular cutting and grows to a maximum height of 3 to 4 meters. It is especially suitable for medium climatic zones and even tolerates frost. The China-tea plant has been cultivated for many thousand years which resulted in an art variety of approximately 5,000, … Read more
Here is the countdown of our Top 10 Teas as sold by weight over the last six months. There’s something for everyone here, but the outright the winner has pleasantly surprised us! 10 – GREEN SENCHA SAKURA Sencha Sakura is one of Japan’s most popular teas, and also Barnet’s. Historically enjoyed by Aristocrats, Townspeople, and … Read more