Archive for July, 2010
As you all know, the Chinese are so meticulous when it comes tea wares. Perhaps this is due to the fact that tea wares like the Chinese tea cups and tea pots play a very important role in the tea preparation. A tea ceremony would not be successful without the use of tea wares. As many people said, the true essence of a Chinese tea ceremony would not be felt if tea wares are lacking.
One of most necessary item in a typical Chinese tea set is the Chinese tea cup. Well, tea cups come in different designs and forms these days. They even differ according to their uses. In this article, I will mention three of the most well-known and highly purchased Chinese tea cups these days. Note that these tea cups are now available in the market and you can even found them online, particularly at http://EnjoyingTea.com.
Consider the following varieties of a Chinese tea cup:
Filtering Tea Cups
As the name implies, filtering tea cups or mugs are used by tea drinkers to primarily filter the tea. Most of this kind of Chinese tea cup are designed and crafted with internal filters. Here are few samples of filtering tea cups:
• Yixing Clay Filtering Mug – This tea mug is made in Jiangsu province, an area situated 120 miles northwest of Shanghai China. For centuries, the Yixing wares are known to be the best vessels for tea. They were made in purple clay and are said to absorb the aroma and flavors of the Chinese tea. These Chinese tea cups are also said to have the ability to withstand high temperatures and are slow to conduct heat. Therefore, the handle remains comfortably cool even when enjoying very hot tea. And, to enhance the practical usage, this Chinese tea cup has an internal filter.
• Poet Filtering Tea Cup – This Chinese tea cup is actually a porcelain mug which is deemed as a perfect companion for enjoying loose tea leaves. It comes with its own lid and an internal porcelain filter, allowing room for tea leaves to expand and provide full infusion of the leaves. Today, this variety of Chinese tea cup depicts a picture of a Tang dynasty poet inspired by outdoor beauty.
Cast Iron Tea Cups
• Black Cast Iron Tea Cup – This item has long been considered as perfect for enjoying tea. It can serve as a great companion for any cast iron teapots and being a classical teapot, it is made from sturdy iron and has enamel coating on the interior to prevent rusting. It is worth noting that this Chinese tea cup now comes in different color.
Specialty Tea Cups
• Small Peony Flower Gaiwan – As the name implies, this porcelain Gaiwan has a lovely peony flower design. Gaiwan actually originated from Ming Dynasty and became popular during the Chine Dynasty in China. Accordingly, this Chinese tea cup is large enough to accommodate tea brewing, yet small enough to be held comfortably for drinking.
• Four Season Character Tea Cup – This is but an exquisite porcelain tea cup. It has four season calligraphy character at all sides, so the name bears it.
Probably you are familiar with the Chinese saying, “Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea are the seven necessities to begin a day.” Though tea is last on the list, we can still see how important the tea is for the Chinese.
There are actually thousand of Chinese tea varieties. These are usually classified by procedure, quality, and preparation methods and so on. However, if we will consider tea in terms of quality, there are actually eight classes of Chinese tea. These include green tea, oolong, black, red, white, yellow, flower, and compressed tea.
Now, let’s take a look at these classes one by one.
Green Tea
Green tea is said to be the most natural type of Chinese tea. It is usually picked, naturally dried and fried briefly to get rid of its grassy smell. Unlike the other types, green tea skipped fermentation process.
According to some experts, green tea has the most medicinal value and the least caffeine content of all Chinese tea classes. The aroma of this type of Chinese type range from medium to high, while the flavor is usually light to medium. Today, about 50% of China’s tea is green tea.
Oolong Tea
This type of Chinese tea is halfway between green tea and black tea in a sense that it is half fermented. Chinese also call it “Qing Cha” and its typical leaves are green in the middle and red on the edges as a result of the process to soften tea leaves.
Oolong tea leaves are basically withered and spread before undergoing a brief fermentation process. Then, it is fried, rolled and roasted.
Black Tea
The Chinese black tea produces full-bodied amber when brewed. Also, this type of Chinese tea undergoes withering, then left to ferment for a long while, and then roasted. The leaves of this variety become completely oxidized after processing.
Red Tea
As the name implies, this type of Chinese tea has red leaves and red tea color. This color is strongly highlighted during the fermentation process. It is also considered that red tea has low aroma and medium flavor and it is now divided into three subclasses: Kung Fu Red Tea, Ted Tea Bits, and Small Species Red Tea.
White Tea
This type of Chinese tea is sometimes considered as subclass of green tea. Perhaps it is for the fact that it is only withered and then roasted. Just like green tea, white tea escaped fermentation process. And, it has low caffeine content.
Yellow Tea
Apparently, yellow tea has yellow leaves and yellow tea color. According to some experts, this type of Chinese tea is an uncommon class of Chinese tea. The flavor of yellow tea is usually mild and refreshing.
Flower Tea
Here is a unique type of Chinese tea – the Flower tea. It actually subdivides into Flower Tea and Scented Tea. Well, the Flower Tea is just based on a simple concept that dried flowers are used, without much processing, to make tea. The Scented Tea, on the other hand, uses green tea and red tea as base and mix with scent of flowers. Generally, this class has light to medium flavor and medium to strong aroma.
Compressed Tea
The final type of Chinese tea is the compressed tea. This class uses black tea as base tea. It is steamed and compressed into bricks, cakes, columns, and other shapes. Also, compressed tea has all the characteristics of black tea. It can be stored for years and decades.
Amaretto flavored tea is great for experiencing the smooth almond taste connected with amaretto but without the effects of the alcohol. It has a velvety feel in the mouth and makes a great after dinner tea. This amber-red liqueur is enjoyable in all its many forms including tea drinks.
If you enjoy learning about the history of things, you might find one story of how amaretto came about a little interesting.
Amaretto means “a little bitter” in Italian. Now, would you believe the first bottle of amaretto made was because of a love affair? It’s certainly colorful and as rumors go, entertaining. The painter, Bernardino Luini, who created the Madonna fresco in the Santa Maria delle Grazie Church located in Saronno, Italy, received the handmade gift from the innkeeper. Not unusual, except that the innkeeper’s romantic interest, which inspired the creation of the liqueur, had grown while posing as a model for Bernardino.
You might also be interested to know that the almond flavor associated with amaretto comes from apricot stones, or pits. The original drink was probably made from grape brandy in which apricot stones were left to soak, or infuse. Accidents have been the catalyst for many of the beautiful and functional things we have today, but whether amaretto came about by accident, or intentional, we have no idea.
Amaretto flavored tea is made in different forms. You can, for instance, add the syrup directly to the teapot, for an ultra-fresh and delicious tea. You can also buy green and black teas with amaretto flavoring. This comes in handy if you sometimes like to disguise the grassy flavor of green tea. We like to mix things up sometimes so we frequently buy syrups to add flavors to our usual teas.
Being creative with your tea is a lot of fun and drinking amaretto flavored tea is a great new alternative to the usual tastes and flavors of traditional teas. Make sure to try this tea and remember that teas like this can be enjoyed year around, and any time of day.