In 2019 I wrote this post, before I had a relationship with Verdant Teas. Even then, I had been buying and drinking their tea for nearly a decade. I updated this post to to better share among my readers a vendor providing what I believe to be great Chinese Teas, that I trust to be healthy, properly processed, and sustainably grown.
I have already written a post about Tea Controversies, which also provides an overview on tea. I have also written one on Searching for the Best Earl Grey. This post is different in that it is specific to Chinese teas, and a particular tea company, Verdant. When first drafting this page, I wrote to them asking if they were okay with me using some of the photos and graphics from their website and they said they would be delighted.
—**—
Chinese Tea Culture
Chinese tea has a very long history, and along the way they have refined certain rituals, tools for making tea, and a knowledge of growing and processing tea leaves. According to often repeated legend, tea was created in 2737 BCE by Emperor Shennong. He had introduced boiling water to drink, and while on a tour of the country some dried leaves from a bush fell into the water, he drank it, and tea was born.
Over recent times, and in many peoples opinions, China has made political decisions favoring economic growth and feeding their enormous population over environmental concerns and community health. As a result, some Chinese food items I have ordered contained undesirable elements; for example, a seasoning contained lead and I only found out because of California’s labeling law. Articles abound on teas that have been affected by air pollution, or too much and too many pesticides, or poor inspections, etc. (1, 2, 3, 4). Right now, when eating at a Chinese restaurant, I have started to choose not to drink Chinese bagged tea, but favor American or British tea if given a choice.
- Killgreen explains, that air pollutants decline sharply the higher in elevation and further away from industrial areas you travel. It’s important to note that the worst offenders of air pollution are in Chinese provinces where they grow little to no tea, and definitely not the good-quality stuff. Thus, buy higher quality tea from smaller producers, ones whom you know grow in regions that are rural and higher elevation.
These observations lead me to research Chinese tea, so I could locate a place selling tea from higher elevations in China, away from the intensely dense populated areas, and where the small to medium-sized farms were organic, took care of their land, and processed the tea themselves. I wanted the tea, but wanted it healthy to consume as I drink a lot of tea. Verdant Teas was what I found and here is what the company wrote about these issues in 2015.
My Favorite Chinese Tea Preparation
When I drink English Breakfast or Earl Gray Tea I heat water in an electric kettle, brew loose leaf tea in an English tea pot, and mix the first with milk and the second with lemon and honey. I have a very set way of pouring the boiling water into the pot to steep for ~2 minutes. And I fill the teapot three times, each time steeping longer. The second pot steeps for ~3-4 minutes and I drink that. Then the last pot steeps for longer and that goes into the fridge for iced tea which is what my spouse drinks.
But when using the Verdant Chinese black teas (although any tea can be served this way) I tend to follow a modified (meaning I do not usually follow all the steps) Gongfu ritual. It is believed this ritual started in the 18th century.
- I put a heaping teaspoon of loose tea in the Gaiwan which is used as a steeping vessel, and brew the tea for a set time, then pour into the smaller drinking cups.
- The first pour steeps for seconds, and it gets longer over time depending upon the pourer’s evaluation.
- Then we would do this same brewing and pouring over time, so that we can actually taste and smell the changes ot the tea each time we have another shot. (Smelling the lid or your cup after every pour is a great way to get a fuller sense of the aroma.)
- We repeat steeping (longer times), pouring, and drinking until we are done.
It is not so much the ceremony that makes the perfect tea, but a combination of factors. Such as knowing the water you are using so it has the proper chemistry, understanding the tea you are brewing to use the right temperature, and factoring how long to brew the specific tea before pouring.
Information from Verdant Teas
Who is Verdant Teas
Verdant Teas is a tea company that started out based in the USA, and built up a relationship with their Chinese farmers who planted, raised, harvested and produced tea in China. Over time they have become a more China-based company, and are dedicated to:
- Biodiversity
- ”Beyond” organic with no pesticide nor synthetic fertilizer
- Pledged to sustainability
- Dedicated to community reinvestments
- And showing a high level of transparency
They tell you on their website which family grows which tea (list above), and dive into presenting the history of those families, how they treat the land and process the teas. They also sell tea-ware, that is handmade and beautiful.
Verdant Storage Recommendations
Of course they will start by saying drink the tea, don’t store it, for many of the teas are absolutely best when fresh, and you are able to discern their rich flavors and aromas. Below is what I do, some of which Verdant suggests as well.
- Protect tea from air and moisture.
- Keep tea away from light.
- Protect from heat.
- I tend to also protect my teas from other smells.
- Pu’er needs airflow to prevent mold so I do not seal, but I will wrap loosely in parchment paper.
If I open a tea canister and cannot smell the tea it contains, then the tea is old and no longer good. I may dip my finger in the tea to help release any aroma, and if there is some, but it is mild, I may still drink the tea but either let it steep longer, or put more in the water. Otherwise it goes into compost.
After drinking my tea, the leaves are scattered on certain fruit tree, flowers, berries and bushes in my back garden. Not all plants respond well to used tea leaves, but many do. As they decompose they introduce various nutrients and acidity into the soil. As well, some gardeners say the tea leaves help repel cats and some bugs from hanging around.
Caffeine in Tea
All teas that are made from the camellia sinensis plant contain caffeine. This tea plant has two main varietals:
- camellia sinensis var. sinensis, grown mainly in China
- camellia sinensis var. assamica, grown mainly in India
The assamica varietal tend to have higher caffeine levels. Also, in general, as one would expect, black, pu-erh, and macha (5) teas have the highest amount of caffeine. However, the actual caffeine content of any brewed cup of tea depends on too many different factors, so I feel comfortable only giving ranges of caffeine.
- Examples of Tea Caffeine Variables
- When the teas were harvested (Spring often has higher caffeine)
- Brewing hot or cold
- Length of brewing time
- What tea varietal was used
- How the tea was processed
While natural to compare the caffeine in tea, coffee, and cacao, they are each unique in the collection of other chemicals they may have. For instance, tea contains natural stimulants (theobromine and theophylline), among their other compounds (like L-theanine and EGCG) that may interact with caffeine to potentially counter the effects.
—**—
My Likes from Verdant Teas
Keep in mind that tea, to me, is like wine. I may love the 2015 harvest but it tastes nothing like the 2023 version even when made with the same plants. The variables of climate, picking times, slight variations in harvest, and so on, all interact to produce the final product.
Chinese Black Tea
I love many black teas, so am just looking at one I particularly like.
Nutrition: 1C (8oz) Black tea = 2c, .7k, 0p, 0f and 7mg sodium. 95-200 milligrams caffeine.
—**—
Chinese Green Tea
Nutrition: 1C (8oz) Green tea = 2.5c, 0k, .5p,0f and 2.5mg sodium. 35-45 milligrams caffeine.
Green Tea is plucked, withered and rolled. It is not oxidized because during the rolling process oxidation is prevented by the application of either fire or steam. I like the Dragonwell green teas in general.
—**—
Chinese Oolong Tea
Nutrition: 1C (8oz) Oolong tea = 0c, 0k, 0p, 0f, and 0 sodium. 37-55 milligrams caffeine.
Oolong Tea is time-consuming to create as it follows all the processing steps, and the leaves are repeatedly rolled/oxidized. There are many variations of oolong teas. One of my favorites is Big Red Robe, it has a wonderful reddish color and tastes fruity, yet savory, its great.
The TeaClass writes “Darker oolongs (highly oxidized) generally need very hot or even boiling water to get the leaves to open up and release their oils. Greener oolongs (lightly oxidized) can take water just above the temperature at which green tea is brewed – around 185 or 190 degrees. Steep time is really to your preference; oolongs are designed to be infused multiple times, so whether you do two steepings at 4 minutes each or 10 at one minute is really up to you!”
29 Feb 2019: Anticancer study conducted in 2018 implies sipping oolong tea can help women fight breast cancer. “Oolong tea, same as green tea, can …play an inhibitory role in breast cancer cell growth, proliferation and tumorigenesis, and was a great potential as a chemo-preventive agent against breast cancer.”
—**—
Chinese Pu’erh Tea
Nutrition: 1C (8oz) Pu’erh tea = 0c, 0k, 0p, 0f, and 0 sodium. Ripe pu-erh: ~60-70 mg per 8oz, and Raw pu-erh: ~30-45 mg per 8oz.
Pu’erh Tea is a completely different tea that starts out like green tea but before dried its aged either as loose-leaf, or pressed into dense cakes. The TeaClass writes “Pu’erh (also Pu’er) is one of the most unusual teas you’ll find. This tea is different in processing, storage, and taste from any other tea on earth. Because of its rarity and unique characteristics, pu’erhs have a connoisseur following like few other teas.”
The way I view this type of tea, is that it undergoes a “fermentation” type process (6), is aged from 2-25 years, and comes from Yunnan, China. Variations of Pu’erh tea includes Raw (Sheng) Pu’erh or Ripened (Shou) Pu’erh. I find that steeping times can vary wildly, this tea does not generally become bitter, but it does become lighter or darker with steeping.
- Raw Pu-erh (Sheng): After harvest, the tea leaves are quickly roasted, rolled, sun-dried, steamed, and compressed into cakes or other shapes. Then they are set to age until their taste transforms into something the producer considers unique. This is an older process, developed ~600 years ago.
- Ripe Pu-erh (Shou): After harvest, the tea leaves are piled and sprinkled with water So high heat and humidity creates specific bacteria, that can ferment the pu-erh leaves. This is a recent process, developed in the 1970s.
—**—
Chinese White Tea
Nutrition: 1C (8oz) White tea = .3c, .1k, and .3mg sodium. 15-30 milligrams caffeine.
White Tea is essentially unprocessed tea, it is plucked and withered. It is subtle, and because we do not consume it as much as the other types of teas it is also generally a bit more expensive. My favorite just so happens to be the white jasmine tea, it is a favorite of my family, both hot and cold.
Salutations
Tea is not coffee. I drink the bitter coffee to stimulate my mind, be ready for work, essentially, to jump start my engine. Tea on the other hand, nurtures me, it makes me pause and breathe in its aromatics and flavor, and puts me in a more contemplative mode. I can understand building ritual around the drink as it lends itself to that response.
I drink tea every day of my life now, and have done so for many decades. Right now I split between Chinese, Japanese and British (via India) teas depending upon where I am and what I am doing.
This post is a continuation of information on teas that have influence in my life. Hope you enjoy, and be sure to let me know of your favorite teas.
—Patty
—**—
