carnelian rose tea co.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. I'm new to tea and find the acronyms and terminology confusing. Can you help?

Q2. How do I brew tea? What is the recommended process?

Q3. What is tea and what do those letters mean?

Q4.  How do I make hot tea and iced tea?

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Q1. I'm new to tea and find the acronyms and terminology confusing. Can you help?

A1. These simplified tea terms guide you through the teas on this website. There are many tea names and references in the tea world.

• T = Tippy G=Golden F=Flowery O=Orange P=Pekoe. Sometimes numbers following the grade indicate flushing. For example, TGFOP1 indicates tippy golden flowery orange pekoe from the first plucking of the year.

• AFTERNOON TEA - A term used for a mid-afternoon meal or tea party with a variety of sandwiches and sweets at which tea is the main beverage.

• ASSAM - A region in northeastern India known for its strong, high-grade tea.

• BLACK TEA - Fresh-picked green tea leaves are withered, spread out on racks to dry then crushed by rollers to release the leaves’ juices (fermented or oxidized). The leaves turn brown are then fired (or dried) by hot air and sorted into grades.

• BOP - Broken Orange Pekoe - Full-bodied black tea comprising broken segments of somewhat coarse leaves without tips. The smallest of the leaf grades, it gives good color in the cup and is used for many blends.

• BP - Broken Pekoe – Full-bodied black tea comprising broken segments of somewhat coarse leaves without tips.

• BRICK TEA - China and Japan teas mixed and molded into bricks under high pressure. Once used as a form of currency.

• CAMELLIA SINENSIS - Botanical name for the tea plant.

• CEYLON - Former name of Sri Lanka used when referring to tea grown on the island.

• CHILDREN'S TEA - An herbal caffeine free beverage; any tea served with half tea, half milk and sweetened; a theme tea party oriented toward youth.

• CHUNMEE - Green China tea, so called due to its resemblance to the shape of human eyebrows.

• CONGOU - A general term used to refer to all black teas from China.

• CREAM TEA - A meal or tea party featuring delicacies and sweets at which tea is the main beverage.

• DARJEELING - A province in northern India that produces black tea famous for its exquisite bouquet.

• DEVON TEA - A meal or party featuring scones, Devon or clotted cream, and sweets at which tea is the main beverage.

• DIMBULLA - A district in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) that produces full-bodied black tea.

• DUST - The smallest broken leaves left over after all manufacturing processes are finished.

• EARL GREY - A black China tea scented with oil of bergamot.

• ENGLISH BREAKFAST - A name originally applied to Congou and now used to include blends of black teas in which the China flavor predominates.

• ESTATE TEA - The property or plantation where the tea is grown, an estate may have more than one garden.

• FANNINGS - Small grainy particles of leaf (1 to 1.5 millimeters) sifted out of the better-grade teas much smaller than BOP and used in tea bags only. Depending upon the quality of the original tea leaf (such as Boh Estates’ Cameronian), fannings in teabags may produce liquor that is as good as the original whole leaf tea.

• FLAVORED TEA - Green, semi fermented or black tea that has been flavored by the addition of flowers, fruit or essential oils. Includes teas such as Earl Grey, Apricot, Apricot-Ginger, Apple, Berry, Black Currant, Blue Gables, Cherry, Mango, Orange Spice, Peach, Rose's Tea Room, Strawberry, Tropicana, Vanilla and others.

• FLUSH - Young tea leaf shoots. The term also refers to the various harvests – “first flush” is the early spring plucking and “second flush” is harvested in late spring and early summer. A “second flush” has a stronger flavor than the first flush.

• FOP - Flowery Orange Pekoe – Orange Pekoe with an abundance of tips, and therefore of finer quality

• FP - Whole-leaf black tea with the leaves rolled lengthwise.

• GARDEN - The name of a specific plantation used to identify fine harvest produced solely from that garden.

• GREEN TEA - Unfermented tea that is immediately heated (or steamed) to kill the fermentation enzymes becomes green tea. It is then rolled and dried. Naturally low in caffeine, green tea infuses a light color. Green teas range from a light, fragrant taste to a very bold vegetal flavor.

• GUNPOWDER - A type of young green tea, each leaf of which is rolled into a ball.

• GYOKURO - Japanese for “pearl dew”, it is a high-grade tea grown under the shade and made by a special process in the Uji district of Japan.

• HERBAL INFUSION - Sometimes called herbal tea or tisane, herbs are not teas but an herbal variety or mixture containing no caffeine.

• HIGH TEA - An afternoon or evening meal with meat and other dishes at which tea is the main beverage.

• HONEY BUSH - Bush tea from Africa - the "sister" to rooibos - honeybush is high in anti-oxidant properties. Caffeine free, it may be purchased as a varietal or blended with herbs and flavorings. High in Vitamin C and other anti-oxidants.

• HYSON - Chinese for “flourishing spring”. A type of green China tea, formerly drunk extensively in Europe. “Young Hyson” is a type of China tea plucked early.

• KEEMUN - A fine grade of black-leaf China Congou tea produced in Anhui province.

• KENYA - A country in Africa that produces one of the finest black teas from that continent.

• LAPSANG SOUCHONG - A smoky China tea dried over smoking pine needles.

• MATCHA - Powdered green tea from Japan, used in the tea ceremony.

• NILGIRI - A district in the hills of southern India that produces black tea. Used extensively in flavored teas because it holds flavor well.

• OOLONG TEA - Semi-oxidized tea from China or Formosa; a diplomatic tea in that oolong is a compromise between black tea and green tea. Oolong tea is more delicate than black tea and stronger than green tea. The floral Ti Kuan Yin produces a clear mellow brew and is famous for its light fragrance.

• ORGANIC, CERTIFIED - Green, semi fermented or black tea that is grown without the use of chemicals or insecticides.

• OP - Orange Pekoe – Higher quality than Pekoe leaves, it is not a kind of tea but a term which describes the size of leaf. It is a black tea comprising leaves 8 to 15 millimeters. It has fewer tips than FOP. because it is plucked somewhat later in the season. Generally refers to tea from Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Leaves are long, thin and rolled lengthwise.

• PAN-FIRED - A kind of Japan tea that is steamed, then rolled in iron pans over charcoal fires.

• PEKOE SOUCHONG - Black tea, each leaf of which is rolled in a ball, produced by a coarse plucking of the third leaf on the bush.

• PEKOE - A grade of black tea produced by a medium plucking of the second leaf on the bush.

• PLOUGHMAN’S LUNCH - A meal featuring hearty meat and cheese sandwiches, pickled vegetables, sweets and served with tea as the main beverage.

• POUCHONG - A kind of scented China tea, so called from the Cantonese method of packing in small paper packets, each of which was supposed to be the produce of one choice tea plant.

• ROOIBOS - Red Bush tea from Africa. A caffeine free herb, it may be purchased as a varietal or blended with other herbs and flavorings.

• SCENTED TEA - Tea that has been scented and thereby flavored by a process other than flavoring. For example, jasmine tea is scented by layering jasmine petals with the tea as it dries. Tea absorbs the fragrance of the jasmine petals. Lapsang Souchong is a smoky scent.

• SENCHA - The most popular variety of green tea in Japan.

• TANNIN - An astringent chemical component of tea.

• TARRY SOUCHONG - Very smoky black tea from China or Formosa.

• TEA CADDY - A small container (often with lock and key) for tea, from catty, the Chinese or Malayan word for “pound”, the quantity of tea originally contained in a caddy.

• TGFOP - Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe – Represents some of the most precious teas in the world. It is common to see whole leaves in their original state after brewing. Highest grade, usually full leaf tea from India (Darjeeling and Assam). Golden refers to light colored buds.

• TIP - The bud leaf on a tea plant.

• TIPPY TEAS - Teas with white or golden tips.

• UVA - A district in Sir Lanka that produces a tea of great subtlety.

• VINTAGE - Leaves that share the same harvest.

• WHITE TEA - A rare tea produced from full-grown buds of “Big White” tea bush, not rolled or fermented; only steamed and fermented.

• YUNNAN TEA - Black tea from the Yunnan province of China. Along with Assam, this region was the original site of wild tea plants.

Q2. How do I brew tea? What is the recommended process?

A2. Always begin with fresh, non-chlorinated water.

Hot Tea:

Use a teapot, preheating it by rinsing it out with hot water. This keeps the tea hot for a greater p.

Bring fresh cold water to a full rolling boil. Water that has been reheated gives tea a flat taste; only boiling water can extract the full flavor and benefit from black tea leaves.

A good way to judge the temperature of water is this: when watching a pot of water begin to boil, the first bubbles that appear in the bottom are called “fish eyes”.

When the bubbles begin to rise to the surface, they are sometimes called a “chain of pearls”. Lastly, when the water surface is covered with bubbles and is rolling, it is called a “full boil”.

Brew green tea at 165°-170°F or at the “fish eye” stage. Brew oolong at 200°F or at the “chain of pearls” stage. Black tea is brewed at 212°F, a full boil. Green tea will cook, or stew, when boiled water is added. Some green teas may be infused up to seven times. Each infusion creates a different level of pleasure.

Use one teaspoonful of tea or one teabag per cup (6 ounces) of water and pour the hot water over the tea. Brew 3 to 7 minutes. Don’t judge the strength of tea by its color. Allow time for the leaves to unfold and release their flavor. Green tea takes less time than black tea to brew. If you like tea less strong, add water after the brewing period. If tea is too weak, you must begin again.

Iced Tea:

Follow the guidelines for making hot tea, but use 50% more tea to allow for melting ice. For a pitcher of iced tea, bring 1 quart of fresh water to a full rolling boil. Remove from heat and immediately add 1/3 cup of loose tea. Stir and let stand 5 minutes. Stir again and strain into a pitcher holding an additional quart of fresh cold water.

A pound of loose tea will make 200-300 cups of tea, whereas a pound of coffee makes about 70 cups. If you use teabags, the same proportion holds true: a pound of tea is used to fill 200 teabags, enough for 200+ cups of tea.

Comparing the number of cups of tea and the cost of tea per pound, you will find that next to water, tea is the least expensive beverage in the world. Including sugar, lemon or milk, it costs less than 7 cents per serving.

Q3. What is tea and what do those letters mean?

A3. Tea, (thea sinensis) is indigenous to China, Tibet and Northern India. While tea is now cultivated in over 40 countries around the world, the highest quality teas continue to be exported from China, India, Japan, Taiwan and Sri Lanka. While the point of tea origin may differ, Germany, the center of world trade for tea, is the largest importer of tea. Who drinks the most tea per capita? The Turkish!

Different methods of processing freshly plucked tea leaves determine types, grades and flavors. Fermentation, or lack of it, determines whether a tea is black, green or an oolong. Leaves for all three types may be from the same kind (or the very same) plant.

Over 97 percent of all tea consumed in the United States is black tea. The oxidization process turns the leaves black and they produce a brew with hearty flavor.

Green tea is light in color when brewed. Oolong tea is a compromise between black and green tea. It is semi-oxidized, so the leaves turn greenish-brown. It, too, brews lighter in color.

Grading refers to the size of the leaf only—not quality. Most grading terms apply to black teas only.

• OP: Orange Pekoe (Long thin wiry leaves)

• BOP: Broken Orange Pekoe (The smallest of the leaf grades.)

• TGFOP: Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (This grade represents some of the most precious teas in the world. It is not uncommon to see whole leaves in their original state after brewing.)

• FANNING: Much smaller than BOP. Its main characteristic is quick brewing with good color in the cup. For use in teabags only, not a good grade.

• GREEN TEAS: Usually graded by name of tea. (Gunpowder, Chinese, Sencha, etc.)

• WHITE TEAS: All white teas are made from tips; their infusions are pale golden and slightly sweet. They are highly prized, very rare and produced primarily in China and Sri Lanka (Ceylon)..

To enjoy the nuances of fine tea, we recommend avoiding use of spices, onion, garlic and coffee for 2-3 days before infusing certain teas. A purist enjoys the lighter flavored teas by having a clean palate. The nuances of tea are more pronounced when the body’s system is clean.

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