Austin Hastings

Though tea hasn’t been my drink of choice in the past, I just had a fun and enlightening experience participating in a “tea flight” which has left me with a bit more of a taste for this ancient herbal drink and medicinal remedy.  Our tea sampling was held at a comfortable and friendly tea bar and shop in Berkeley by the name of Teance.

Much like a wine flight, a tea flight is an educational and sensory exploration in which you are presented with samples of different types of teas, all presented by an expert who explains the process of harvest, preparation and how to enjoy the drink.  Walking in, I had very little concept or interest in tea, but walking out, I found that it was a lot more interesting upon learning about the varieties, the importance in many cultures and the work that goes into producing it.  Living just down the street from Sonoma and Napa wine country, I found tea to be similar to wine in the sheer number of varieties, the micro climates utilized for growing and all of the methods of preparing the tea.  There is some interesting exploration to do in learning more of the science, art and culture behind tea.

We had a sampling from 4 different types of teas.

• White Tea - “White Peony King”
  White tea is known for its very subtle taste, low level of caffeine and high level of cancer-fighting antioxidants.  This type of tea has a very lite and clean taste.  Those who are regular coffee drinkers may not care for the low level of taste, though it is notable that there are health benefits associated with drinking it such as the antioxidants.
• Green Tea – “Dragon Well A Grade”
  Green tea has relatively low caffeination, though it is higher than White Tea.  We enjoyed the tasty, nutty aroma this tea had to offer.
• Oolong Tea – “Phoenix Single Grove Honey Fragrance”
  Oolong tea is prepared in a way in which the tea leaves are balled up and fairly oxidized, and was referred to as the tea connoisseur’s choice.  The oxidation leads to a moderate caffeine level. I thought this one to be very very tasty, with a sweet aroma and taste which was not too much and not too little.  This was my favorite Tea of the bunch.  It was also served in an interesting manner with a narrow, tall cup that you pull up to your nose to smell the honey fragrance.
• Fermented Tea – “Trinity Block”
  This was a fermented tea, aged 8 years and imported directly by a doctor who acquired it in China.  The tea supposedly has medicinal abilities.  It was very dark in color, had an enjoyable taste and gave a little bit of a buzzing feeling.  We were told by a person who frequents the bar that while this tea isn’t psychedelic, it definitely causes a subtle internal shift after consuming it.

Some quick Tea-facts learned:

• Tea can be pricey because of the large amount of work it takes to produce it.
• Rather than spending money on material items, many Chinese families opt to spend their money on quality Tea.
• Tea oxidizes the more the leaf is cut up, and oxidation causes the caffeine release.  This explains why tea bags with chopped leafs within provided a decent caffeine punch as opposed to loose leaf brewed tea.
• Caffeine from tea affects a person differently than coffee.  Apparently tea caffeiene kicks in slower, sustains, then fades slowly while coffee hits hard and fast before dropping quickly.
• Tea called “Monkey picked tea” is not actually picked by monkeys, much to my dismay.  The name comes because the harvest is situated in high and difficult to access terraces.  I think a small part of me still hopes that Monkeys pick tea somewhere in the world.

This fun little crash-course in Tea-ology has given me a few ideas for the future.  I’ll experiment more with Oolong Tea, which I thought to be very enjoyable.  Perhaps I’ll also try more of the Fermented teas, as I am interested in the supposed medicinal properties – as the tea bar patron told me “you’re drinking medicine” - but it tastes yummy!  And last but not least, I’ll see about swapping morning coffee with a caffeinated tea here and there to see if I can have a healthier boost without crashing so quickly.

If you’re interested in trying a tea flight and happen to be in or around the Berkeley, CA area, I highly recommend checking it out.  It’s fairly inexpensive, the aesthetics and product in the shop are top notch, the staff is very friendly and more knowledgeable than I ever imagined a person could be about Tea.  You can learn more at http://www.teance.com.

Austin