Types of Tea

Black, green and white tea are prepared from the tea plant (Camellia sinensis).

The tea leaves are carefully selected and left to ferment naturally. For the three types of tea, different parts of the plant are selected at different times of the year and left to ferment for a different period of time.

Green tea

Green tea is prepared from all parts of the plant.

Green Tea from China

The better part of all green tea produced worldwide comes from China, the “motherland” of tea. Green teas – unlike black teas – are not fermented. The colour of the leaves varies from light green and shiny silver to a dark emerald green, the infusion is light. Depending on the type of tea and the preparation, the flavour ranges from slightly tart to pleasantly sweetish ad aromatic.

Green Tea from Japan

Teas from Japan are nearly all green and unfermented. The best-known variety is Sencha, Japan’s everyday tea , which is available in a variety of different grades. As the soil has a fairly high iodine content, a subtle taste of seaweed is characteristic for Japanese teas.

Scented Green Tea

Green teas enhanced with the addition of flowers are a typical Chinese specialty and the precursor of flavoured teas. Finished, unfermented and dried green tea is blended with fresh flower petals, which are removed and replaced by fresh ones several times. The delicate green teas take on the scent of the flowers in a gentle, natural way. For top-quality teas this process is repeated more often, so that the scent is more pronounced than in more ordinary varieties. Incidentally: the amount of flowers visible in the finished product is not an indicator of the intensity of the flowery note – they are left in the tea merely for an attractive look. Some premium teas are sold without any petals, leaving a plain green tea without any visual evidence of flowers but a very intensive flavour!

Black tea

Black tea is fully fermented. Black tea has a bitter, slightly tart taste. The first sips are usually not very pleasant for people who are trying it for a first time. But after the first few cups, connoisseurs fall in love with it.

Indian Tea

The Indians began to add sugar, milk, mint, ginger, nutmeg, turmeric, cinnamon * and other spices to the tea.

Black Teas from Darjeeling, India

At the end of 2011 the EU defined the denomination Darjeeling as “protected geographical indication” (PGI). Accordingly, teas from Darjeeling produced in compliance with the regulation are to be labeled on the package either with the words “protected geographical indication” or the EU logo. Please note that the EU label has a very specific appearance (colour, size, etc.). Tea shops that sell loose, not pre-packed teas can label the storage tins with the text or logo.

Darjeeling – First Flush

In March, after the winter lull, the first tender shoots are harvested in the mountains. These teas from the spring picking in March and April are characterised by a light, glowing cup, a fresh, flowery flavour, lively character, intensive fragrance and delicate leaves with green tips.

Darjeeling – Second Flush

By the time the second flush is picked in the summer months of June and July, both the taste and the look of the teas has changed considerably. The buds and tips are now a silvery or golden-brown colour, while the colour of the cup ranges from coppery-gold to auburn. Mature second flush teas of high quality are full-bodied and have a slightly nutty flavour. The top teas possess the prized muscatel character but are very hard to find nowadays.

Darjeeling – autumnal

After the monsoon in late in late summer the so-called autumnals are picked. This is a mild, delicately flowery tea from the well-established Margaret’s Hope Garden that unites fresh green shoots with brownish autumn coloured leaves.

Black Teas from Northeast of India (Assam Plateau)

The Assam plateau in the Northeast of India is situated on both sides of Brahmaputra River and is the largest contiguous tea-growing area in the world. Here, some 2,000 gardens produce strong, powerful and spicy teas. The region’s premium teas seduce connoisseurs with their characteristic malty flavour. Typical features for Assam teas are the golden tips and (depending on the grade) a more or less “creamy” cup. Assam teas are often used in strong blends such as English Breakfast. Particularly important and sought after are the second flush teas, which possess all the typical characteristics of good Assam teas.

Black Teas from Sri Lanka (Ceylon)

The six tea-growing areas of Sri Lanka (still called Ceylon in tea circles) are grouped around Adam’s Peak. The most important teas come from the highland regions of Uva, Dimbula and Nuwara Eliya, and grow at altitudes of over 1,200 meters. The teas from these regions are particularly sought after because the slow growth of the tea leaves produces an especially smooth and intensive flavour.

Dimbula is the tea-growing area in the west. Its teas have a delicate and a floral flavour. The best teas of this are are picked from January to March. Uva is also located in the highlands and produces strong, full-bodied teas. the top grades here are picked from July to September. The high plateau of Nuwara Eliya is regarded as the cradle of the finest and best Ceylon teas. It is located between Dimbula and Uva, and top grades are picked here all year round.

Black Teas from China

The vast realm of China, where the growing regions are at great distances from one another, produces a wide variety of black teas with entirely different flavours: mild and delicate, slightly sweet and fragrant, strong and earthy – and often with a discernible smoky nuance.

Scented Black Teas

Just like tea itself, “flavouring” has its origins in China. In tea gardens where shade trees spread their fragrance it was noted that tea leaves which had taken on the delicate scents were particularly appreciated. That is the origin of rose tea and green jasmine tea, amongst others. fresh flower petals are added to the dried tea leaves and impart their scent to the tea. Afterwards the petals are removed and the process repeated until the fragrance has reached the desired intensity. The last batch of blossoms is generally left in the tea for an attractive look.

Decaffeinated Black Tea

These teas are decaffeinated using a high-pressure CO2 process without solvents. This gentle processing allows the original flavour of the tea to be preserved to a large extent.

Flavoured Fruit Blends

Our choice blends offer a deliciously fruity treat composed of well-known domestic as well as exotic fruits. Select ingredients and excellent flavourings combine to form tasty compositions that can be enjoyed hot or iced, as a delightful refreshment. We offer seasonal teas such as Christmas blends in due course – or just ask for them at any time.

White Teas

White teas are amongst the noblest and mildest varieties in the world. To produce them only the youngest, unopened buds, still covered by a silvery down, are picked and briefly withered in natural daylight. Afterwards the buds are heated for a short time and the air-died.

Flavoured White Teas

The delicacy of the white tea allows the high-quality ingredients to unfold their flavour particularly well, producing a harmonious blend.

Rooibos

Rooibos is the popular national drink of South Africa. It is caffeine-free, full of flavour and rich in minerals and vitamins. Its natural sweetness makes it a real pleasure in both its plain and flavoured varieties. Rooibos grows only in the South African Cape region and is harvested between January and May. As soon as the picked “brooms” are cut and pressed and the juice seeps out, natural fermentation sets in. Rooibos (red bush) acquires its characteristic red colour and full flavour during fermentation.

The Green Rooibos

To produce green rooibos the fermentation is stopped. Green rooibos is much lighter in taste than fermented rooibos.

Honeybush (Honey Tea)

The honeybush (cyclopia intermedia) grows in Eastern cape region of South Africa, in the Cederberg mountains. It produces a tea that is caffeine-free and rich in minerals and vitamins, much like rooibos. Compared with rooibos, honeybush is generally perceived as more full-bodied. Its fruity, sweetish and honey-like taste is becoming increasingly popular.

Herbal Blends

Whether plain, flavoured or mixed with Ayurvedic spices, our herbal blends are an indulgence for the whole family, wherever, whenever and however you like it.

Mate

Mate, the Argentinian national drink, is becoming ever more popular. It is produced from the leaves of yerba mate, ilex paraguariensis. Mate is often an ingredient in fasting teas. Traditionally, it is prepared in a calabash gourd and drunk through a metal straw, a bombilla.

Lapacho

This tea is obtained from the inner bark of the South American Red Lapacho tree. Properly prepared, the pleasant flavour is slightly reminiscent of vanilla. Lapacho tea should be enjoyed lukewarm or cold.

Yellow Tea

In contrast to green tea, yellow tea is not processed immediately after roasting but is wrapped in paper or cloth and left to cool. It is roasted and rewrapped again at intervals, ending with a final roasting. This procedure produces a tea that is hardly fermented, but removes the “grassy” or vegetal taste of green tea.