Not all tea is the same.

Not all tea is the same. This is true with regard to the different varieties and flavors, but is also the general mule. Because not everything that is commonly called tea is actually tea at all. In fact, a distinction must be made between “real” tea and tea-like brewed beverages or fruit and herbal infusions. The term "tea" applies only to those varieties that are produced from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis tea plant.

This includes green, black, white and yellow tea as well as 00long tea, pu-erh tea and matcha. Infusions, on the other hand, are made by steeping herbs, fruit or blossoms in hot water. Chamomile, mint and ginger, but also elderberry and rhubarb — thanks to natures diversity, herbal and fruit infusions offer a particularly wide range of aromas. In this article, the focus is however on 'real’ tea varieties, because even classic teas provide their very own, extensive flavors, depending on their origin and preparation method — a world of flavors that is well worth exploring.

Green tea is held in high esteem by tea drinkers throughout the world - and comes with a price. The highest-grade varieties are traded for up to GBP 1,000 per kilo. There is a difference in taste between several green tea varieties: Chinese varieties such as gunpowder tea are pan-fried, which results in a slightly smoky to fruity aroma, Japanese green teas such as sencha, genmaicha and gyokuro, on the other hand, are steamed using hot air, which gives them a grassy, fresh note. For an unadulterated experience of these many and varied flavor nuances, it is best to drink green tea straight. In keeping with Its origin, green tea Is excellent with Asian meals, but also with salads or other piquant fish, seafood or chicken dishes. Some green teas can even be used as an ingredient when cooking and add a really tasty twist to salad dressings or herb marinades.

Oolong tea is a traditional Chinese variety that has not only one but multiple names. This cover semi-Fermented or partially fermented tea, "black dragon" tea or "wulong” tea. But why "black dragon" tea? It’s simple - "oolong”' means dragon or snake. But the actual story behind this is a little more peculiar: Legend has it that the owner of a tea plantation got a fright when he encountered a snake while harvesting tea and only returned to the plantation days later. In the meantime, the leaves that he had picked had oxidized and dried in the sun — and this is how the wonderful aromatic beverage, which we now know as Oolong tea, came about. Both in terms of its flavor and its light green to amber color spectrum, Oolong lies somewhere between green and black tea. Lighter varieties taste fruity and fresh, while darker oolong has a more nutty, roasted aroma. And so, this array of flavors also offers a wide range of combination options: Oolong teas go as well with cheesecake as they do with steak.

Pu-erh tea: In Europe it Is often only known to tea connoisseurs. In Asia, on the other hand, it is an absolute classic and one of the oldest varieties, if not the oldest. For a long time, pu-erh tea was even reserved only for nobility and occasionally also used as a means of payment. These days, it is considered the most expensive tea in the world. Why is pu-erh so valuable? For one, it is very rare, as the tea leaves come from old, wild tea trees found in southwest China. Secondly, the production process itself is true art. First, the green leaves are picked, dry-roasted in a wok and dried in the sun. Only then, the most important step begins: the maturation process. Microorganisms start growing over time due to a certain residual moisture, and these give pu-erh its characteristic, rich taste. We therefore generally distinguish between raw and aged pu-erh tea. With raw pu-erh tea, the tea leaves are exposed to high temperatures immediately after harvesting, which, technical speaking, makes this a green tea variety. So raw pu-erh is similarly light in color and tastes Just as fresh and grassy as green tea, whereas aged varieties are more like black tea, both in terms of the dark, reddish color and the stronger taste. This taste develops during a maturation process that usually takes between 10 to 15 years, but can even take up to 50 years in particularly high-grade varieties. Similar to a fine wine, tea develops a more robust flavor profile over time. Pu-erh is therefore often referred to as a tea for advanced tea drinkers who are not intimidated by more complex aromas.

From timeless classics such as Earl Grey to unusual varieties such as pu- erh: There is a lot to discover in the world of teas. Still, we always seem to go back to the same, familiar kind of tea. And vet, what applies to tea also applies to life: It's worth giving new things outside our routine a try. You never know, your new favorite variety may just be waiting to be discovered. If you never try, you'll never know.