Texas Tea

I recently participated in a tea seminar with one of my distributors, Sunbelt Imports, down in Houston Texas. I presented a brief history of tea followed by processing methods, brewing practices, implementing a tea program that is right for your business and a tasting.

I always love exposing people to the world of tea through tastings. It’s one thing to talk about the various methods of processing and how they affect the flavor profile and something else entirely to follow that up with a tasting, side by side, so you can experience the difference. You can literally see the ‘Ah ha!’ moment and watch the excitement build which is the most amazing part of educating.

We tried a variety of white, green, oolong and black teas from different growing regions as well as some herbal teas and tisanes.

My favorite of the day was a Jade Oolong from Taiwan. The leaves were rolled into little nuggets that unfurled beautifully during steeping. I could not resist playing with the leaves and found a completely intact ‘two leaves and a bud’.

I even went so far as to actually eat one of them and found it quite pleasing, like any other bitter green, I could see it being served alongside fish with rice and lemon, yum!

To learn more about tea visit www.tea.co.uk