This week’s blog I’d like to focus on tea. Teas are a great source of antioxidants and amino acids, and they can be a great relaxer or pick-me-up. However, before you steep a cup of tea to drink or use in new Jewish recipes, you need to understand what type of drink you are creating.
There are six different types of tea that you can pour into your Yixing teapots. The categorization of a tea is based on how much processing it has had. The most unprocessed tea is white tea, or baby tea. This type of tea has not been allowed to oxidize, nor has it been allowed to wilt. It has a very mild and semi-sweet taste. The next level of tea is yellow tea. This tea is basically just white tea that has been allowed to yellow. Green tea is one of the most popular teas. It has been allowed to wilt, however, it has not been oxidized. Oolong tea is the next level of tea processing. It has been allowed to wilt, partially oxidize and it has been bruised. Black and red teas are combined into a single category of teas. They are wilted, fully oxidized and crushed. The finally category of tea is post-fermented teas. This is green tea that processors have fermented or composted.
Tea is a very versatile ingredient that you can use to create hot drinks, cold drinks and tasty dishes. If you want to add an extra layer of taste to your traditional Jewish recipes, consider replacing the water called for in a recipe with a complimentary tea. However, if you do substitute tea for water make sure you adjust your seasoning for the dish, especially the salt levels.
Do you have a special tea recipe that you would like to share? We’d love to hear about it. Post it below.