Foojoy's guide to types of tea

One of the things I enjoyed about the In Pursuit of Tea's Tea & Cheese Pairing I attended a couple of months ago was co-founder Sebastien Beckwith's simple explanation of the five types of tea -- white, green, Oolong, black, and Pu-erh.  Similarly, the brochure included with my box of Foojoy's Lungching has an excellent tea guide.

Image: Foojoy Lungching Green Tea (screen capture via Amazon.com)

White tea: Tea leaves are dried and steamed briefly, without rolling or oxidization, making this the least processed tea.

Green tea: Fresh tea leaves are allowed to wither, and then are pan-fired or steamed and later rolled and dried.  Green tea leaves do not undergo oxidization.

Oolong: Leaves for Oolong teas are allowed to oxidize only partially, and Oolongs range in color from a golden brew to deep amber, depending on the amount of oxidization and the extent of firing.

Black tea: Black teas...comes from the same plant as green teas, but leaves for black teas are allowed to oxidize fully, resulting in chemical changes that produce a dark amber color.

About Pu-erh from the In Pursuit of Tea website: Pu-erh tea is aged, post-fermented, and often compressed into bricks. Its name comes from the town of Pu-erh in Southwestern China. Pu-erhs have a strong earthy taste that gains complexity over time.

Gift Guide: For the girl who loves tea sets

I spied this darling tea set -- L'heure du thé by Moulin Roty (note: the website has sound effects) -- at a Kate's Paperie.  A great on-the-go set of teapot, cups, saucers, and napkins. The girl who loves tea sets can be young or older.

Gift Guide: For someone with a modern design sensibility

The Marimekko Shop at Crate & Barrel carries beautifully decorated tea pots and wares, perfect for the tea lover who likes Danish Finnish design.

Gift Guide: For someone without a garden

The Arta Tea Leaf Infuser is perfect for the tea lover on your list who loves plants but does not have a garden. Also check out Arta's clever Tea Infuser Saucer -- fill the pod with tea and invert the saucer over a cup of hot water for steeping.

Gift Guide: For someone with a sense of humor

The Ducky Floating Tea Infuser is perfect for the tea drinker with a wacky sense of humor.  For an image of Ducky floating in a cup of tea click here.

Cup of Tea, Fresh Made, 2d (2 pennies)...

So reads a *vintage* sign, below, displayed in the East Wind Tea shop in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts. 

I went into the shop last weekend and it was packed with shoppers.  I have ordered from East Wind Tea several times and have always been satisfied with the teas.  While I did not purchase anything during my last visit, a few moments ago I ordered White Tip Oolong, Nokcha, and Sobacha, a roasted buckwheat herbal.  The latter is not currently available on the website but I emailed Curtis Vouwie, the owner, and he will add a 50g packet to my order.