A Beginner’s Guide to the Different Types of Tea
Posted by Editor in Uncategorized on Jan 4th, 2019 | Comments Off on A Beginner’s Guide to the Different Types of TeaAll tea in the world comes from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, but why are there hundreds of kinds of teas with their own appearance, flavor, and aroma? The answer lies in the way they are cultivated.
Much like wine or coffee, factors such as climate, humidity, rainfall, and soil acidity can influence how the tea tastes from harvest to harvest, as well as from one region to the next. The different varieties of tea also reflect how much a tea is oxidized to bring out specific flavors and aromas.
While there are hundreds of tea varieties all over the world, the following are some of the most common that you can find. Most, if not all, are often variations of the preparation process that are close to one of the following:
White
White tea has the most gentle and delicate flavors and aroma among the major tea varieties, which can be fresh, or sometimes even earthy.
This is because white tea is the least processed and oxidized among the other varieties, and harvesting the leaves is meticulous work done only a few days a year. To prevent oxidation, the tea shoots allowed to wither and dry.
Green
While Chinese green tea has a more yellowish appearance, Japanese green tea has a range of colors, from pale to deep green.
However, the similarity of these types of green tea lies in heat-treating to prevent oxidation. While white tea shoots are allowed to wither, green tea leaves are heat-treated, either by pan-firing or steaming at a high temperature.
Oolong
Also called wulong, oolong tea is semi-oxidized by bruising the leaves by being shaken in baskets. To stop the oxidation, the leaves are then heat-treated using methods that vary based on the region, which in turn creates different flavors.
Oolong tea is usually characterized as having a flowery or fruity taste, but can also have a smoky flavor.
Black
This tea is known in China as “red tea”, and is the most famous variety in the West. Black tea is the most oxidized, as the leaves begin to wilt once picked, and the process is sped up by crushing or rolling them.
Black teas are often split up into two categories: broken and full-leaf. Broken leaf black teas have leaves that are broken into smaller pieces before they are processed, and tend to be higher in caffeine, while full-leaf teas are gentler.
Pu’er
This is a type of tea that is actually fermented, consisting of larger leaves that can be withered and aged for several years at a time.
This tea is often characterized by a hearty brew with a low caffeine content, and the resulting taste lacks the sharpness otherwise found in other types of tea.
5 Crucial Things You Need to Do Once the Wedding is over
Posted by Editor in Uncategorized on Jan 4th, 2019 | Comments Off on 5 Crucial Things You Need to Do Once the Wedding is over“Now what?”
This is the question that you will eventually ask, and should be a question that you have several answers for.
However, people respond to situations differently. Sometimes, the stress of planning and coordinating a wedding to make sure everything goes smoothly can suddenly be replaced by that feeling of sadness once the wedding is over.
While it can be easy to feel a little deflated, the planning is not quite over yet. Here are a few crucial things you need to do to wrap everything up and fully settle into married life:
1. Say “thank you”.
Getting caught up in the whirlwind of planning your wedding itinerary can be stressful and may make you want to unwind, but the first thing you need to do after the wedding is to thank the guests who came – especially the close friends who came from out of town.
2. Spend time as a married couple.
Feeling the post-wedding blues is normal, but it’s important to get over it by actually spending time with your partner as a married couple.
You can take this opportunity make dinner at home more romantic by lighting a few candles or take a detour from work – anything, really, as long you focus on the small things that make you feel loved, secure, and warm on a daily basis.
3. Take care of your finances.
Planning your wedding has most likely put a considerable drain on your accounts, and with a new chapter of your life comes a new set of financial challenges that you need to slog through to keep your status situated.
However, you don’t have to work through your problems alone. Be sure to sit down and discuss your financials with your partner, and be open and honest about everything when you do.
4. Set up house.
Whether you’re already living together or one of you is moving in with the other, make sure that people know where to look for you. (If you’re not already living together,
For instance, changing the address forms of your credit cards and utilities or adding your name or your spouse’s name to the lease agreement will help make things easier not just for the people who need to find you, but for yourselves as well.
5. Start making plans.
It could be for anything – buying a new home, travelling somewhere for your vacation, your first anniversary, or even just a simple dinner plan or a fun night at the movies – but the important thing is that you’re looking forward to spending time with your partner for the rest of your life.