Ultimate Guide to Loose Leaf Tea

What is 'loose leaf' tea?  All true tea – whether black, white, green, yellow, oolong or pu-erh – is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, an evergreen shrub native to southwest China and the far northeast of India. The tender young leaves of Camellia sinensis are transformed into tea through various steps of manipulation and drying so they release their unique properties when steeped in hot water. Loose leaf teas are the closest in form to tea in its natural state. Some are simply whole dried tea leaves or buds, while others feature leaves broken during the manufacturing process or rolled into special shapes. In this post we'll look at all the forms of loose leaf tea and how they're made.

Why drink loose leaf tea? When brewed, loose leaf teas give the purest expression of the tea maker's craft. The larger surface area allows the tea leaves to interact with the water and release their nuances of flavour. Tea bags, on the other hand, are used to capture smaller tea leaf sizes, and to hold blends of teas. By using smaller parts of the tea leaf, tea bags tend to brew faster. Much of the beauty of loose leaf tea lies in the ceremony of brewing – taking the time to let the leaves steep and unfurl. It is worth noting, however, that loose leaf tea doesn't automatically mean the highest quality. Poor quality tea will not be improved by brewing as loose leaf, while very good tea from a quality region will still taste good from a tea bag. This is why it is important to find a quality-focused tea merchant. At Galerie du Thé, all our teas are both loose leaf and of exceptional quality.

How loose leaf tea is made

The Tea Bush

There are two principle varieties of tea bush: the small leaf Camellia Sinensis var. sinensis (aka 'China bush') and the large leaf Camellia Sinensis var. assamica (aka 'Assam bush'). While nothing is ever too clear cut in the world of tea, put simply: China bush is responsible for the main classes of tea across China, Taiwan and Japan, giving us the green, white, yellow and oolong teas associated with these countries.

Assam bush, on the other hand, is the principle 'black tea' variety, grown throughout India, Sri Lanka and Africa. One notable exception here is Darjeeling in northern India, where the small leaf China bush is responsible for its uniquely floral teas. Similarly, in the remote southwest of China, it is the Assam bush that is used to make pu-erh tea: a highly-prized fermented Chinese tea.

Processing

Wherever tea is made, its manufacture follows a roughly similar process: tea leaves (typically the top two-leaves-and-bud of the bush) are picked, withered (partially dried), worked (manipulated to shape the leaf or release its inner sap), oxidised (with the exception of green and yellow teas), and dried. Within this age-old process, there are endless techniques and variations used to create different teas. For example, classic Fujian white tea from China is made from a special local tea bush cultivar. Only the tender unopened leaf buds are used, which are gently sun-dried. It is the simplest, and one of the most exquisite, teas available – and one that is certainly best steeped as loose leaf.

Conversely, in Japanese tea gardens, things are done very differently. To make the famous sencha green tea, finely manicured tea bushes are sheltered from the sun in the weeks before harvest. This increase the leaves' sweet vegetal flavours, which are then brought out through steaming and rolling, turning them into uniform dark green 'needles'. It is these endlessly varied techniques – combined with the terroir of each region – that makes loose leaf teas so interesting and exciting.

Assessing loose leaf tea

Traditionally, all tea was loose leaf – tea bags only came about once tea became a globally traded commodity. In China, the appearance of the leaf has long been a key part of the appreciation of tea. Indeed, during traditional Chinese tea ceremonies, guests will be invited to admire the tea leaves before they go into the pot, during brewing and afterwards. Our Secret Garden Fuliang green tea is a fine example of quality whole leaf China bush tea that retains its shape once brewed.

Black tea grades

With black teas, due to the larger-leaved Assam bush and the lengthy withering, rolling and oxidation stages required, it is harder to keep the tea leaves whole and intact throughout the process. As the leaves are rigorously rolled to release their precious inner sap, then tumbled and heated to oxidise and dry them, so some leaves are broken. As a result, leaf grading was introduced to sort and classify orthodox black tea.

In India and Sri Lanka especially, traditional black teas are graded according to the quality and size of the harvested leaf (with the tips being the most premium and the lower leaves being less refined). Orthodox black teas go through a series of sifting tables, using varying sized screens to sort them into 'whole' and 'broken' leaf grades (as well as 'fannings' typically used in tea bags). A complicated coding system of abbreviations has developed to further classify these grades and indicate their quality and brewing consistency. See the table below.

The principle orthodox black tea classification is 'orange pekoe', a confusing term that likely has its origins in the 15th century Dutch East India Company. These early European tea exporters would have reserved the finest tea for the Dutch royal family. Peh-ho (Westernised to 'pekoe') is a type of premium Chinese white tea, and 'orange' was no doubt added in honour of the House of Orange. Whatever the exact origins of the name, it persists to this day.

^*notes

• ^{Black tea grading is not an exact science. Different steps and permutations of the above classifications are used across Indian, Sri Lankan, Africa and other countries' regions.}
• ^{The above abbreviations often have 1 or 2 next them, which denote whether the tea was picked in the first or second 'flush' (seasonal harvest).}
• ^{Depending on the country or region of origin, the above classifications can have 'S' before or after them to denote they are a 'special' or 'superior' levels of that grade.}

While it is easy to get caught up in leaf grades as a mark of quality (or 'tea bling'), it's important to note that grading exists to determine the consistency of the final brew. Understanding black tea grades helps you find the right tea for your taste. At Galerie du Thé we always look for balance when tasting new teas, so grades are secondary to finding the right garden or tea estate. Once we find the right tea estate or garden, we select the grade that we feel best expresses it.

How to brew loose leaf tea To get the best out of your loose leaf tea, choose the right sized tea pot for the number of servings. Loose leaf teas need the space to circulate in the water to brew properly. If your pot is too small they can't steep fully, and if it's too large you risk the water cooling down too fast. All our loose leaf teas come with specific brewing guidelines. For the brewing itself, a glass tea pot is useful as it lets you see, for instance, the unique way white tea 'needles' float vertically in the water, or how jasmine dragon pearls slowly unfurl into their unique twisted forms. One of the best ways to understand more about different teas is to pay attention to the form of the loose leaves. We recommend taking a moment to note the appearance of the tea leaves before you pour water on to them. Why does Japanese tamaryokucha look so different to Taiwanese red oolong? What are those golden curls you see in fine Assam, or the down-like hairs on white tea buds? Where do these unique characteristics come from and how do they affect the tea in your cup?

If you are interested in the answers to these questions, you're in the right place! At Galerie du Thé it is our passion to explore, enjoy and share fine tea. Join us on this journey and we can unlock the mysteries of the tea leaves together.

If you have any questions or comment, please leave them below.