Ochadô

Normand tells us more about tea

Tea leaves are harvested from the tea plant (Camellia Sinensis). Depending on the variety, this plant can grow up to more than 20 meters high. In a tea plantation, the plant is kept at 1 meter high to facilitate harvesting. Before you can enjoy your cup of tea, the leaves have to go through a certain process.

The Chinese came up with 6 colors to differentiate each process: Green, Black, Red, Blue, White and Yellow. These colors are not related to the tea itself but to the process used on the leaves. Most occidentals wrongly believe that these colors are linked to the tea plant. In reality, a single tea plant can produce tea of each color!

GREEN Tea: this process means that the leaves are not fermented. In the Chinese tradition, the leaves are roasted for a few minutes to kill enzymes in order to prevent fermentation. In the Japanese tradition, the leaves are steamed at 80°C for a few minutes. The result is the same in both case, but the taste, aroma and even shape of the leaves differs greatly afterwards.

BLACK Tea: (as per the Chinese) this is the tea, occidentals call Pu Erh. In this process, the leaves are roasted and then greatly compressed under a moist fabric. They are left this way for quite a long time, until the leaves develops an aroma of moist earth, mushroom or even humid wood.

Occident versus China

RED Tea: (as per the Chinese) this is the tea we call black tea! After the harvest, the leaves are fermented by an oxidation process. It is during that time that the leaves will turn darker, almost black in certain cases.

Note: what people commonly call red tea is in fact Rooibos. It is in no way related to the tea plant so it can’t be considered as tea. It comes from the Aspalathus linearis plant, a red bush, which is only grown is South Africa and does not contain any caffeine.

WHITE Tea: this is the simplest process. The leaves and many buds are simply harvested and then sun-dried.

BLUE Tea: blue tea is usually called Oolong or Wu Long. These tea leaves are partially fermented and then the fermentation process is stopped by a light roasting. The Chinese Oolong is normally fermented up to 20% and the Formosa Oolong is fermented up to 70%. So the Chinese Oolong is greener and the Formosa Oolong is blacker.

YELLOW Tea: the process for this tea is very similar to the black tea (Pu Erh) but it’s not post-fermented, less compressed and the whole process is shorter.

The other types of tea:

Smoked tea: this is a roasted tea placed over a fire. The smoke goes through the leaves which they then absorb. The result is a very strong perfume but a very light taste.

Chai: this is a blend of Assam black tea and several spices. This tea is very popular in India.

Blossom tea: This is a flower ornament with tea leaves over them. Once in hot water, the leaves opens up and the flowers are free to bloom.

What about the monkeys? Some teas have the mention “Monkey” in their designation. For example, our “Jasmine Monkey King”. For a long time, Europeans thought these teas used to be harvested by trained monkeys because the tea plants were grown on mountainsides impossible to reach for humans! Actually, it was a clever idea from a Chinese grower to keep the production secret from some nosy Englishman.

With all these varieties, one on them is bound to please your taste buds!

julie

Since we’re experimenting with recipes, I told myself why not write about another really tasty recipe that’s also a very delicious dessert that’s won’t compromise your diet. Here’s: “A Rooibos angel’s dream cake”.

Of course, this follows my previous article so you must have expected something along those lines! Without further ado, roll up your sleeves and bring out your pans.

Ingredients

- 1 box of angel cake mix

- 2 tsp of Rooibos, preferably a flavoured one

- 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

- 1 1/4 cup of boiling water

- A few drops of food coloring

- Cake pan for angel cakes (a bundt pan can also work)

Directions

Actually, all you need to do is follow the cake box’s direction. Just replace the water with your Rooibos infusion but don’t forget to strain it to remove the leaves; you don’t want to end up having to eat those! Once the mix is complete, add a few drops of food coloring to give the texture a nice color. Place your pan in the oven and once the cooking is done, cool it and serve with berries.

Piece of cake!

Norm’s Culinary Delights

This week I tried an incredibly good and easy recipe!

Preparation time: About 15 minutes plus 1 hour to refrigerate the sauce. 15 to 20 minutes to bake the salmon.

Serving size: 4 persons

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 cup of normally brewed Ochadô Blood Orange
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced
• 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all sauce ingredient in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Place a 1 1/2 to 2 lb. salmon filet in a glass rectangular baking dish. Pour the sauce over the salmon and bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes (until salmon flaky when tested with a fork). Remove salmon from baking dish and serve over a bed of rice, enjoy!

Julie

What Julie has to say about it

The first time I tasted this beverage, I was impressed by its smooth taste, almost sweet, and I became addicted to it really fast. Of course, I didn’t forgo my usual preferred teas but this discovery will have taken my full attention for a certain time.

I needed to explore this! Surprise, did you know rooibos is particularly popular in Europe, more specifically in Germany? A friend who works there recently told me he couldn’t get his hands on his usual Earl Grey in local groceries. It’s rooibos, rooibos, rooibos everywhere you look! Here it’s another story, more and more we hear about the virtues of green and white tea. But what about rooibos?

Even though rooibos isn’t tehnically tea, in South Africa it’s used for the same purposes. I can tell you I found the experience as interesting as when I drank my first matcha. Compared to other teas, rooibos is only starting to be know in North America where the focus was, not so long ago, mainly on this “new” discovery; white tea.

For those of you interested in its virtues, rooibos can rival with the traditionnal teas in terms of anti-oxydants. Just like white tea, rooibos is used in a lot of cosmetics because of its anti-oxydant properties. And the cafeine level is zero, if its not mixed with black tea, of course. The presence of tannic acid is immaterial and… it has no diuretic property like tea so if you’re tired of herbal infusions, a nice, tasty rooibos will certainly give your tongue something else to think about. It’s also a very soothing beverage that can help you relax. Hmmm… a nice bath, a cup of rooibos and then, sleepy time!

A lot of people mistakenly call this brew “red tea” but there is already a red tea in China and in India and you should be careful when searching for rooibos not to buy red tea. I was also lucky when I sipped my first cup as it was a flavored rooibos and personally, I still haven’t got the hang of natural rooibos.

Health benefits and well being aren’t really what inspires me in a good infusion. It’s more the total experience that I’m looking for. I don’t just drink tea or other kinds of beverage; I savour its richness, its exhilirating aroma, its warmness, its appeasing color and this promise that all our senses will be pleasantly struck. This harmony in a teacup that can be appeasing, energetic or even sensuous. This is what I expect and rooibos so far hasn’t disappointed!

There now, my cup is empty… I’ll need to refill it with a nice Rooibos Serengeti ;o)

Julie and Normand:

Welcome on Ochado’s blog! We’ll be publishing varied articles on our tea tasting sessions and our comments. Recipes will also add a bit of flavour to the blog and we’ll also publish some editorials on… you guessed it; tea!