Tea - A Restorative Drink | Chef’s Chronicle

Feel the Tea leaf

As you steep Tea, with boiling water the leaves should unfurl slowly. Touch: In general, high-quality dried Tea Leaves should feel how they look: smooth, whole and sturdy. It should also have a slight heft in your hands; if you feel feather-light, it may be an indication that it was over-dried – Experts say that it’s important to be able to identify high-quality loose leaf tea.

Tea processing is an interesting subject and the 4 organs will help you identify good quality Tea

Tea Connoisseurs will definitely be able to identify the best Flavorsome, and the taste that Stays in mouth feel while rolling a tea in your mouth that tickles the Taste buds. Simply relying on four of your senses will help you on your path to becoming a tea connoisseur. Here’s what to note each step of the way.

Sight

Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of tea processing: CTC (cut, tear, curl) and Orthodox. In the CTC method, tea leaves are sent through a machine that cuts, tears and curls them into small pellets.CTC processing is suitable for teabags and delivers a dark stong brew quickly, though sometimes at the expense of the more subtle aromas of tea.

Touch

In general, high-quality dried tea leaves should feel how they look: smooth, whole and sturdy. High-quality loose leaf should not crumble or disintegrate with gentle handling. Steeped tea leaves should feel slippery and smooth to the touch.

Smell

No matter what kind it is, high-quality tea will have a distinct aroma. If you inhale deeply and are getting only trace amounts of scent, this could be a sign that the tea is low quality or getting old and stale. Black tea should smell earthy, floral and sweet. When steeped, excellent tea should be deeply aromatic and amplify the unique scents of the dry tea leaves.

Taste

Great tea will have a strong, recognizable taste and mouthfeel. The best green tea will feel and taste smooth, bright and refreshing rim and cure CTC is also cut, trim and cured

Golden Rules Of Tea Making

Indian Tea is one of the Heavy exports to Europe, Mid East, British Columbia and many other Places

  • Only make tea with Good Quality Tea
  • Tea should be made in a teapot.
  • The pot should be warmed beforehand.
  • The tea should be strong., flavorsome and mouthfeel
  • Tea should be put straight into the pot
  • Store tea leaves in an airtight container
  • Never Keep the Tea Container on floors or near a wall to avoid dampness
  • Always use a good quality tea. Its worth the Value you spent
  • Use only fresh water, for tea making the “golden ratio” is one teaspoon of most tea leaves (approx. 3 grams) per 8 ounce cup of water.
  • Steep the tea in aptly boiled water never under boiled.
  • Never add Tea to water , it should be the other way
  • The tea leaves get infused after 1 minute. The tea should be made and served in tea pot only
  • U tea pots made of china, earthenware, and stainless steel. Avoid ones made of enamel or tin.
  • Never add milk to the tea too soon. Serve piping hot milk separate in a milk pourer
  • Remember the golden word A TEA BOILED IS A TEA SPOILED

Why Darjeeling Tea

It is cultivated at extreme altitudes, on steep slopes, under intensive sunshine in a generally cool climate. Darjeeling tea has a distinct and unique flavor. Its annual harvest is limited, and its taste and aroma cannot be replicated anywhere else. Because it is so special, it is much sought after by tea connoisseurs.

Sri Lankan Tea

Sri Lankan Tea or Ceylon tea is a popular type of black tea that is also known as Sri Lankan tea. Served as an iced tea or nice and warm, it is a favorite beverage for many tea drinkers. While Sri Lanka is known for its bold flavor, you might be surprised to know that it can vary greatly in taste, depending on where it’s grown in the country.

The highest grades for Western and South Asian teas are referred to as “orange pekoe”, and the lowest as “fanning” or “dust”… Broken, fanning and dust orthodox teas have slightly different grades. CTC teas, which consist of leaves mechanically rendered to uniform fannings, have yet another grading system

Orange Pekoe is a classification of black tea based upon the origin of the leaf. To be classified as pekoe, the tea must be composed purely of the new flushes – a flush being the leaf bud plucked with two youngest leaves. Any other leaves produce teas of lower quality.
Sea Trade Routes Increase the Spread of Tea Throughout the World. The sea trade routes between China and the Western world actually occurred in 1517, when the Portuguese trade ships first docked in Guangdong, China… The custom of drinking tea spread into France in 1638, then to England in 1645.

Te, cha and chai, which reflected the history of transmission of Tea drinking culture and trade from China to countries around the world.

Courtesy : Orwell


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SuperChef Nandakumar

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Chef Nandakumar Menon or ‘Chef Nandu as he is known evolved into the Super Chef series. He was at the CASINO HOTEL in Kochi and later at the remarkable COCONUT LAGOON in Kumarakom. Both iconic Hotels and restaurants of repute for the quality and consistency of food offered at their restaurants. Coconut Lagoon where Chef Nandu headed the kitchen moulded him to cater to international clientele from all over the world coming in to experience the magic of the backwaters of Kerala and Kerala itself as a unique destination. From his early Catering Technology days at Adayar, Chennai and training at the famed TAJ MAHAL INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL, Mumbai, Chef Nandu was back again at the Welcome Group’s ADAYAR PARK INN, Chennai. Later he headed the setting up of the various F&B outlets of the ABAD PLAZA group, Kochi as its Corporate Chef. And then with the Quilon Beach hotels, Chef Nandu created a redefined art of culinary expertise. His clientele were Doctors, Cashew businessmen and of course celebrities from the tinsel world, the cloyed connoisseurs had a different feel with his nouvelle cuisine. He still loves to cook and share his valuable experience of the world of food with The Daily Brunch and its readers in our series on SUPER CHEFS. Cheers! See more from SuperChef Nandakumar