Tea

 

Now, why did nobody tell me?

 

 

The different types of tea are essentially produced from similar varieties of the same plant, it is how they are processed after picking that determines the colour and variety of tea. As different processes are involved the active substances (oils and flavanols) locked within the dried leaf require different process to release them. Without going into too much detail, the degree of wilt, bruising and oxidisation that the leaf goes through determines the amount of heat needed to produce an infusion (these process also set the colour - the darker it is the more it has oxidised - the more it is wilted the paler it is - so green is generally neutral - no wilt and no oxidisation)  - for fully oxidised leaves (black tea) almost boiling water is needed, while partially oxidised teas like oolong require slightly less heat and unoxidised teas (green and white) require even less. Too much heat will result in bitterness, too little will not release the active substances. 

 

The shape of the pot (short and squat - almost spherical) is chosen to produce an even temperature distribution and uninterrupted leaf circulation in the water during infusion - coffee pot shape has an uneven temperature gradient and poor circulation.