Baykhovy tea: GOST, grades

Tea is a drink that billions of people love on our planet. And all because of its taste and aroma. There are many varieties of this drink that we use every day, but we do not understand the origin of their names. For example, what does "high tea" mean? Why is it called this way? What distinguishes him from others?

general characteristics

Tea is classified according to a variety of characteristics, one of which is the method of machining and the type of tea leaf. Thus distinguish tea:

Loose or loose;

- pressed;

- Extracted or soluble.

The first species is the most common. It consists of many separate tea leaves, which are not connected in any way. Where did this unusual name come from? Its roots go back to ancient times, at a time when one of the rarest and most expensive varieties of tea was called "bai hao". In translation from the local language, this meant "white villi". But traders tried to inflate the price of their goods, so when foreigners said "Bai Hao" about everything that they sold. So Russian merchants first heard this word and, not yielding to their Chinese colleagues, used their interpretation of this saying for the same purpose, but already at home. This led to the advent of the adjective "baihovy", which characterized the grade of tea as rare and high-quality. Unfortunately, the drink that we buy in the store has long lost any connection with these "white villi." Nowadays, almost any loose tea is called a baikhov.

Black tea

There are many varieties that are attributed to this species. But the most common in Europe are only five. All of them are very tasty, they have their own special taste and smell. The first is black tea. It is made with the help of withering, after that the leaves are fermented, dried and sorted. It is very useful for health, as it contains minerals (potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus), which are necessary for the body. This is the most used tea. The finished drink should have a dark brown color. If the welding has a grayish or light-brown tinge, then, most likely, it is a poor-quality product. The tea leaves themselves must be firmly twisted: the tighter the sheet is pulled, the higher the value of the beverage itself is. After all, it will have the best taste.

Green tea

This subspecies is extremely useful, because its manufacturing technology allows you to retain all the medicinal properties. First, it is steamed, then dried in a special way, which was borrowed from the Japanese, or folded into a pea according to the Chinese method. Green leaf tea is actually green, but the shades vary considerably depending on the variety. If the sheet was allowed to dry and the temperature exceeded the standard, the quality of the finished product deteriorates significantly. About this miscalculation is indicated by the dark green color of the tea leaves. If it is more light, then this is an excellent tea that has preserved all the vitamins and minerals. Therefore, it will be very useful and also the most fragrant of all varieties.

Red tea

This grade has the same manufacturing technology as black tea, but its fermentation is lower. This helps the tea leaves preserve the best taste and aroma, but the beneficial properties suffer. The color of the leaf is quite interesting: the middle of the leaf has many shades of green, but the edges are darker, turning into black. It is very difficult to manufacture it, because the process of oxidation should be interrupted at the very moment when the edges of the leaves acquired a red tint. Only after this, drying and twisting of tea leaves occurs. It all repeats at least three times. Store this variety for longer than the rest, since it is less prone to fermentation.

Yellow tea

This kind of tea is also obtained by varying the oxidation state of the leaves. Thus, by this sign, he is between red and black. This allows you to achieve a very specific exotic taste, which conquered the tea trees. The infusion is very strong, which gives an invigorating effect. Manufacturing technology is complex and time-consuming, as all raw materials are divided into two parts: the first is dried and wilted, and the second is steamed. After they are mixed and twisted. So it turns out one of the most delicious varieties of this fine drink.

White tea

The original raw material for obtaining white tea is green. It is sent for an additional weak fermentation. This leads to the emergence of white-flecked plaque on the tea leaves. The ready-made drink has almost no color, but the infusion is strong, and the taste and aroma are very light and delicate. The healing properties of this tea are high. It can be made only from those leaves that were collected in early September and early April. This is due to the fact that at this time of the kidneys begin to appear silver arrows. The collected product is steamed in order to stop the oxidation process. After that, it is dried, but not twisted, but packed in its original form. This grade is kept very poorly, since it has a low degree of fermentation.

Classification by type of sheet

We examined the main types of tea. Baykhovy tea, however, is divided into trade varieties according to the size of tea leaves:

- The first consists of large coarse leaves. On the branch they are located below the fifth leaflet. This is the cheapest sort of baihovoy tea, as the number of useful properties in it is minimal.

- The second consists of leaves growing at the level of the flower-plant of the tea bush. They are less rude than in the first case. The Chinese like to use them in a special method of preparing a tea drink. Its essence lies in the fact that the leaves are twisted into balls.

- The third has a higher quality. The raw material here are sharp, long leaves, which according to the count are the fifth or fourth. To them can be added in small amounts of tips (the tips of the kidneys and their dust).

- The fourth consists of the fourth or third leaves and golden tips. On the packaging of this tea, producers always write the word "golden", and the composition must necessarily reflect the ratio of tips and teas. Very often counterfeits are found, so you should be vigilant.

- The fifth is a "pure" type, in which only the upper leaves (not lower than the fourth) and only the golden tips are allowed to fall. The name written on the package always has a prefix "finest". The price of such tea is very high, but its taste and aroma are worth the money spent.

Place of manufacture

In our country, they love and appreciate tea, baikhovy. GOST 1939-90 is designed to ensure that the product that is on the shelves of shops, was of proper quality. It includes a characteristic for imported teas. The most famous territories - the producers of this variety are Ceylon, China and the Krasnodar Territory. Ceylon has a sharp taste, strong brewing and a reddish tint. Chinese has a softer flavor, which can be different depending on which part of the country it was grown in. Krasnodar - the most exotic and unique baihovy tea. He is very sweet, and the richness of his taste occupies an intermediate position between the Chinese and Indian "brothers."

Thus, baihov tea is the most common type. It is divided into several varieties, which differ in organoleptic qualities, but each of them is unique and worth it to try.