Tea is one of the most popular beverages in the world. It’s enjoyed in so many countries in the world – both in the East and in the West. Drinking tea is not just a way to quench thirst, a cultural traditions have been built around it. Just look at the Japanese with their Tea Ceremony, or the English with their own tradition of the afternoon tea. Tea transcends boundaries and cultures and it even has health benefits, which can be gained by drinking tea regularly.
Good tea can be judged not just by what it provides the body in terms of benefits but also how it tastes. There are many tea connoisseurs all over the world and they have specific ideas of what good tea should be. They may have different opinions about what constitutes the best teas in the world, but some commonalities do exist. Below are some of the teas that are considered the best in the world.
Darjeeling and Assam from India
India, like most Asian countries, has a strong tea culture. In fact, India is not only populated by many tea lovers, the country itself grows some of the best teas in the world – Assam and the more popular Darjeeling.
Assam is a black tea that goes quite well with milk. It has a very strong taste, which is why it is a popular tea used in blending with other milder teas to help give it more body and taste.
Darjeeling is actually a place in Northeast India. The area has some eighty farms that grow the particular tea plant variety that is used in making Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is considered the most expensive tea grown in the country and many tea experts consider it at the pinnacle of the best teas in the world.
Taiwan’s Ti Kwan Yin
One of the more popular types of teas is the oolong. And when it comes to oolong teas, few can compete with the Ti Kwan Yin produced in Taiwan. Experts believe that this Taiwanese variety is one of the best oolongs in the world.
Japanese tea
The Japanese have helped put green teas on the map because of the immense popularity of this type of tea in the country. (Recent research has shown that green tea has 14 health benefits.) Japan actually has three types of green teas that are seen as some of the best in the world. Matcha is the powdered green tea used when performing the Tea Ceremony. This type of tea is not steeped – it is whisked with hot water.
Sencha is considered the everyday green tea of the Japanese. It has a very clean and mild taste, which makes it a great tea for everyday drinking.
Finally, there is the Gyokuro (or Precious Dew), which is considered the best tea produced in Japan. This tea has a strong green color. It actually tastes sweet because of the process the tea leaves undergo.
China’s White Tea
White tea is treasured by many tea drinkers mainly because it is not as readily available as other tea variants. One of the most sought after is a white tea called Silver Needle. This white tea is highly prized and is often served in highball glasses.
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