Tea and Honey Information
Tea Basics
True tea is Camellia Sinensis. There are many (3000+) styles of Camellia Sinensis tea in addition to a huge number of herbal or tisane "teas" produced using various herbs. By the traditional definition only those leaves harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant are actually tea.
There are three varieties of the plant Camellia. Of the three varieties, Thumb Organics concentrates on Assam Tea (Camellia sinensis assamica).
Tea types:
All of the 3000 styles of Tea fall into the categories of Black, White, Green, Oolong, or Pu Erh (aged black). The types are all "faces" of Tea as measured by oxidation (and aging for Pu Erh). After a leaf is picked it undergoes changes that will ultimately determine which style results.
White: Unoxidized, immature leaves.
Green: Unoxidized leaf.
Oolong: Partially oxidized leaf.
Black: Fully oxidized.
Grading Tea: India Grades
There are many grading styles for tea which are often based on local custom or use. These grades are not necessarily consistent or recognized elsewhere. The Assam Estate that supplies our tea uses the consistent and widely recognized method for grading tea shown below. Our teas are hand harvested, Certified Organic and have a minumum grade of Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (GFOP/GFBOP).
Pekoe:
Pekoe grade tea leaves are those picked closest to the end of a branch.
Orange Pekoe:
Orange Pekoe grades are the three leaves plucked from the end of a branch. They are youngest and smallest of tea leaves on a branch.
Broken Orange Pekoe:
The leaves in broken grades of orange pekoe tea are reduced in size (broken). This allows for more surface area when brewing causing the tea to infuse faster than whole leaf varieties.
Flowery Orange Pekoe:
Orange pekoe which includes some tips or leaf buds.
Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe:
This grade of tea would refer to broken orange pekoe with the addition of a small portion of tips.
Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe:
Often referred to flowery orange pekoe. Includes tips and flowers that are golden in color.
Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe:
A larger ratio of golden tips would be included in this classification of flowery orange pekoe.
Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe:
Tea falling into this classification are usually the finest premier estate teas. Comprised of golden flowers, leaf buds, and the youngest tea leaves.
There are additional numerical refinements of Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe to further diferentiate among the top teas.
Tea Ratings:
AROMA
Pleasing "nose" or "bouquet" given off from the rising steam of the tea. Premium teas have a thoroughly pronounced aroma. The analysis of aroma is the most vital aspect of tasting or enjoying tea. This is the number one rating factor for all our teas.
Strong Aroma: The tea emits a strong aroma which usually engulfs the drinker on every sip.
Noticeable Aroma:The tea emits a very noticeable aroma that embodies its character.
Subtle Aroma:The tea emits subtle aroma when its brewed.
Very Subtle Aroma: The tea emits very subtle aroma when its brewed.
No Noticeable Aroma: The tea does not emit any noticeable aroma when its brewed.
APPEARANCE
This measures the visual effect of the tea leaves when it is dry.
Full Bloom: The tea is glazed and in full bloom (usually means high quality). When inspected closely with naked eyes, you will find fine hairs on the body of the teas, and they will reflect the light being shined on them. The tea is definitely amongst the best teas in the market of its kind.
Good Bloom: The tea has a bright appearance, and shows a strong glaze to the naked eyes. The tea is most likely a top grade tea, but does not have the fine hairs on its body, found in full bloom teas. Most likely these teas have lost its full glaze look to weather conditions and not to inferior manufacturing.
Slight Bloom: The tea is bright, but doesn't carry a strong glaze. Either it naturally has an unglazed look, or its a medium grade tea.
Bland: The tea is un-glazed but does not appear too dry. Most granular teas are bland in appearance, but brews excellent serving of tea. The tea is most likely a medium grade tea with less brightness.
Wilted: The tea appears very dry and un-glazed. This tea is likely old, and most likely lost any high characteristics it had as a fresh tea.
BODY
This measures the strength and viscosity of a brewed tea.
Full Body: This tea offers the thickest serving - almost like a natural latte. A serving of this tea will boost your energy, and will most likely fill your appetite.
Medium Body: This tea offers an almost thick serving; very unique to its character, and usually offers a filling cup.
Mild Cup: This tea has a thick silky body that's soft on the tongue.
Thin Cup: The tea has a thin silky body, and would taste like a non-carbonated soft drink.
Very Thin Cup: The teas most likely it tastes like soft water when sipped - light, refreshing and thirst quenching.
BRISKNESS
This measures the briskness and astringency of the tea.
Very Brisky: The tea is super brisky, and unforgiving (if oversteeped). They usually have layers of flavor that can be enjoyed only if they are brewed right. Some prefer to consume this type of teas with a dash of milk. Do not steep over 3 to 4 minutes.
Brisky: The tea is brisky, with an otherwise round body. Brisky teas are good with milk and sugar, and also as self-drinking teas.
Medium Brisk: The tea is malty, and offers a mildly brisk serving. The briskness is noticeable, but does not leave a "thick tongue" after-effect in your mouth, even if over-brewed.
Subtle Brisk: The tea offers the noticeable but very milk astringency. These teas are best without milk, and can withstand longer steeping time than teas that are very brisky.
Not Brisky: The tea does not have any noticeable briskness in the cup. A soft cup with flavor but not much kick.
Herbal Teas:
Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis)
The very popular red tea of the Cedarberg region of South Africa. This earthy herbal tea is naturally caffeine free so it can be enjoyed any time. Iced or hot, Rooibos is very diverse and takes flavoring well. Rooibos can be used in cooking for both flavor and color.
Rooibos should be brewed and stored the same way as traditional tea.
Tea bag cut Rooibos will brew quicker than loose
Rooibos. Loose Rooibos contains larger pieces of both leaf and stems so it releases flavor slower than tea bag style cuts. Unlike many teas, Rooibos can be steeped for long periods without losing its flavor.
Honeybush tea (Cyclopia spp)
Honeybush also comes from South Africa and looks very similar to Rooibos. Honeybush tends to brew darker than Rooibos and has a very strong flavor and distinctive aroma. Since Honeybush is flavorful it makes an excellent blending agent. Honeybush goes well with citrus, fruit, milk and other ingredients. Prepares the same as traditional tea. Naturally caffeine free.
YERBA MATE (Ilex Paraguariensis)
The pride of South America. Yerba Mate is unusual in the herbal world in that it actually contains caffeine. Yerba Mate looks similar to Green Tea when brewed, with a distinctive slightly bitter taste. Yerba Mate is offered smoked or unsmoked depending on the drying methods used when processed. Dried Mate is then either sifted for a leaf only product or processed and packaged with leaves and stems. Leaf only Mate tends to have a sharp, focused flavor, while leaf and stem is slower to diffuse for a more nuanced tea. Smoked mate adds an extra layer flavor to the tea. Yerba Mate is an excellent palate cleansor after sweet foods.
Store Yerba Mate as you would traditional tea. However, when brewing Yerba Mate use hot, but NOT boiling water (less than 170o F is best). Boiling water can destroy the beneficial properties of the tea.
All traditional and herbal teas can be served hot or cold. All handle citrus flavors, sweeteners and milk well. Experimenting is the key to enjoying tea to its fullest.
RooMate and Green RooMate contain Yerba Mate and should be brewed in the same manner.
To Recap:
Yerba Mate
- Looks similar to green tea when brewed.
- Has a modest stimulant effect. Less than traditional tea.
- Certified 100% Organic under USDA/NOP standards.
- Fair Trade Certified - This means the growers are compensated to ensure a fair profit regardless of market conditions.
- Unsmoked - Many Mate's are smoked while drying, ours is unsmoked to enhance the true Mate flavor.
- Sifted for a leaf only product. Most Mate is made from leaves and stems. For a premium product ours has been sifted to remove the stem material. This gives the Mate a more robust flavor.
- Single origin, family owned tea estate. The ultimate in quality control. From planting, to harvest, to manufacturing, we can trace this Mate all the way back to the source.
- We use eco-friendly Oxygen bleached tea bags (uses no chlorine).
- Very high in antioxidants. Contains Zinc, Niacin, Iron, Chromium, Magnesium, Riboflavin.
- Excellent hot or cold. When brewing hot tea use hot but not boiling water for best results.
- Kosher Certified.
Rooibos
- Certified 100% Organic.
- Certified Fair Trade.
- Contains no caffiene - can be enjoyed any time.
- Has similar antioxidant levels of traditional tea.
- Contains trace vitamins and minerals.
- Natural unbleached tea bags contain no chlorine.
- Perfect hot or cold. Brews just like traditional tea.
- Halaal and Kosher Certified.
- The perfect beverage for caffeine restricted diets.
RooMate
This niche blend has all the properties of Yerba Mate and Rooibos with the added benefit of Honeybush.
For those who like to explore complex new flavors. Moderately low in overall caffeine.
Assam Black Tea
- Certified 100% Organic.
- Certified Fair Trade.
- Single origin, family owned tea estate. The ultimate in quality control. From planting to harvest to manufacturing, we can trace this tea all the way back to the source.
- Assam teas tend to be bold and assertive.
- Contains caffeine.
- Graded and rated at the source using a the traditional Indian system.
- Each tea is an unblended single malt tea of one grade. We offer a value priced GFBOP, a midprice TGFBOP and the best of harvest SFTGFOP1.
Honey:
For general information about honey check out the Honey Council website HERE.
A Brief FAQ on our Certified Organic Honey:
My honey is "natural" so does that means it is Organic?
No. The term "natural" is a meaningless marketing term that has no objective standard definition for proper use. The word "Organic" is specifically defined by the USDA and may only be used under very precise circumstances which are monitored and verified by the USDA and third party certification agencies.
Honey is made by Bees, so all Honey must be Organic right?
No, any bee that pollinates a flower that has been treated with pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers will produce honey that may contain the same non organic substances. Certified Organic honey requires very large areas (approx. 25 square miles) of Certified Organic land to meet the strict requirements for Organic Certification.
Is my local honey Organic?
Probably not. Because of the geographical requirements for Certified Organic honey there are few, if any, Certified Organic domestic honey sources. Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, New Zealand, and Zambia are all countries that have Certified Organic honey producers. South America leads the world in Certified Organic acreage.
Why does my honey say "Raw Honey" on the label?
Raw honey has not been heated above hive temperature at any time during its processing. This helps preserve the various beneficial aspects that occur naturally in honey. The typical grocery store honey has been heated to high temperatures during processing. This heating destroys the beneficial properties of honey. The heating process also keeps the honey in liquid form longer for better shelf appearance. Heat kills honey! Look for "Certified Organic Raw Honey" on your label. All Thumb Organic honey is raw and Certified Organic.
My honey has crystallized, is something wrong with it?
No, crystallization is a good thing; all honey will crystallize over time. This is the normal state of honey. Depending on the ratios of the sugar content and other factors honey may crystallize quickly or very slowly. Gently warming your honey in warm water will reliquify the crystals. To retain the character of raw honey do not microwave.
Honey labelled "cremed, or creamed" has been made by seeding recently processed, liquid honey with crystallized honey and blending it to a smooth consistency.
Monofloral, Polyfloral what is the difference?
Monofloral honey is produced by bees that have access to only one type of flower. This can be due to unique geographic conditions, dominance of certain flowers, or based on blooming cycles. Our Blue Borage honey and Rata honey are monofloral honeys. These honeys can have very striking characteristics which are prized for their uniqueness. Blue Borage and Rata are both monfloral honeys which are very different from each other. Rata is glucose dominant, fine textured, quickly crystallizes, and has a less sweet, very sublime taste. Blue borage is high in fructose, is sweet, very thick and crystallizes very slowly.
Polyfloral honeys are produced in areas of diverse flowering plants and trees. These honeys tend to meld their flavors for a more balanced sugar content. There are still wide variations in the tastes of polyfloral honeys due to geography and blooming cycles. Our Tropical Blossom Honey is in this category. This honey is midway between Rata and Blue Borage in character and flavor.
Why is there a health warning on my honey label?
In certain circumstances involving infants under twelve months, honey has been identified as a potential source for a serious illness called "infant botulism". For this reason infants under 12 months should never be given honey products.
Honey: The following information is provided by our suppliers and is specific to the products Thumb Organic LLC distributes.
Rata: The frequency of the Rata flowering is sporadic, some saying it flowers well every 3 years and spectacularly every 7 years. This is an approximation only as it can flower well for 3 years in a row and not at all some years making the honey supply intermittent. This irregularity of supply is offset by Rata being one of the finest honeys in the World, and when a good flowering coincides with with fine, stable weather, it can produce a prolific crop of high quality.
Blue Borage: The Vipers Bugloss plant - commonly known as Blue Borage - grows wild in the remote areas of the Clarence Reserve in the Kaikoura mountain range in New Zealand. It is one of the hardest won honeys in New Zealand from one of the purest sources. The wild flower covers the hills of the Central South Island in a floral carpet of brilliant blue flowers.
With its distinctive flavor and high fructose levels, Blue Borage Honey is a unique sweetener in beverages such as coffee and tea.
Buy with confidence: Most of our Honey is from New Zealand which has some of the toughest Organic Certification requirements in the world.
Please refer to the Honey page for more detailed information.
The USDA website has a comprehensive FAQ regarding Organic Certification under the National Organic Program.
