INFO ON COFFEE & TEA

COFFEE  - We don't want to deliver a science lesson nor a  geeky guide to coffee but there are a couple of  things worth considering when it comes to your coffee.  Preserving the optimum flavour of your  coffee. Key to this would be to buy premium , freshly roasted  beans and ideally  to grind them yourself. Beans hold their flavour much longer than ground coffee  so a  grinder is a worthwhile investment and won't necessarily break the bank. We stock a couple of a good quality manual grinders for less than £40.

Whether you decide to grind or not to grind the following  tips will help maximise and maintain  the freshness and consequently the  flavour & aroma of your coffee:

  • Buy your coffee in small amounts rather than large bags. If pre-ground then ideally restock each week -   whole bean  will keep for around 3/4 weeks.
  • Keep your coffee in its bag and remove as much air as possible.  Pop it in an airtight container  and store in a cool cupboard away from heat, light,  moisture and strong food odours such as herbs, onions ,garlic etc.
  • In our opinion storing your coffee  in a fridge or freezer  is a no no, the moisture will affect the flavour and the freshness.
  • If you do grind your own then grind size is most important  - fine for espresso, to  coarse for cafetiere and then everything else in between.
  • Use good quality water - always freshly drawn and ideally filtered and do not boil as this will burn the coffee
  • As a guide  for filter brew use 60g of coffee per litre whilst  for espresso  you need to adjust that ratio  to suit depending  on the equipment you use   - this can vary upwards from 16g.

 

TEA - Tea is Good, Tea is Healthy , Tea makes you Happy  AND  tea  has an excellent shelf life , well as long as it is correctly stored so as with coffee keep it in the bag ,  place in an airtight container and store in a cool cupboard away from heat, light and moisture. 

Brewing techniques differ for all teas and again are important. Brewing guides for each of our teas are given with their descriptions to help.

 

MORE ABOUT TEA  : (work in progress) now we get a little bit wordy

Teas are all made from the same shrub, Camellia sinensis, of which two varieties of the species are used, Camellia sinensis subsp.sinensis and Camellia sinensis subsp.assamica.

BLACK TEA is the most oxidised, therefore generally stronger in flavour with higher caffeine content than green or white tea. It is graded for quality by the size of the leaf. Whole or large leaves are generally considered to be the most valuable and produce liquors that are smoother, lighter and less strong than broken leaves. Broken leaves are generally sold as medium grade loose teas whilst fannings and dusts, left over from the production of larger leaf varieties, are generally used for tea bags.

BLACK TEA GRADES

  • OP (Orange Pekoe) Term used to describe largest leaf grade for Sri Lankan teas and some Southern Indian Teas
  • FOP (Flowery Orange Pekoe) Terms used throughout the rest of India and Asia to describe largest leaf grade
  • GFOP (Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe) A flowery orange pekoe with golden tips (the delicate yellow tips of the bud’s leaves)
  • TGFOP  Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe) As GFOP with a larger proportion of golden tips
  • FTGFOP (Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe) Very high quality Orange Pekoe
  • STGFOP (Supreme Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe) Very high quality Orange Pekoe but with lots of golden tips 
  • BOP (Broken Orange Pekoe) Term used for broken size tea leaves 
  • BOPF (Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings) Tea fibres commonly found in tea bags that are smaller than BOP grade 

OOLONG TEA  is semi-oxidised meaning it is neither black nor green. Once plucked, the leaves are gently rolled allowing the essential oils to oxidize for a short period producing a unique leaf and a distinctive fragrance. The leaf is then rolled into its final shape. This process results in a fragrant tea with medium caffeine content.

GREEN TEA  leaves once plucked,  are dried immediately then steamed or fired in an oven. This prevents any chemical change in the leaf and therefore stops the leaf from being allowed to ferment. This process results in a tea that is minimally oxidized, has high levels of polyphenols known for their antioxidant activity and has less caffeine than Black or Oolong teas.

WHITE TEA  is the least processed out of all types of tea and is the rarest and most delicate. The leaves are plucked after the first buds become fully mature but before the buds open. The buds are allowed to wither naturally and release there moisture before being dried in the open air.   White Tea contains the least amount of caffeine and is considered to have the most health benefits.

ROOIBOS also known as ‘Redbush’, comes from the sensitive Aspalanthus Linearis plant and is grown only in South Africa’s Cedarburg district where the soil and growing conditions are unique to that area. Generally the leaves are processed in a similar way to the tea bush giving Rooibos its distinctive reddish-brown colour and enhanced flavour. Rooibos is naturally caffeine free and possesses high levels of antioxidants, flavanoids and minerals.  ‘GREEN’ Rooibos is un-oxidized and unfermented and is higher in antioxidants that traditional Rooibos. It carries a malty somewhat grassy flavour.