But really, coffee and tea are separate monsters.
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| Hide your children. |
While coffee is technically the more "complicated" drink, including the diversity of brew processes and drink mixtures, tea has a much older history, a wider diversity of drinkers, and a larger number of species.
In fact, the number of things that can be referred to as "Tea" is staggering. Herbs, rooibos, matcha, oolong, pu-erh, and all sorts of foreign names fall into the category. The real similarity between them is that they all are brewed in a teapot.
Here are some fun facts about tea:
- Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world aside from water
- On any given day, 1 in 2 people in America drink tea
- Loose leaf tea (like we use here at PJs) accounts for only about 5% of the total consumption of tea in USA. The rest of it is majority tea bags and premade stuff (like those diet citrus green tea bottles and Arizona tea)
- Green, Black, Oolong, and white teas come from an evergreen named Camellia sinensis
But, what's the real difference between different types? I'm not going to list all the characteristics of every kind because I want YOU to figure it out with your greatest weapon against the diversity of teas: your taste buds. Come in and try the black Ginger Peach tea, then try the Red Ginger Peach and see the difference.
One thing you might notice is that different teas take different brewing times. This is because with certain levels of development, tea leaves take longer to give off their flavor into the water. Herbal teas, which don't have tea leaves, take even longer. There are also different temperatures that are ideal for teas to be brewed at, based on the type of leaves. Green and white leaves, which are younger when plucked, are more sensitive and will fry (i.e. taste bad) at high temperatures.
Now, I have just made what seems like a simple process - hot water and leaves - extremely complicated. But fear not. One of the best things about tea (that is not true about coffee) is that the best way to brew it is the way you like to drink it. Want it strong? Leave it in longer.
There are so many ways to try tea, I would bet someone else's money that there is nobody who can't find a tea they don't like. Another reason that coffee/tea culture has grown so well is that it appeals to such a wide audience.
The Tea Association of the USA published a report showing that nearly 3 billion gallons of tea were consumed in 2010. This is a good sign, since tea is beneficial for hydration and overall health.
Let's see if Pour Jons can boost that total! We offer over 50 kinds of tea. For the rest of the weekend, mention the blog and get $1 off a pot of tea if it's a type of tea you've never tried before.
Drink up, me hearties!
In fact, the number of things that can be referred to as "Tea" is staggering. Herbs, rooibos, matcha, oolong, pu-erh, and all sorts of foreign names fall into the category. The real similarity between them is that they all are brewed in a teapot.
Here are some fun facts about tea:
- Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world aside from water
- On any given day, 1 in 2 people in America drink tea
- Loose leaf tea (like we use here at PJs) accounts for only about 5% of the total consumption of tea in USA. The rest of it is majority tea bags and premade stuff (like those diet citrus green tea bottles and Arizona tea)
- Green, Black, Oolong, and white teas come from an evergreen named Camellia sinensis
But, what's the real difference between different types? I'm not going to list all the characteristics of every kind because I want YOU to figure it out with your greatest weapon against the diversity of teas: your taste buds. Come in and try the black Ginger Peach tea, then try the Red Ginger Peach and see the difference.
One thing you might notice is that different teas take different brewing times. This is because with certain levels of development, tea leaves take longer to give off their flavor into the water. Herbal teas, which don't have tea leaves, take even longer. There are also different temperatures that are ideal for teas to be brewed at, based on the type of leaves. Green and white leaves, which are younger when plucked, are more sensitive and will fry (i.e. taste bad) at high temperatures.
Now, I have just made what seems like a simple process - hot water and leaves - extremely complicated. But fear not. One of the best things about tea (that is not true about coffee) is that the best way to brew it is the way you like to drink it. Want it strong? Leave it in longer.
There are so many ways to try tea, I would bet someone else's money that there is nobody who can't find a tea they don't like. Another reason that coffee/tea culture has grown so well is that it appeals to such a wide audience.
The Tea Association of the USA published a report showing that nearly 3 billion gallons of tea were consumed in 2010. This is a good sign, since tea is beneficial for hydration and overall health.
Let's see if Pour Jons can boost that total! We offer over 50 kinds of tea. For the rest of the weekend, mention the blog and get $1 off a pot of tea if it's a type of tea you've never tried before.
Drink up, me hearties!
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