Keep in mind that tea is made by leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant, each hand picked to maintain integrity.  The people that spend hours each day plucking the leaves look for the most tender and youngest the plant produces.  With that, they know they can produce the finest quality possible, whether the best green tea, black tea, white tea, or oolong tea.

Tea Processing

Tea is processed with the CTC method, which involves crushing, tearing, and curling.  In this case, tiny pieces left over are used to make green tea bags, black tea bags, and so on, as well as concentrate for ice tea.  The large leaves and pieces are used for making quality loose leaf tea, which is the best you can buy.

Once the tea has been harvested and processed, it can be blended with other types of tea or flavorings, herbs, and flowers that enhance flavor and aroma, as well as color, texture, and body.  Because of this, you can choose any blend you want, finding one or several to enjoy daily.

Incredible Flavors for Tea

You can choose subtle or bold green and black tea blends depending on your preference.  For instance, Chai green tea and Kashmiri Chai are excellent options that have a spicy flavor.  This type of tea comes from the northern part of the India Himalayas, which is typically enjoyed with a little fresh cream and honey.

Amazingly, just four ounces of quality loose leaf tea can produce more than 50 cups.  However, if you were to purchase bulk green tea, bulk black tea, or some other type of bulk tea, from a single pound, you would get 200 cups.  That means you are paying just a few cents for each cup of delicious tea you enjoy.

For a smooth flavor enjoyed in the afternoon, Nepalese Afternoon Tea blend is great.  This grows in the Himalayan country of Nepal just at the base of Mount Everest.  This tea is simply delicious with subtle flavors of honey, sandalwood, and lotus.

Rose Tea is also a beautiful choice, which has a rich flavor and aroma.  In this case, the tea is made from quality loose leaf black tea that has been enhanced with rose petals.  Because of this, you end up with a type of tea that is light and refreshing, while producing a hint of floral.  Rose Tea is versatile in that it is excellent hot or cold.

Classic Tea

If you prefer a more authentic type of tea, one with rich flavor then Shinharaja is a consideration.  This tea comes from loose, dark leaves that are carefully grown in the hill country of Ceylon.  The finish of this loose black tea is carmelized, which gives it a unique consistency of molasses.  Since it is so rich, most people will add a little cream and sugar but on a cold day, this is the perfect choice.

Then, Earl Grey is smooth with a classic flavor that people love.  Named after a 19^th century Prime Minister, this blend is made with lavender and bergamot.  While deep, it is also subtle.  The high quality of Earl Grey can be enjoyed winter or summer, and most people that try it fall in love.

Tea for Emotions

Just as different specialty teas are chosen for flavor, others are chosen based on mood.  Because black tea is so versatile, it works well for anyone and any emotion.  Again, once you try Chinese black tea, you will likely move on to sampling different blended tea, finding several you simply cannot live without drinking daily.

Most people try a large variety of teas before they find three or four that stand out.  This tasting process is important since everyone has different preferences regarding flavor.  In fact, many tea companies will send small samples for a small fee so you do not have to pay full price for something you end up not liking.

With so many remarkable blends of black tea, you can find a flavor that is smooth and light or one that is deep and rich.  Even aromatic qualities vary depending on the exact blend.  For years, you were limited to black tea blends from local companies but now with the internet, an entirely new world has been introduced.

All you need to do is conduct an online search through any of the major search engine and in response you will find a long list of possibilities.  Remember, it may take a few samples to find what you like but with such incredible choices, you will find black tea blends that are perfect for your personal taste.

Without doubt, of all types of tea, green tea is versatile.  This type of tea can be made in a variety of flavors or be consumed cold or hot.  The way in which the tea ends up is based on the preparation.  In addition to variety, this tea also improves energy but is also relaxing.  Because green tea has a very low level of caffeine, it can provide a boost but without the jitters.  Another green tea benefit is its weight loss properties.

This is why so many weight loss companies now offer green tea supplements, which contain a high level of antioxidants.  In fact, along with green tea bags and supplements, you could also choose other forms of using green tea to lose weight.  This tea also promotes overall good health.

When looking at the health of people living in Tibet and China, it is easy to see that green tea offers medicinal properties in that these people are healthy and live long lives.  In fact, the Tibetan and Chinese people also enjoy ginseng root along with green tea, which provides minerals and vitamins to the body while being detoxified by the green tea.

Studies also show that when people drink green tea, bad cholesterol levels are lowered while good cholesterol levels increase.  In fact, one particular study performed on animals show the polyphenols found in green tea stop cholesterol from being absorbed into the intestinal tract, which means eliminating bad cholesterol is possible.

Even the liver can benefit from green tea properties in that alcohol damage can be controlled better.  When examining liver disease, studies show that for people drinking green tea, the number of confirmed cases are much lower.  Green tea is all-natural, nature’s way of taking care of the body but the full benefits are still to be discovered.

Source of the Tea
Process of Manufacturing
Purchasing, Quality Control Measures, Customer Service/Support

Source of the Tea

The first element determining if you end up with the worst or the best green tea or other type of tea preferred. As mentioned, the four primary types of tea, loose green tea, loose black tea, loose white tea, and loose white tea all come from the Camellia plant. However, various factors that start from the time the plant is put in the ground to the time it is brewed would decide the degree of quality you enjoy.

For the highest quality loose leaf tea, the leaves are carefully chosen and then taken through a process slowly, which involves the leaves being handled delicately by hand. You need to look at exotic tea much like fine wine. The way it is grown, harvested, and processed to bring it to the final product state determines the level of quality for flavor, aroma, and texture. For the highest quality loose leaf tea possible, the plant would need the best growing conditions that include soil, climate, altitude, weather, and even the season in which the leaves are plucked.

Interestingly, a single pound of tea in the form of loose leaves consists of about 3,000 leaves that have all been carefully plucked by hand. To ensure quality, workers pull off only the youngest buds and most tender leaves from the plant. Once plucked, processing starts, which would vary depending on the type of tea involved.

Process for Manufacturing

The most common type of processing is known as CTC, which is the acronym for “Crush, Tear, Curl”. In this case, the leaves end up being tiny pieces that are used for making things such as tea concentrate or green tea bags, or any variety tea bags. Remember, of all the tea in the world, only 2% or less is considered superior quality. Tea that falls into this category is processed by hand, a time-consuming method that has been used for hundreds of years.

Reputable tea suppliers work hard to ensure that only the finest loose leaf tea is provided to customers. With this, the leaves retain their delicious, natural flavor and aroma, which for true tea connoisseurs is important. For the best tea possible, the leaves and buds would need to be hand plucked. This process takes time but it is also a meticulous craft performed in places like China for thousands of years.

For instance, the way in which leaves would be plucked to make Chinese black tea, they would need to be handled in a specific way to retain the character of the leaves, resulting in fine flavor, aroma, color, texture, body, clarity, and complexity. Obviously, real tea lovers understand the difference between low grade tea bags and high quality loose leaf tea, and when compared, the difference is dramatic.

Understanding the Supply Chain

The first element associated with high quality loose leaf tea is having access to it. Typically, tea of this quality is not sold at conventional stores. Even when purchased through specialty tea shops and online tea companies, expect to pay a higher price, but worth it.

One of the more convenient and efficient methods is to buy tea online. In fact, because e-commerce websites exist for companies all over the world, this increases the chance of finding high quality loose leaf tea for an affordable purchase and shipping price.

Keep in mind, as you look at various online tea companies, those with interactive capability, easy navigation, and innovative features tend to offer the best experience. For instance, multiple shipping options and automated shipping, gift shipments, flexible delivery, and multiple destination options make the buying process easier.

The bottom line is that for loose leaf tea, quality is the key to outstanding flavor and rich health benefits. Tea suppliers have a distinct role of maintaining quality control over tea being shipped. To ensure they provide their customers with a wide selection of tea and only the best quality, they receive tea from various countries to include China, Sri Lanka, and India, three of the top producers.

Quality Control

In addition, a reputable tea supplier would perform what is known as “tea cupping” on each shipment of tea received. This means that s sample is taken from the shipment and checked for quality. With this, the supplier maintains a sound quality control measure. Therefore, anyone looking to buy from a supplier needs to ask if the cupping process is used.

Another quality control measure has to do with customer service and support. Obviously, the supplier and his or her customer, being a restaurant, hotel, hospital, coffee house, etc needs to be trusted and professional. Building a long-term relationship is imperative to success for both parties, ultimately to ensure the consumer is being presented with the highest quality tea possible, whether green tea, Jasmine tea, or some other variety.

The tea supplier that is skilled in the area of customer service and support would have great communication skills and the ability to listen to both good and bad input from customers so appropriate changes could be made, if warranted. That way, the level of quality for loose leaf tea is consistent.