Earlier this year I began studying the DNA of true tea plants. As usual, I also purchased some plants to observe. I now have representatives of “Chinese small leaf” and “Assam” tea. Today we enjoyed our first cups of tea made from 2 grams / cup of crushed dried leaves.
15 Likes
Glad you enjoyed it. So how was it besides enjoyable was there any flavor references or description that stood out? Very strong caffeine?
@Plants
I did not invest time in curing green leaves. These leaves had dried on one plant after it took a beating a month ago from hot winds blowing off the desert. A few days ago I ground them up with an OXO food mill. I looked online for net weight of tea leaves in bags. I saw ranges of 1g to 3g per cup and went with 2g. Water in the cups was preheated for 2 min on high in the microwave, and the tea bags were soaked for 5 minutes.
The result was a mild tea flavor – not the worst nor best tea I’ve tasted. If I had purchased it at a store I wouldn’t buy it again. I’m not a regular tea drinker - far from it.
The caffeine was noticeable and also mild. Maybe 1/4 to 1/2 that of a diet Coke - which I stopped drinking a year ago.
4 Likes
Noticed the shipping boxes. Where did you buy them from? I’ve been wanting some for a while now, but I’m worried the deer will be getting high on them leaving me nothing.
Excellent info thanks Richard. I do love tea and the few I’ve considered all have caffeine which I’m unfortunately allergic to. I stick with Jasmin, Mint and Citrus for now. Also need to try some fig leaf tea I keep forgetting to dry some leaves.
1 Like
I have two small bushes though I haven’t tried harvesting and drying the leaves for tea. I’d imagine you need to prune the branch ends to force new growth and harvest the young leaves for the best resultant tea. I could be wrong.
I planted them as a curiosity, but haven’t followed through with using them.
They are not in an ideal spot. They are about 2 feet around. They are just now dropping the spent flowers, which are quite small (compared to the rest of the Camelias) and white.
Camelias are very popular down here in south Louisiana. They are the only plant that blooms in the middle of winter (or what we call winter here).
1 Like
There are naturally occurring Camellia sinensis that have zero caffeine. Some tea products sold as “decaffeinated” are from these cultivars – although this might only occur in east Asia.
There are several different ways to process tea plant material. I believe dried leaves is the least desirable.
3 Likes
We are trying “Sochi” or “Super Sochi” from Georgia{the country} which is Russian bred and has strong carmel and smokey tastes. Plus an Assam imported in from India as I love the dark malt flavor. We are using Camellia Forest Nursery.
Thinking hard about getting “Triploid” which makes plenty of large flowers for white tea.
3 Likes
There is a tea farm near my house that sells plants. So far it hasn’t grown much but they said they are slow to start.
1 Like
I have chromosome-level DNA for the following cultivars:
Anjibaicha
ATK-1
CR-6017
L618
SA-6
SMP-1
TES-34
Tieguanyin
TRF-4
UPASI-2
UPASI-3
Zijuan
2 Likes
According to my teachings from working multiple coffee stands and Teavana before Starbucks bought it out: you see the caffeine. To decaffeinated tea or coffee even, toss out the first batch made and use the second brew to get rid of most of the caffeine. It sits on top as the white stuff or so I’ve been told.
Unfermented tea will have very little caffeine compared to actual fermented tea leaves in regards to the Camellia Sinensis. However, yerba mate leave naturally have a ton.
2 Likes
Thanks. I’ll check into that. I can’t even drink sodas that are caffeinated. Or at least a few a week.
Almost took a free Yerba everything sounded perfect until I found out it was the caffeine king.
1 Like
If you’re in a suitable location for other Camellias (like C. japonica or C. sasanqua), they can also be made into tea, but do not contain caffeine like Camellia sinensis.
3 Likes
Thanks Johann appreciate.
well, i finally picked Camellia sinensis leaves after growing it for 4 years. slow growing at first, they grow mush faster 2 yrs after planting. because i didn’t harvest shoots for 4 years, i found about 100-200 seeds :). can’t wait to sow, prune and harvest fresh shoots next year! zone 7b, Maryland. part shade.
i’m just learning the family but what’s weird is that they’re all Camellia sinensis but sold as Sochi Tea Tree, Korean Tea Seedling, and Karatum Tea Plant (OGW or Restoring Eden). Then i just learned what the Japanese growing and processing technicques such as Matcha, Tencha, Sencha. Matcha is as far as i could read and digest. OK, double shade cloth and harvest super limpy-soft new shoots. then process in a very specific way to include de-veining or something.
now i need a cup of tea and rest…
2 Likes
@usc33
Camellia sinensis cultivars are botanically classified into one of three varieties :
- C. sinensis var. sinensis - a large shrub with small narrow serrated leaves cultivated as a hedge
- C. sinensis var. assamica - a tree with long, spear-like leaves, often referred to as “Assam” and cultivated as a hedge
- C. sinensis var. lasiocalyx - a shrub with broad leaves often referred to as “Cambodian” and cultivated as a hedge
4 Likes
Ehhhh…yeah technically. That does not mean cultivars under each orthodoxy do not have different tastes or characteristics of their own accord. Sochi/Super Sochi falls under C. sinensis var. assamica. But it tastes very different from Assam or Black Sea.
2 Likes
@dannytoro1
Is because traditional “Assam” is a black tea process, while Sochi tea is produced by a green tea process?
1 Like
Certainly various cultures select for flavors they prefer. The most cultivated Japanese cultivars have a lot of umami which is a common feature of Japanese cuisine. Most farms in Japan have cutting grown plants to insure more consistent results. On the other hand, I’ve had seedling grown teas from Japan that are very different from the norm when processed in the same manner.
2 Likes
Well Camilla Forest Nursery is selling them as distinct cultivars. They do seem to have differences in characteristics like leaf size, leaf type and shape, leaf color.
And point out the plants are typically processed as Black Tea.
2 Likes