Three Kenyan teas in one gift tin — a black, a green and a herbal — with a hand-carved olive wood spoon.
Why this particular three
It is the most useful combination you can give somebody, because it covers the whole day rather than one part of it. The black is a morning tea, brisk and full-bodied. The green suits the middle of the day, lighter and lower in caffeine. The herbal is caffeine-free and can be drunk in the evening.
A tin of three of the same kind of tea is a preference. A tin of three different kinds is a working cupboard.
Black, green and herbal — the actual difference
Worth knowing, because the distinction is not what most people assume. Black and green tea come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. The only difference is oxidation: after picking, green tea is heated quickly to stop the leaf's enzymes working, while black tea is left to oxidise fully, which is what turns it dark and gives it its malty depth. Same leaf, different processing.
Herbal tea is not tea at all in that sense — it contains no Camellia sinensis, which is why it has no caffeine. Strictly it is a tisane.
Brewing, which differs by type
This is where most people go wrong. Black tea takes water just off the boil, three to four minutes. Green tea needs cooler water, around 75–80 °C, for two to three minutes — boiling water scalds green tea and makes it bitter and grassy, which is the single reason so many people believe they dislike it. Herbal takes boiling water and a long steep, five minutes or more.
JusTea
The Bain family from Canada partnered with the Katah family and the Nandi Hills community to build Kenya's first small-scale farmer-owned artisanal tea factory, and also work with a women's tea co-operative in Meru. Verified by the Fair Trade Federation. The olive wood spoon is carved by artisan families from off-cuts left over from larger items.
Criatura
Biohême
Criatura
Biohême
