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XIII maltatoday, Sunday, 11 January 2015 Food Tea Now that the Christmas festiv- ities are over and comfort eating has come to an abrupt halt – for this week at least – we look to other things to derive comfort from. And what better way than from a steaming hot cuppa. Tea is the second most widely drunk beverage in the world after water. Though there is a huge variet y of teas available on the market they all come from the same place – from the tea bush or Camellia Sinensis. The only difference in the t ype of teas is how the leaves are processed. For some t ypes of tea, the leaves must be fermented, for others they are only sun- dried. The processing is what determines the taste and qualit y of the different t ypes of teas. There are four main categories of tea which are drunk the world over. These categories are White tea, Green tea, Oolong tea and Black tea. Black tea Black tea is the most popular of all teas and the most widely consumed. The distinctive taste prevalent in the different black teas comes from the way that they are processed. During the processing of the tea leaves the leaves are heavily oxidized and fermented. It has a higher caffeine content and is stronger in f lavour than the other tea varieties. There is a huge variet y of black teas available, though the main ones include Nilgiri tea, Assam tea, Lapsang Souchong, Earl Grey and Darjeeling tea. Fla- voured black teas provide a extra little bit of something, blending anything from Italian liqueur to cinnamon and almonds. Green tea Originally coming to the world from China, Green tea is a popular beverage due to many factors, one of which is said to be the fact that it aids in weight- loss. The difference between black and green tea does not come from the plant itself but from the preparation method. To put it simply, black tea undergoes a fermenting process while green tea does not. Of the four different tea varie- ties, green tea undergoes the least processing. It is withered, or air-dried and then either steamed or pan-fried. The tea is then rolled gently and heated once to lock in its f lavours. Oolong tea Again the processing of the tea leaves gives Oolong tea its unique f lavours. The edges of the leaves are bruised following the withering process to allow partial oxidization, causing the f lavour and caffeine to rise to the surface. Brewing methods also differ with the correct tea pot, called a Gaiwan, necessary to produce the best f lavours. The taste of Oolong tea is somewhere between black and green tea. White tea The harvesting and prepara- tion of this tea means that it is not as abundant as the other teas and therefore it is more expensive. White tea is very light and has a silky texture and soft f lavour. It lacks the green grassy taste of green tea and the bitter, f lowery taste of black and Oolong tea. Unlike the other varieties of tea, white tea is made from tea buds that are barely unfurled. It is also the appearance of these buds, which has given white tea its name, as the buds are covered in a silver fuzz at the time of harvesting. When the harvested buds are steamed, the fuzz remains on the leaf, turning to a white col- our, hence the name white tea. White tea is cultivated and made in a few different coun- tries around the world, with China, Japan, India, and Sri Lanka (Ceylon) being among the top runners for producing high grade white tea. And just like the many different varieties of black tea available, there are also different grades of white tea available, with the Silver Needle variet y being one of the most sought after white tea varieties. For all the tea in China Earl of Grey cookies Ingredients Ingredients • 2 tsp Earl of Grey (dry leaves, ground) • 2 cups flour • 2 eggs • 56g butter, melted • ½ cup cane sugar • 1 tbsp decorative sugar crystals • a few loose Earl of Grey tea leaves • Method Beat the melted butter with the sugar. 1. add 1 egg, than flour and powdered tea, until you 2. get a homogeneous dough. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 3. 1 hour. Grease a cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 200°C. Beat 2nd egg with 1 tbsp water in a small bowl. 4. roll out the dough to about ¼ in thickness, on a 5. lightly floured surface. Cut out cookies into desired shapes, and place on 6. cookie sheet. Brush with beaten egg mixture. decorate with 7. loose sugar crystals and tea leaves. Bake about 10 mins or until just golden. 8. Cool on rack and let come to room temperature 9. before serving. Fine food of the week Recipe of the week The differences in the varieties of teas arise from the method of harvesting and preparation rather than from differences in the plant itself.