What Is Whole Leaf Tea? 5 Tips to Buy The Best Leaf Tea Online
If you want to experience the flavour and aroma of high-quality teas in its most natural form, you cannot go wrong with whole leaf tea. This type of tea has a form and appearance that is the closest to its natural state.
Let's explore everything you need to know about whole leaf tea, its varieties, and ways to shop online for the best whole tea leaves.
What is Whole Leaf Tea?
Simply put, whole leaf tea is tea leaf with its entire leaf form intact. As its name suggests, it has its full leaf structure that makes it look long and sleek.
Now, you must consider that whole leaf tea does not look like the green leaves in tea shrubs. Its long leaf form has several curls which is a result of a series of processing stages it goes through in tea factories, such as firing, rolling, and withering.
What Makes Whole Leaf Teas Special?
Whole leaf teas (also known as long leaf tea) are special in the sense that they deliver the most natural experience you can get out of tea. Unlike broken, blended, and CTC teas, they have an organic flavour that resembles leafiness and earthiness.
In other words, whole leaf tea is what you would want to choose if you want to experience the natural taste of tea.
Types of Full Leaf Teas
Orthodox tea and green tea are the two different types of full leaf teas. From the processing methods at tea factories to flavour profile and overall experience, orthodox tea and green tea are completely different from each other.
Orthodox tea is suitable for black tea as well as milk tea. And green tea leaves are suitable for green tea and other types of wellness green tea varieties, such as herbal green teas.
5 Tips to Buy the Best Whole Tea Leaves Online
As simple as it can seem, buying whole leaf tea varieties can be a bit confusing, especially if you are buying them for the first time.
To make things easy for you, we have listed some of the best practices you can follow and ensure you do not go wrong in any area:
1. Check and Ensure That the Tea Has a Long Form
One of the most important factors to consider when planning to buy loose leaf tea online is the form factor.
Ensure that the tea leaves you plan to buy have long unbroken leaves. This way, you can experience the natural and original flavour of the type of full leaf tea you are interested in, whether it is orthodox tea or green tea.
2. Ensure That the Whole Tea Leaves Are Not Mixed with Broken Leaves
Many brands that offer affordable whole leaf teas mix long leaf tea with broken leaf tea as a cost cutting step. However, it is best to not choose this type of blend as it does not deliver the true experience of whole leaf teas.
In fact, broken leaves can make the overall tea taste bitter as they lack the floral and fruity essence of pure whole leaf teas.
3. Checking The Origin Helps Choose The Ideal Tea Flavour
The origin of whole leaf teas significantly determine their flavour. So, when shopping for full leaf teas online, make sure to check their origin, including tea garden.
For example, orthodox tea from the Darjeeling region have a distinct muscatel flavour with fruity and flowery aftertaste while orthodox tea from the Assam region have a brisk flavour profile.
4. Choose Full Tea Leaves With Sealed Packaging
An important step that many people forget when buying premium leaf tea online is checking the packaging. Make sure to choose sealed packaging as loose full tea leaves can easily lose their flavour and aroma of not packaged and stored properly.
After purchasing them, it is equal important to store them in a proper way at home. Use air tight containers and keep them away from direction sunlight, heat, and moisture.
5. Check and Ensure That the Whole Tea Leaf Packs Have a Long Expiry Date
Lastly, make sure that the whole tea leave packs you plan to order online have a long expiry date. This is because whole leaf tea can last long as you only need to use a small spoonful of leaves for a couple of cups of light to moderately strong black tea and green tea.
