Specialty varieties continue to grow

SCRIPPS HOWARD
The specialty-tea market is the fastest-growing segment of the $5.5 billion tea industry, according to Joe Simrany, president of the Tea Association of the USA (www.teausa.org).
Specialty tea breaks down into three categories: teas of single origin, meaning those from a particular country; teas from a particular region; and teas from a particular estate.
All non-herbal teas come from the Camellia sinensis plant.
Simrany says that if you're looking for strong flavor, black teas are the most processed and the most intense in flavor; green teas, which are minimally exposed to air after the leaves are harvested, are more subtle. Oolong teas are partially oxidized, falling somewhere between black and green teas. White teas are the most subtle in flavor and generally the most expensive, because they're the most labor-intensive. Workers choose only newly developed buds and tea leaves for processing.