i have noticed on several occassions depending on the type tea , I
notice very slight amounts of oily looking slicks on the surface of
the hot liquid after poured comes apparant under bright light , where
does the oil come from . I have recieved many samples form different
suppliers and enjoy tasting all the good with the bad however the
oily stuff concerns me. Any answers on this ?
Thanks
Maurice

Maurice,

Occasionally "hard" water (water with a high mineral content) will form a
"skin" on the surface of brewed tea. I've read that compounds in tea will
bind with the minerals, forming this skin. Dogma, if he's lurking, will
probably be able to tell you more about the chemistry.

I don't know if this is what you're seeing or not, but where I live (eastern
PA) this happens a lot with tap water.

Regards,
Dean

"magicleaf" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>i have noticed on several occassions depending on the type tea , I
> notice very slight amounts of oily looking slicks on the surface of
> the hot liquid after poured comes apparant under bright light , where
> does the oil come from . I have recieved many samples form different
> suppliers and enjoy tasting all the good with the bad however the
> oily stuff concerns me. Any answers on this ?
> Thanks
> Maurice
>

plants like animals are made with lipids (fat).

at least the eukaryote cell membrane like in animals is made up of a
phospholipid bilayer (=cholesterol and other goodies)

so... the oil slick is fat that comes out from the tea leaf.

its good its all natural
unless the plant was sprayed with some chemical that now gets to float
in our teas (alongside the plant's own extract).

On May 16, 5:40 pm, magicleaf > wrote:
> i have noticed on several occassions depending on the type tea , I
> notice very slight amounts of oily looking slicks on the surface of
> the hot liquid after poured comes apparant under bright light , where
> does the oil come from . I have recieved many samples form different
> suppliers and enjoy tasting all the good with the bad however the
> oily stuff concerns me. Any answers on this ?
> Thanks
> Maurice

As far as I know, it's tea oil or rather camellia oil. All tea has
some oil properties, similar to that of coffee. A lot of the
anioxidants that are in your tea are contained in the tea oil. It's
nothing to worry about, but sometimes can be a sign that you're using
too hot of water to steep your tea.

Desirea
The Steeping Pot
http://www.steeingpot.com

Well I am in africa at the moment and the water here has a lot of
chemical content in which really clouds up the flavor of the tea, so
I went out and got 4 cases of evian water and the flavour of the tea
is incredible however I still see this strange film appear on the
surface and the teas that have this are not really fresh tatsting
either so I thought it could be some conatmination in them.!

magicleaf > wrote:
>i have noticed on several occassions depending on the type tea , I
>notice very slight amounts of oily looking slicks on the surface of
>the hot liquid after poured comes apparant under bright light , where
>does the oil come from . I have recieved many samples form different
>suppliers and enjoy tasting all the good with the bad however the
>oily stuff concerns me. Any answers on this ?

It's a plant. Not everything in it is water-soluble. Some of the things
that create the great scent, in fact, are in that oil slick.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Long-jin (Lung-ching), from Hangzhou in mainland China, is fried in a wok
using a either a small amount of tea-seed oil or bee's wax. I have seen a
very slight slick on top of cups of it.

(This also relates to the issue of whether a tea is kosher.)

Best,

Rick.

>On May 16, 5:40 pm, magicleaf > wrote:
>> i have noticed on several occassions depending on the type tea , I
>> notice very slight amounts of oily looking slicks on the surface of
>> the hot liquid after poured comes apparant under bright light , where
>> does the oil come from . I have recieved many samples form different
>> suppliers and enjoy tasting all the good with the bad however the
>> oily stuff concerns me. Any answers on this ?
>> Thanks
>> Maurice

Maurice!

Hey mate!

Tea contains very small quantity of volatile oils that contributes
greatly to the aroma and favours.

But I doubt if this is what you are seeing ...

If the tea is panfried, or roasted, whichever way you call it, they
might have used some oil in the process.

I see it in my finest longjing tea, but I am not sure if it is as much
as you described.

Julian
http://wwwa.amazing-green-tea.com

Rick,

I'm curious about the kosher aspects of tea. Beeswax is kosher (see
http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-palate-honey.htm), and I'm assuming
tea-seed oil is also, as it is derived from a plant. Aside from frying
tea in lard ;-),what would make a tea without added flavorings (which
may be from a non-kosher source) kosher or not?

Thanks,

Alan

On May 17, 10:52 am, (Richard Chappell) wrote:
> Long-jin (Lung-ching), from Hangzhou in mainland China, is fried in a wok
> using a either a small amount of tea-seed oil or bee's wax. I have seen a
> very slight slick on top of cups of it.
>
> (This also relates to the issue of whether a tea is kosher.)
>
> Best,
>
> Rick.
>
>
>
> >On May 16, 5:40 pm, magicleaf > wrote:
> >> i have noticed on several occassions depending on the type tea , I
> >> notice very slight amounts of oily looking slicks on the surface of
> >> the hot liquid after poured comes apparant under bright light , where
> >> does the oil come from . I have recieved many samples form different
> >> suppliers and enjoy tasting all the good with the bad however the
> >> oily stuff concerns me. Any answers on this ?
> >> Thanks
> >> Maurice- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Wissotsky, has the OU (U inside Circle) Orthodox Union logo, is a
brand from Israel you buy in the US. Stash teas are certified
kosher. You find links like this which talk about kosher teas:
http://www.learn-about-tea.com/kosher-tea.html

Jim

PS In the end some Rabbi has to say it is kosher. The defense hires
its doctors. The prosecutor hires its doctors.

Alan wrote:
> Rick,
>
> I'm curious about the kosher aspects of tea. Beeswax is kosher (see
> http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-palate-honey.htm), and I'm assuming
> tea-seed oil is also, as it is derived from a plant. Aside from frying
> tea in lard ;-),what would make a tea without added flavorings (which
> may be from a non-kosher source) kosher or not?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Alan
>
> On May 17, 10:52 am, (Richard Chappell) wrote:
> > Long-jin (Lung-ching), from Hangzhou in mainland China, is fried in a wok
> > using a either a small amount of tea-seed oil or bee's wax. I have seen a
> > very slight slick on top of cups of it.
> >
> > (This also relates to the issue of whether a tea is kosher.)
> >
> > Best,
> >
> > Rick.
> >
> >
> >
> > >On May 16, 5:40 pm, magicleaf > wrote:
> > >> i have noticed on several occassions depending on the type tea , I
> > >> notice very slight amounts of oily looking slicks on the surface of
> > >> the hot liquid after poured comes apparant under bright light , where
> > >> does the oil come from . I have recieved many samples form different
> > >> suppliers and enjoy tasting all the good with the bad however the
> > >> oily stuff concerns me. Any answers on this ?
> > >> Thanks
> > >> Maurice- Hide quoted text -
> >
> > - Show quoted text -

Leached tannins on the water surface look like an oil slick. I use
the term sheen. It's what gives the patina color to a pot.
Sometimes you see it sometimes you don't.

Jim

magicleaf wrote:
> i have noticed on several occassions depending on the type tea , I
> notice very slight amounts of oily looking slicks on the surface of
> the hot liquid after poured comes apparant under bright light , where
> does the oil come from . I have recieved many samples form different
> suppliers and enjoy tasting all the good with the bad however the
> oily stuff concerns me. Any answers on this ?
> Thanks
> Maurice

Hi Allen

Shabot shalom ! Regarding kosher aspect of tea I can only say that I
have been to china and observed the process of tea beeing made which
undergoes several processong stages to reach the end product. For any
thing to offficually be Kosher a rabi must approve the premisies and
process and any additives applied and then only is it stamped kosher.
In many cases the bethdin stamp of approval requires the rabi to be
present. one can only be comfortable with how strict one observes the
rules. In the case of tea generally it is a natural agricultural
product and I would assume that it would be a very difficult and
inconvenient task for a rabi to execute.

Maurice

On 2007-05-18, Space Cowboy > wrote:
> magicleaf wrote:

>> i have noticed on several occassions depending on the type tea , I
>> notice very slight amounts of oily looking slicks on the surface of
>> the hot liquid after poured comes apparant under bright light , where
>> does the oil come from . I have recieved many samples form different
>> suppliers and enjoy tasting all the good with the bad however the
>> oily stuff concerns me. Any answers on this ?

> Leached tannins on the water surface look like an oil slick. I use
> the term sheen. It's what gives the patina color to a pot.
> Sometimes you see it sometimes you don't.

I thought we established that tea doesn't have tannins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tannin#Tea
http://www.teatalk.com/science/chemistry.htm

"The term "tannins" has been used by many to describe certain
tea constituents. In industrial and botanic literatures, tannins
are characterized as plant materials that give a blue color with
ferric salts and produce leather from hides. Thus, tannins are a
group of chemicals usually with large molecular weights and
diverse structures. Monomeric flavanols, the major components
in green tea, are precursors of condensed tannins. It would be
more appropriate to use the term "tea polyphenols" or "tea
flavanols" because they are quite distinct from commercial
tannins and tannic acid."

That said, I don't think the sheen is from oil used in the
roasting process, and IIRC, there is a name for this phenomenon
(at least in Chinese), and that the sheen is (if anything) a
desirable thing.

w

If you look at the dictionary definition for tannin then there is
nothing wrong with the term 'leached tannin'. Tea will stain your
teeth and can be used as a wood dye which is more or less the
historical reference to the tannin use. I think it is a tannin still
used with cotton today. Don't let any dry on a granite countertop.
It is not a trivial tannin to remove. If you're talking about
biochemistry that is something else. I didn't know there was a
Chinese character for the sheen characterization but all things tea in
China has a name. Does anybody know what it is or at least the
pinyin.

Jim

Will Yardley wrote:
> On 2007-05-18, Space Cowboy > wrote:
> > magicleaf wrote:
>
> >> i have noticed on several occassions depending on the type tea , I
> >> notice very slight amounts of oily looking slicks on the surface of
> >> the hot liquid after poured comes apparant under bright light , where
> >> does the oil come from . I have recieved many samples form different
> >> suppliers and enjoy tasting all the good with the bad however the
> >> oily stuff concerns me. Any answers on this ?
>
> > Leached tannins on the water surface look like an oil slick. I use
> > the term sheen. It's what gives the patina color to a pot.
> > Sometimes you see it sometimes you don't.
>
> I thought we established that tea doesn't have tannins.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tannin#Tea
> http://www.teatalk.com/science/chemistry.htm
>
> "The term "tannins" has been used by many to describe certain
> tea constituents. In industrial and botanic literatures, tannins
> are characterized as plant materials that give a blue color with
> ferric salts and produce leather from hides. Thus, tannins are a
> group of chemicals usually with large molecular weights and
> diverse structures. Monomeric flavanols, the major components
> in green tea, are precursors of condensed tannins. It would be
> more appropriate to use the term "tea polyphenols" or "tea
> flavanols" because they are quite distinct from commercial
> tannins and tannic acid."
>
> That said, I don't think the sheen is from oil used in the
> roasting process, and IIRC, there is a name for this phenomenon
> (at least in Chinese), and that the sheen is (if anything) a
> desirable thing.
>
> w

[Jim]
> Wissotsky, has the OU (U inside Circle) Orthodox Union logo, is a brand
> from Israel you buy in the US. Stash teas are certified kosher. You find
> links like this which talk about kosher teas:
> http://www.learn-about-tea.com/kosher-tea.html
> PS In the end some Rabbi has to say it is kosher. The defense hires its
> doctors. The prosecutor hires its doctors.

[Alan]
>> I'm curious about the kosher aspects of tea. Beeswax is kosher (see
>> http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-palate-honey.htm), and I'm assuming
>> tea-seed oil is also, as it is derived from a plant. Aside from frying
>> tea in lard ;-),what would make a tea without added flavorings (which may
>> be from a non-kosher source) kosher or not?

Hey guys,

This kosher thing came up earlier. At that time
I contacted the people at Generation Tea who
claimed to have certified kosher teas. They
told me this: Tea is inherently kosher, being
neither milk nor meat, but people -- presumably
Jewish people in this case -- like to see the "
certification"so they certify it. It's not necessary,
it means little or nothing. That's what the Generation
folk told me.

Michael

I find that interesting coment from generation Tea. quoted (Jewish
people in this case -- like to see the "
certification"so they certify it.) This certification carries a
hefty price tag , therefore find it hard to believe that kosher
people want to pay more money just for a stamp that means "little or
nothing."

Maurice

Organic or Natural is still not Kosher for people of the Jewish
faith. I saw one website mention what you said. They would have to
pay for a Rabbi to travel to China, etc which made it too expensive.
I'm sure there would be ongoing costs for certification. So what you
see in the Jewish stores are products from Israel. Probably due more
to logistics than a source of 'healthy' food.

Jim

magicleaf wrote:
> I find that interesting coment from generation Tea. quoted (Jewish
> people in this case -- like to see the "
> certification"so they certify it.) This certification carries a
> hefty price tag , therefore find it hard to believe that kosher
> people want to pay more money just for a stamp that means "little or
> nothing."
>
> Maurice

That makes more logical sense!

Back to the tannins
I was under the impression that the tanin carries the bitterness that
comes out of the leaf after steeping it for too long, and that tanninn
is common chemical found in plants more in some than others and that
this bitter taste in some plants is very pronounced to fend off
predators that eat the plant and would be put off by its bitter
taste.
Maurice

Michael Plant > wrote:
>This kosher thing came up earlier. At that time
>I contacted the people at Generation Tea who
>claimed to have certified kosher teas. They
>told me this: Tea is inherently kosher, being
>neither milk nor meat, but people -- presumably
>Jewish people in this case -- like to see the "
>certification"so they certify it. It's not necessary,
>it means little or nothing. That's what the Generation
>folk told me.

It depends also on how it is killed. You have to drain all of the
blood out of the tea bushes under supervision of a rabbi. In addition
there are many popular flavoured teas, such as lobster tea, which are
impossible to certify as kosher. And even conventional meat teas cannot
be served with milk.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On 05/19/2007 07:04:12 magicleaf > wrote:

> I find that interesting coment from generation Tea. quoted (Jewish people
> in this case -- like to see the " certification"so they certify it.) This
> certification carries a hefty price tag , therefore find it hard to
> believe that kosher people want to pay more money just for a stamp that
> means "little or nothing."

> Maurice

Maurice, in fairness to Generation Tea, it was my paraphrase
of an e-mail correspondence from GT, *not* a quote. Perhaps
it was more a mention, a self-proclaimed declaration, than a
certification. Nonetheless, they did state that tea is
intrinsicly kosher *unless they use porkchops to mix it*.
(italics and italicised text mine)

On 05/19/2007 15:07:30 (Scott Dorsey) wrote:

> Michael Plant > wrote:

>> This kosher thing came up earlier. At that time I contacted the people
>> at Generation Tea who claimed to have certified kosher teas. They told
>> me this: Tea is inherently kosher, being neither milk nor meat, but
>> people -- presumably Jewish people in this case -- like to see the "
>> certification"so they certify it. It's not necessary, it means little or
>> nothing. That's what the Generation folk told me.

> It depends also on how it is killed. You have to drain all of the blood
> out of the tea bushes under supervision of a rabbi. In addition there are
> many popular flavoured teas, such as lobster tea, which are impossible to
> certify as kosher. And even conventional meat teas cannot be served with
> milk. --scott


Scott, you have cleared it up for me, and no more need be said.
Michael

Fair enough Agreed