Hand-crafted teas from the Tea Lady

[May 5, 2022 | Montrose, Colo. |The Montrose Mirror  |By Kathryn R. Burke]

SHE CALLS HER BUSINESS TEAS2PLEASE—the perfect name for her perfect teas. Denise Short combines natural and fresh ingredients, many locally-sourced, into scrumptious teas that are sure to please.

How…why…where did she get started? “It began with a tea garden at my home here in Montrose,” she explained. I’ve always liked tea, especially those that have natural (and unique) flavorings, and some that have also specific ingredients for medicinal purposes,” (like feverfew, which she grows to help with her chronic headaches). “I started growing herbs, mainly making teas for myself, experimenting with flavor profiles, then giving my teas to friends and family members.”

Meanwhile, Denise studied and read a lot about tea, learning about the different types—black, green, white, herbal; how they were made, what ingredients worked well together. “While I sat drinking my tea, I was also discovering interesting facts about teas,” she explained.

It’s the “pluck” that determines quality and cost of a tea. ‘First pluck’ usually refers to a delicate oolong, white tea which most comes from Japan or China. She also found out that in the Fujian Province of China, they once used trained monkeys to pick the tender first leaves of wild, ancient tea trees, that were out of reach of human hands!

Side Note: The name Monkey-picked Tea persists, but is it true? Sort of. Monkeys are trained to harvest other crops like coconuts and have certainly proven they have the intelligence and dexterity for these kinds of tasks. For those of us who don’t have extensive experience with training monkeys or picking tea, this seems like a fairly believable solution to an established problem. However, Tea leaves must be carefully handled to avoid bruising or breaking and tea harvesters must be able to differentiate and carefully select the proper leaves for the specific tea’s plucking standard, which often varies with the season…so it’s probably more legend than truth, but it’s a catchy name, isn’t it? (1)

More research proved that after water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. People have been drinking it for millennia, since at least 22,000 years ago…or before, dating back, perhaps, to the last ice age! Before they drank it, they ate it. People in ancient Asia would nibble on the raw leaves, add them to soups or greens to ferment, and chew like a betal nut (2)

Tea comes in various colors, grades, styles, and types, ranging from White Tea, through Oolong, Green Tea, Black Tea, Yellow Tea, combinations, Herbals, and Yerba Mate and Guayusa. Differentiation depends on where it is grown (climate, altitude, and terrain); when the leaves are plucked (white is first pluck); and how it is processed—the different levels of oxidation after leaves are plucked.  Tea leaves will quickly wilt and oxidize unless immediately dried. The drying process also determines color. Leaves turn progressively darker as chlorophyll breaks down and tannins are released. Darkening (and mold growth) is stopped by heating. Reminds you a little of winemaking, doesn’t it.

Other differnetiaions depend on how it’s cut (hand-cut is the better grade); when and how it is “rolled” (spread out to dry); how it is processed (chopped, sprayed, rolled and cut), and how it is flavored—with combinations of leaves from various tea plants, for example, or made from herbs and other ingredients. Not all tea is made from tea leaves from a tea plant. Teas infused with fruit leaves, herbs and flowers are also called tisanes or herbal infusions. In some cases a tea, or tisane is (unfortunately) treated with (and flavored by) chemical additives.

Another thing to know, all tea, including caffeine-free tea contains caffeine, which constitutes about 3% of tea’s dry weight, and a lesser amount (but still present) is in de-caffeinated. Tea also contains small amounts of theobromine and theophylline, which are stimulants, and xanthines similar to caffeine. (3)

1. Now that you know how tea is made, what styles and flavors it comes in, what does Denise do in producing her memorable, flavorable teas? Let’s start with how she sources them. “I had done a lot of research to find the right sources,” she said. “My tea leaves come from trusted companies that are established tea-growers. I wanted really good, quality teas.