On the tannins of herbal teas
Herbal tea has a long history and is favored by everyone. However, the presence or absence of tannins is quite worth exploring.
Tannins exist in many plants. Its properties may affect the flavor of tea, or it may be related to health care effects. To determine whether herbal tea contains tannins, it is necessary to observe from multiple aspects.
First look at the raw materials of herbal tea. Herbal tea, a wide range of materials, flowers and plants can be used for rhizomes. Different raw materials have different tannin contents. For example, some plants are naturally rich in tannins, and use this as the source to make herbal tea, the tea may contain tannins; while other plants have few tannins, and the tea made has low tannin content.
Look at the production process again. Herbal tea production, there are methods such as drying, baking, steaming, etc. The method of drying, or the decomposition and loss of some tannins in the raw materials; when baking, the temperature and duration affect the existence of tannins. If baking is excessive, the tannins may be damaged; the cooking process may also change the structure and content of tannins.
Let's talk about the taste. The entrance of tannins is often astringent. If the taste of herbal tea is obviously astringent, or it is implied that it contains tannins; if the taste is warm and non-astringent, the tannin content may be minimal or non-existent.
However, to judge whether herbal tea contains tannins or not, it is not up to the senses alone. It is necessary to use scientific methods and instrument analysis to accurately determine the tannin content. In this way, it is possible to conclusively determine whether there are tannins in herbal tea, providing a definite basis for tea drinkers to make it clearer in the selection and tasting of herbal tea.