Summer Tomatoes, Tea Types and Terroir

Summer Tomatoes, Tea Types and Terroir

Okay, it’s official – I had my first real tomato yesterday.  

Summer has arrived!

Summer means many things to many people – but for a lot of folks, tasting a fresh-grown tomato just off the vine is one.  So who grows the best?

States and counties vie for ‘best tomato’ accolades: Tennessee touts the acidity of their Grainger County tomatoes, claiming the limestone in the soil gives them a ‘bite.’  In contrast, New Jersey claims tomato superiority because of the ‘balance of acidity and sweet.’  Individual taste preferences aside, what makes one so different from the other?

Terroir.   The climate and place where each is grown.  The difference in the dirt.  Just like a Bordeaux wine will never be confused with a Chardonnay – even though both are made entirely of grapes – because the grapes grown in one French region taste so unique when compared to the other, so too with tomatoes.

Which brings us to tea.

All tea, all around the world comes from one and the same bush: camellia sinensis.  (Herb teas – no matter how loved – aren’t technically ‘teas.’  We’re talking here about the ones that have changed religions and started wars:  white, green, oolong, black and pu’erh teas.)

So why is a white SOOOO different from an oolong?  Well – differences in how it’s cultivated and processed are also part of the answer but terroir again plays a huge role – especially with oolongs and pu’erhs.

So – take a journey.  TASTE your tea:)