edible Marin and Wine Country Winter 2010 : Page 31
yeast in the tea leaves use the sun’s energy to create heat and oxidation and chemically change the leaf.” How the tea is heaped and dried will affect the enzymatic activity in the leaf. “Raw” pu-erh is first sun-dried, then roasted over a fire to slow down the enzymatic action. It is then packed without further processing. Raw pu-erh tastes very “green.” The color in the cup is vibrant and energetic, a sign of the heady, bright flavor to come. “Cooked” or “ripe” pu-erh goes through something akin to a wet compost or sauna: the tea is put into a high humidity, high temperature environment which activates the natural bacteria in the leaf. Long-fermented, cooked pu-erh has higher residual levels of beneficial bacteria and a fuller, more mature taste. This extended ferment also further oxidizes the tea leaves and produces a darker cup of tea. Like certain wines (think Bordeaux or high-end California cabernet), pu-erhs of all kinds are built to age. You can enjoy a raw or a cooked pu-erh that was produced 15 years ago and, if it was stored properly, the flavor will be as heady as when it was first packed. Pu-erh teas have sky-rocketed in popularity, and price, in recent years. “The price is related to marketing,” said Hoffman. “The price reflects the taste, not the age.” OK, so perhaps this is where tea differs from wine… Golden Star Tea (www.goldenstartea.com), which brews its tea in Belmont and bottles it in Sonoma, uses Epernay (i.e., Cham-pagne) yeast and organic and fair trade jasmine silver needle tea from China to create its signature White Jasmine Sparkling Tea. Unlike kombucha, Golden Star pasteurizes its tea after the first fermentation to guarantee that no “bad” bacteria make it “over the wall.” After the fresh tea steeps with sugar, brew master Nora Vitaliani heats the tea to 165° then pumps the tea through a heat exchanger which helps reduce the temperature of the brew to a comfortable 80°. At this point, the yeast and “mother” (here, the term refers to a mixture of previously fer-mented, over-acidified tea, water and sugar) is added. The goal of this secondary fermentation is great flavor and the brew master works to balance acidity and residual sugar, or brix. “You want the flavor of the Epernay yeast to come through,” Vitaliani said. “It has a beautiful stone fruit flavor and, like Champagne, a flavor and aroma like fresh-baked bread.” Similar to kombucha, the interaction of the yeast, sugar and tea results in a ferment with a soft fizziness. “The mother culture needs to be acidic enough to slow down the yeast,” said Vitaliani. Too much fizz means too much alcohol is present. Once the tea is bottled and sealed, the tea is pasteur-ized a second time to ensure the yeast has died and is no longer producing alcohol. This guarantees a nonalcoholic, shelf-stable product. The result is a light, refreshing and softly fizzy tea that shimmers a beautiful gold in the glass. Every fermenter I spoke with insists on organic raw materials and pure, non-chlorinated water. Healthy soil not subjected to chemicals produces healthier foods with more “blush” and higher levels of natural bacteria and chlorine, a disinfectant, kills even the good bacteria. Like the most elite chefs, these craftsmen know how to make great products but cannot guarantee that the end product will be the same every single time. Uniformity is not the goal; rather the final product is a result of the unique character of the raw materials on hand that day, the temperature of the air and the mood of the chef. This single-batch character is something to be reveled in and savored, not taken for granted. Fermented foods, renowned for their bacterial diversity, offer the ultimate local taste expe-rience to match their non-conformist origins. Wherever in the world your heritage originates, there are traditional fermented foods and/or beverages to experience, keeping in mind that the distinction between the perfectly fermented food and one that is over-fermented is highly subjective—one person’s favorite blue cheese or fermented herring is another man’s stinky socks. Look for locally fer-mented foods at your farmers’ market or wherever heritage foods are valued. Christina Mueller Welter is a global food and wine writer and consultant. A confident cook, she is known to dig deep to find unique, incredible edibles. You can find her anytime at www.christinamueller.com. EDIBLE MARIN & WINE COUNTRY WINTER 2010 | 31
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