FoodBanter.com - View Single Post

Lewis Perin

writes:

> On Jun 27, 3:56 pm, TokyoB > wrote in response
> to Lew's question:
>
> > Lew
> > I've also noticed the same thing and wondered as well how something so
> > brown could turn so green. I've found this happens for medium oxidized
> > and/or medium roasted teas. For very roasted teas they usually stay
> > pretty dark. I was wondering if the oxidized portion of the leaf is
> > more water soluble since the liquor does turn brown. Hopefully someone
> > will have a more scientific explanation.
>
> Here is a guess rather than an explanation, which would require a lab
> assay.
> Chlorophyll is insoluble in water (ref. Wikipedia, also my
> experience with cooking). So I don't suppose that the brown turns
> green but that the brown pigments are soluble, leach out, and leave
> only chlorophyll as a pigment. I note that most bright green tea
> leaves don't yield a green liquor.
> Now if you brew your tea in hot oil your results may be different.

That makes sense to me as far as it goes. I think the red/brown
water-soluble pigments would be thearubigens and theaflavins. But how
would the green chlorophyll be either browned or masked in teas like
reds/blacks and cooked and aged raw Pu'er?

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html