What are the bubbles in tea?

Many tea drinkers will skim the bubbles or foam from the rinse or first infusion to avoid the impurities. But then you might actually miss the essence of tea!

We know that bubbles may appear due to tiny vibrations within the fluid when we pour the water into a vessel, but those disappear very quickly. So what other substances are responsible for the formation of the little bubbles?

According to science, there are some main factors that cause bubbles in tea soup:

1. Tea saponin

2. Pectin

3. Amino acids and proteins

Science has shown that tea saponin is the main substance responsible for the formation of this foam .

So what is tea saponin actually?

The English name is derived from the Latin word Sapo, meaning soap. Saponins exsist not only in tea, but are also widely found in more than 500 generara of plants in more than 90 families in nature, such as soybeans, ginseng, dangsheng and some other precious traditional Chinese medicine ingredients.

The characteristic of tea saponin is that it is bitter and acrid , hard to dissolve in cold water, but easily dissolves in hot water. Generally, tea with rich foam is relatively rich in viscocity and flavor.

In ancient China, foams in tea were highly appreciated and considered as a kind of essence. “惟兹初成，沫沈华浮。焕如积雪，晔若春敷”。This is a poem by Du Yu during the Jin Dynasty which is the first mentioning of tea saponin in China. It describes that after the first infusion of tea, the forms float to the surface like spring flowers, and bright like dazzling snow, gorgeous and splendid. In the Song Dynasty, the tea foam, color, and durability are used as the standard for Doucha. Today's matcha also has extremely high requirements for tea foam.

The effects of tea saponin:

1. Antibacterial and antiviral effects

2. Anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects

3. Inhibition of alcohol absorption

4. Hair care, shampoo and conditioner

Tea leaves contains 10% tea saponin, it can prevent hair loss if you use it regulerly, apply the tea liquor to the head, wash it after one minute of massage. Tea Saponin together with pectin and amino acids will make a different effect on the foam of tea, for example the pectin will make the foam stronger and durable, some teas that are over-rolled or tea with more tea dusts will produce more foams.

Although tea saponin has a strong foaming ability, its content in tea is very low, and it does not affect the color, aroma, and taste of tea. Therefore, the quality of a tea cannot be judged by the amount of foam alone. Good or bad. The amount of foam produced by the tea leaves depends on the differences in the tea tree varieties and the processing of tea. Between different varieties, the content of tea will determine the amount of foam.

If the tea you got has a lot of foam, and the liquor is turbid and the taste is bitter and strange, the aroma is impure, then you need to check the quality of your tea . It is most likely that there are many impurities in the tea, the production process is not in place, or there are other added substances, maybe even inferior tea with pesticide residues.

Hope through this introduction, you have found a new appreciation for tea bubbles.