It is common, easily
available, and is the most popular drink on earth after water. Enjoyed by people
of different races, cultures and religions in every continent and hemisphere,
it is a delicious, healthy and natural drink that is compatible with all kinds
of food. It has a wonderful array of different tastes and flavours, yet unlike
other exotic drinks, is inexpensive. And it is TEA.
The word ‘tea’ originated from the land that invented the drink itself– China. In China, the word for tea is ‘cha’, but in the Fujian province it is called ‘tay’. In the late eighteenth century, the pronunciation of ‘tay’ was changed to that of ‘tee’, probably to make it fit into the accent of the English middle classes at that time.
The tea plant, called
‘Camellia sinensis’ is actually an evergreen tree, which may grow up to fifty
feet. However, the domesticated plant is pruned to a bush-like state and kept
at a height of five feet. After three to five years of growth, two leaves and a
bud from the plant are plucked and harvested to make tea. A single tea bush
will produce tea for at least half a century!
There are four
classic types of tea - white tea, green tea, black tea and oolong tea. In white
tea, the tea leaves are picked and harvested before the leaves open fully, when
the buds are still covered by fine white hair. White tea is scarcer than the
other traditional teas, and more expensive. If the tea leaves are immediately dried
and then heated (steamed) or fired, the tea leaves remain green, retaining the
distinctive flavours and health benefits green teas are known for. If left to
wither, the leaves are transformed through a process known as oxidation (also
known as fermentation) into black tea, of which there are hundreds of varieties.
Oolong tea is tea that is partially fermented before firing and drying. It is
processed in a way that gives it characteristics of both green and black teas.
Since the tea plant
grows well in select climatic and geographic conditions, it cannot be
cultivated in all parts of the world. The world’s main tea producing regions
are in China and Japan, that produce superb green tea. Adding to these are Taiwan,
that’s well known for its distinctive oolong teas, as well as India and Sri
Lanka, where the best black teas grow. India is one of the world‘s largest tea producers.
Because of the varieties as well as quality and consistency available, Indian
tea has been the choice of connoisseurs for over a hundred years.
Legend says that tea
was discovered in China around 2700BC. The story goes that the then Emperor
Shen Nung was a wise and farsighted ruler who ordered that all drinking water
in his kingdom be boiled for health reasons. One day, while traveling in his
realm, he stopped to rest. As the emperor’s servants began to boil water, dried
leaves from a nearby bush fell into the boiling water, and a brown liquid was
infused into the water.
The
scientifically-minded Emperor drank this concoction curiously and found it so aromatic
and refreshing, that he decided to research it in greater detail. The Emperor’s
admiration for the drink increased when he discovered that tea had medicinal
properties. Tea cured him of a stomachache that he got as a result of drinking
a poisonous herb. Though it is not certain whether this charming tale is fact
or not, it is true that the tea plant is native to China. During the Sui
Dynasty from 581-617 AD, tea started to be drunk in China more for its taste than
for its medicinal values. It is interesting that during this period, the
Chinese began to use tea as a currency! Tealeaves made into bricks were bartered
with neighbouring Mongolian traders for herbal medicines, horses, wool and musk.
In fact, teacakes served as a medium of exchange almost from the beginning of
the tea trade, and continued in this role even after paper money was introduced
in the eleventh century.
During the Tang
Dynasty (618-907 A.D.), tea drinking evolved into a form of art. Tea consumption
spread throughout the Chinese culture reaching into every aspect of the
society. In 800 A.D. Lu Yu wrote the first book on tea, the ‘Ch’a Ching’ or ‘The
Holy Scripture of Tea’. He observed events and places, and described the
various methods of tea cultivation and preparation in ancient China.
A Buddhist priest,
Yeisei, who had studied in a Chinese monastery, brought the first tea seeds to
Japan. Since he had seen how useful tea was in Buddhist meditation practices, he
introduced it into his own country. He soon came to be known as ‘The Father of
Tea’ in Japan.
Tea quickly received
recognition and sponsorship from the Emperor, and the popularity of the
beverage spread rapidly from the royal court and monasteries to other sections
of Japanese society. In Japan, tea was elevated to an art form. Japan developed
a highly ritualised Tea Ceremony, the ‘Cha-no-yu’, which is a multifaceted
traditional activity in which powdered green tea is ceremonially prepared and served
to guests.
The world outside
China and Japan was made aware of the existence of tea by Arab merchants who
brought it to Europe around 850 AD. But Dutch sailors and Portuguese Jesuit
priests were the ones who really popularised tea, and the tea drinking habit
across Europe. Dutch sailors encouraged merchants from their country to enter
into the tea trade, and they set up a regular shipment of tea to ports in
France, Holland and the Baltic coast in 1610.
When British King
Charles II married a Portuguese princess and tea addict, Catherine of Braganza,
in 1662, it marked a turning point in the history of tea in Britain. Tea was
established as a fashionable beverage first at court, and then among the wealthy
classes as a whole. Capitalizing on this, the East India Company began to
import tea into Britain, its first order being placed in 1664 - for 100 pounds
of China tea to be shipped from Java.
Tea gained popularity
quickly in British coffee houses, and by 1700, over five hundred coffeehouses
sold it. By 1750, tea had become the most popular drink among Britain’s lower
classes, and the government tried to profit from the popularity of the drink by
taxing it. By the mid-18thcentury, the duty on tea had reached an astronomical
high of119%.
This heavy taxation
had the effect of creating a whole new industry - tea smuggling! Ships from
Holland and Scandinavia brought tea to the British coast. These smugglers,
often-local fishermen, usually concealed their precious cargo in special hiding
places. In 1784, William Pitt the Younger - introduced the Commutation Act,
which dropped the tax on tea from119% to 12.5%, effectively ending smuggling.
The popularity of tea
in England lead to the growth of other industries connected to the habit.
British pottery and earthenware firms began to design and make fine teapots as well
as; cups and saucers. In 1833, the East India Company’s monopoly of the tea
trade, which it had held for many years, was abolished. As a result, merchants
began to look for faster ships to transport tea. This paved the way for the
advent of the world’s famous ships – the tea clippers.
Tea was recognised as an invaluable drink for
the workforces of the Industrial Revolution. It was cheap and non-alcoholic;
and it provided needed sustenance for people working long hours in factories. It
was tea that also led to Britain losing one of its colonies, America, that
later became one of the world’s most prosperous and powerful nations. In 1765, the
British Parliament began to tax the American colonies without the consent of
their Assemblies, and tea was one of the commodities, which was taxed. The
colonists refused to pay this unjust tax, and in December 1773, to protest these
taxes, two hundred individuals, disguised as Red Indians, raided three tea
ships that were in the harbour and threw overboard £10,000 worth of tea. This
was the celebrated and now historical “Boston Tea Party”, which was the spark
that set off the American War of Independence.
Tea is generally
thought to be indigenous to eastern and northern India, and it has been cultivated
and consumed there for thousands of years. In old Assamese medical scriptures titled
‘Nidana’, written in Sanskrit in the 10th century A.D., tea leaves were
referred to as ‘Shamapatra’ and the brew from its leaves as ‘Shamapani’. Shamapani
was reportedly used as a medicine against cough, cold, drowsiness, headaches etc.
However, widespread commercial production of tea in India did not begin till
the East India Company decided to take up the tea trade. Today exclusive Indian
teas like ‘Darjeeling’ and ‘Nilgris’ are world famous.
After you have a meal in a restaurant, you probably leave a ‘tip’ or extra amount of money for the waiter who served you. Do you know that this widespread custom came about directly because of tea? In the famous tea gardens of England, where the drink was initially served, small, locked wooden boxes were placed on the tables. Inscribed on each box were the letters “T.I.P.S.” which stood for the sentence “To Insure Prompt Service”. When a guest wished the waiter to hurry and make sure his or her tea arrived hot from the often faraway kitchen, he or she dropped a coin into the box on being seated “to insure prompt service”. And this is how the custom of tipping servers was created!
The universal habit
of drinking tea with milk is also something that came from the British. In the beginning,
tea was very expensive in England, as it had to make a long journey from the Orient.
Milk, on the other hand, was cheap and was easily added to the beverage.
Eventually, the amount of milk added to tea became a mark of a person’s social
standing. The wealthy took their tea undiluted. The middle class poured the expensive
tea first, and then diluted it with milk. The lower class filled the cup with
cheap milk and then added just a splash of the costly tea!
Today, the British
are known as a nation of tea lovers who cherish their ‘cuppa’ or cup of tea. Famous
Britons who were addicted to tea include the lexicographer Samuel Johnson, who
was proud of the fact that he drank around forty cups a day, and late Prime
Minister Winston Churchill, who once remarked that tea was more important than bullets!
William Gladstone, who was Prime Minister of England four times, was famous for
filling his hot water bottle with tea, so that he could have a cup during the night,
without having to get out of bed! Earl Grey, who was Prime Minister of England
under William IV, is far better remembered for the tea named after him, than
for any other achievement.
Tea was introduced
into Russia when the Chinese Embassy in Moscow sent chests of tea leaves to
Czar Alexis in 1618.The Russians revelled in the taste of the beverage, and
they enjoyed sipping heavily sweetened tea from a glass in a silver holder.
Russians also liked honey or strawberry jam stirred into tea. Even today, tea
along with vodka, is the national beverage of Russia!
A special kind of tea, called Butter Tea is
drunk in Central Asia. Bricks of Chinese tea are brewed and then yak milk and salt
are added, and sometimes, a little lime. This mixture is then churned up,
heated and drunk. In the temples of Tibet, priests drink butter tea during
their religious training. Both Mongolian and Tibetan tea are drunk from a bowl,
rather than a cup.
In Burma and Thailand, tea called ‘lappeso’
and ‘mien’ respectively, is popular. Tea leaves are tied in a bundle and steamed,
and then sealed up and pickled. In about three weeks, the leaves ferment, making
sour pickled tea, which is eaten with peanuts or garlic.
In India, black tea is usually drunk with milk
and sugar, and is widely sold on every street corner. In Mumbai, ‘cutting
-chai’ or small glasses three fourths full of tea is the drink of the common
man. ‘Masala chai’ is appreciated all over India. This tea is brewed with
cardamom pods, whole cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, fresh ginger peeled and
crushed and milk and sugar.
It’s not surprising that tea, with its long and
fascinating history and infinite variety, is so popular on our planet. William Gladstone
said of this beverage, “If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are heated,
it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited,
it will calm you.” And this is probably why an ancient Chinese proverb says,
‘It’s better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one day!’
DO YOU KNOW?
* Most teas (black,
green, oolong, and white) come from the plant Camellia sinensis and are
naturally caffeinated. Herbal teas are infused by dried herbs, fruits, or
flowers like chamomile or echinacea. Red tea, which derives from a South
African plant, is in a separate category as well.
* Used tea leaves can
be used as fertiliser in your garden to improve condition of the soil.
* There may be an
easy way to save your pearly whites (teeth) from tea stains. In a study published
in the International Journal of Dental Hygiene, adding a splash of milk was
found to be surprisingly effective in preventing them.
* Experienced tea
pickers collect up to 30 kilos of tea a day by hand.
* It takes years for
tea to grow on land where lightning has struck or humans have lived.
* A single pound of
tea will yield about 180 cups of brewed tea.
* Tea bags were
developed in the United States by accident. In 1908, a New York tea merchant
sent samples of his product sealed in silk bags to restaurants and cafes throughout
the city. After some time, he discovered that the restaurants were brewing his
tea directly in the silk bags to save time. This method of brewing immediately
caught on.
* Green tea tends to
brew in around two to four minutes, while black tea may need to steep for up to
six minutes.
* The denser the tea
leaf, the less you need to use to make a great cup. If you’re noticing bitterness,
try using fewer leaves next time around.
* According to
Chinese legend, tea was first discovered in 2737 B.C. by Emperor Shen Nung. It
was considered a tonic and initially only used as medicine.
* Medical studies
show that green tea may help kill oral cancer cells, improve brain scans in
cancer patients, and ward off prostate cancer.
* Tea is the second
most widely consumed beverage in the world after water.
* During the 18th century,
tea gardens became popular. Ladies and gentlemen would take their tea together outdoors
surrounded by entertainers. These tea gardens made tea all the more fashionable
to drink, and they were important places for men and women to meet freely;
without scandal or criticism.
* Tea is the great unifier. When someone extends an invitation to share a cup, what they’re really offering is friendship.
