History of Tea

History of Tea
Yashwant Kumar N.
IHM Chennai
HISTORY OF TEA
Tea is nearly 5,000 years old and was discovered, as legend has it, in 2737 B.C. by a Chinese Emperor when some tea leaves accidentally blew into a pot o boiling water. !n the "#00s, tea became pop$lar thro$gho$t E$rope and the %merican colonies. &ince colonial days, tea has played a role in %merican c$lt$re and c$stoms. Today %merican schoolchildren learn abo$t the amo$s Boston Tea 'arty protesting the British tea ta( )) one o the acts leading to the *evol$tionary +ar. ,$ring this cent$ry, two ma-or %merican contrib$tions to the tea ind$stry occ$rred. !n ".0/, iced tea was created at the +orld0s 1air in &t. 2o$is, and in ".03, Thomas &$llivan o 4ew 5or6 developed the concept o tea in a bag. Tea brea6s down into three basic types7 Black, Green, and Oolong. !n the 8.&., over .0 percent o the tea cons$med is blac6 tea, which has been $lly o(idi9ed or ermented and yields a hearty) lavored, amber brew. &ome o the pop$lar blac6 teas incl$de English brea6 ast :good brea6 ast choice since its hearty lavor mi(es well with mil6;, ,ar-eeling :a blend o <imalayan teas with a lowery bo$=$et s$ited or l$nch; and >range 'e6oe :a blend o Ceylon teas that is the most widely $sed o the tea blends;. ?reen tea s6ips the o(idi9ing step. !t has a more delicate taste and is light green@golden in color. ?reen tea, a staple in the >rient, is gaining pop$larity in the 8.&. d$e in, part to recent, scienti ic st$dies lin6ing green tea drin6ing with red$ced cancer ris6. >olong tea, pop$lar in China, is partly o(idi9ed and is a cross between blac6 and green tea in color and taste. +hile lavored teas evolve rom these three basic teas,
<!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
herbal teas contain no tr$e tealeaves. <erbal and CmedicinalC teas are created rom the lowers, berries, peels, seeds, leaves, and roots o many di erent plants.
STORY OF TEA began in ancient China over 5,000 years ago. %ccording to legend,
the &hen 4ong, an early emperor was a s6illed r$ler, creative scientist, and patron o the arts. <is ar)sighted edicts re=$ired, among other things, that all drin6ing water be boiled as a hygienic preca$tion. >ne s$mmer day while visiting a distant region o his realm, he and the co$rt stopped to rest. !n accordance with his r$ling, the servants began to boil water or the co$rt to drin6. ,ried leaves rom the near by b$sh ell into the boiling water, and a brown li=$id was in $sed into the water. %s a scientist, the Emperor was interested in the new li=$id, dran6 some, and o$nd it very re reshing. There ore, according to legend, tea was created. :This myth maintains s$ch a practical narrative, that many mythologists believe it may relate closely to the act$al events, now lost in ancient history.;
CHINA
Tea cons$mption spread thro$gho$t the Chinese c$lt$re reaching into every aspect o the society. !n 300 %.,., 2$ 5$ wrote the irst de initive boo6 on tea, the Ch0a Ching. This ama9ing man was orphaned as a child and raised by scholarly B$ddhist mon6s in one o China0s inest monasteries. <owever, as a yo$ng man, he rebelled against the discipline o priestly training, which had made him a s6illed observer. <is ame as a per ormer increased with each year, b$t he elt his li e lac6ed meaning. 1inally, in mid)li e, he retired or ive years into secl$sion. ,rawing rom his vast memory o observed events and places, he codi ied the vario$s methods o tea c$ltivation and preparation in ancient 3 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
China. The vast de initive nat$re o his wor6, pro-ected him into near sainthood within his own li etime. 'atroni9ed by the Emperor himsel , his wor6 clearly showed the Den B$ddhist philosophy to which he was e(posed as a child. !t was this orm o tea service that Den B$ddhist missionaries wo$ld later introd$ce to imperial Eapan.
JAPAN
The ret$rning B$ddhist priest bro$ght the irst tea seeds to Eapan. 5eisei, who had seen the val$e o tea in China in enhancing religio$s mediation. %s a res$lt, he is 6nown as the C1ather o TeaC in Eapan. Beca$se o this early association, tea in Eapan has always been associated with Den B$ddhism. Tea received almost instant imperial sponsorship and spread rapidly rom the royal co$rt and monasteries to the other sections o Eapanese society.
EUROPE
+hile tea was at this high level o development in both Eapan and China, in ormation concerning this then $n6nown beverage began to ilter bac6 to E$rope. Earlier caravan leaders had mentioned it, b$t were $nclear as to its service ormat or appearance. :>ne re erence s$ggests the leaves be boiled, salted, b$ttered, and eatenF; The irst E$ropean to personally enco$nter tea and write abo$t it was the 'ort$g$ese Ees$it 1ather Easper de Cr$9 in "5#0. Portugal, with her technologically advanced navy, had been s$ccess $l in gaining the irst right o trade with China. !t was as a missionary on that irst commercial mission that 1ather de Cr$9 had tasted tea o$r years be ore. The 'ort$g$ese developed a trade ro$te by which they shipped their tea to 2isbon, and then ,$tch ships transported it / <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
to France, Holland, and the Baltic co$ntries. :%t that time <olland was politically a iliated with 'ort$gal. +hen this alliance was altered in "#02, <olland, with her e(cellent navy, entered into $ll 'aci ic trade in her own right.; +hen tea inally arrived in E$rope, Eli9abeth ! had more years to live, and *embrandt was only si( years old. Beca$se o the s$ccess o the ,$tch navy in the 'aci ic, tea became very ashionable in the ,$tch capital, The <ag$e. This was d$e in part to the high cost o the tea :over G"00 per po$nd;, which immediately made it the domain o the wealthy. &lowly, as the amo$nt o tea imported increased, the price ell as the vol$me o sale e(panded. !nitially available to the p$blic in apothecaries along with s$ch rare and new spices as ginger and s$gar, by "#75 it was available in common ood shops thro$gho$t <olland. %s the cons$mption o tea increased dramatically in ,$tch society, doctors and $niversity a$thorities arg$ed bac6 and orth as to the negative and@or positive bene its o tea. Bnown as "Tea Heret c!", the p$blic largely ignored the scholarly debate and contin$ed to en-oy their new beverage tho$gh the controversy lasted rom "#35 to ro$ghly "#57. Thro$gho$t this period 1rance and <olland led E$rope in the $se o tea. %s the cra9e or things oriental swept E$rope, tea became part o the way o li e. The social critic Harie de *ab$tin) Chantal, the Har=$ise de &even ma6es the irst mention in "#30 o adding mil6 to tea. ,$ring the same period, ,$tch inns provided the irst resta$rant service o tea. Tavern owners wo$ld $rnish g$ests with a portable tea set complete with a heating $nit. The independent ,$tchman wo$ld then prepare tea or himsel and his riends o$tside in the tavern0s garden.
A"ERICA
By "#50, the ,$tch were actively involved in trade thro$gho$t the +estern world. 'eter &t$yvesant bro$ght the irst tea to %merica to the colonists in the ,$tch settlement o 4ew %msterdam :later re)named 4ew 5or6 by the English;. &ettlers here were con irmed tea drin6ers. !n addition, indeed, on ac=$iring the colony, the English o$nd that the small settlement cons$med more tea at that time then all o England p$t together.
ENG#AN$
?reat Britain was the last o the three great sea) aring nations to brea6 into the Chinese and East !ndian trade ro$tes. This was d$e in part to the $nsteady ascension to the throne o the &t$arts and the Cromwellian Civil +ar. The irst samples o tea reached England between "#52 and "#5/. Tea =$ic6ly proved pop$lar eno$gh to replace %le as the national drin6 o England. %s in <olland, it was the nobility that provided the necessary stamp o approval and so ins$red its acceptance. Bing Charles !! had married, while in e(ile, the 'ort$g$ese !n anta Catherine de Bragan9a :"##2;. Charles himsel had grown $p in the ,$tch capital. %s a res$lt, both he and his 'ort$g$ese bride were con irmed tea drin6ers. +hen the monarchy was re)established, the two r$lers bro$ght this oreign tea tradition to England with them. %s early as "#00, Eli9abeth ! had o$nded The Eohn Company or the p$rpose o promoting %sian trade. +hen Catherine de Bragan9a # <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
married Charles, she bro$ght as part o her dowry the territories o Tangier and Bombay. &$ddenly, the Eohn Company had a base o operations. T%e Jo%n Co&'an( was granted the $nbelievably wide monopoly o all trade east o the Cape o ?ood <ope and west o Cape <orn. !ts powers were almost witho$t limit and incl$ded among others the right to7 2egally ac=$ire territory and govern it. Coin money. *aise arms and b$ild orts. 1orm oreign alliances. ,eclare war. Concl$de peace. 'ass laws. Try and p$nish lawbrea6ers. !t was the single largest, most power $l monopoly to ever e(ist in the world. !n addition, its power was based on the importation o tea. %t the same time, the newer East !ndia Company lo$ndered against s$ch competition. %ppealing to 'arliament or relie , the decision was made to merge the Eohn Company and the Ea!t Ind a Co&'an( :"773;. Their re)dra ted charts gave the new East !ndia Company a complete and total trade monopoly on all commerce in China and !ndia. %s a res$lt, the price o tea was 6ept arti icially high, leading to later global di ic$lties or the British crown. Tea mania swept across England as it had earlier spread thro$gho$t 1rance and <olland. Tea importation rose rom /0,000 po$nds in "#.. to an ann$al average o 2/0,000 po$nds by "703. TEA CUISINE) Tea c$isine =$ic6ly e(panded in range to =$ic6ly incl$de wa er thin cr$st less sandwiches, shrimp, or ish pates, toasted breads with -ams, and regional British pastries s$ch as scones :&cottish; and cr$mpets :English;.%t this time two distinct orms o tea services evolved7C<ighC and C2owC. "#o* Tea+ :served in the low part o the a ternoon; was served in aristocratic homes o the wealthy and eat$red go$rmet tidbits rather than solid meals. The emphasis was on presentation and conversation.
"H g% Tea+ or ""eat Tea" was the main or C<ighC meal o the day. !t was the ma-or meal o the middle and lower classes and consisted o mostly $ll dinner items s$ch as roast bee , mashed potatoes, peas, and o co$rse, tea. T,I,P,S,) Tipping as a response to proper service developed in the Tea ?ardens o England. &mall, loc6ed wooden bo(es were placed on the tables thro$gho$t the ?arden. !nscribed on each were the letters CT.!.'.&.C which stood or the sentence CTo !ns$re 'rompt &erviceC. ! a g$est wished the waiter to h$rry :and so ins$re the tea arrived hot rom the o ten)distant 6itchen; he dropped a coin into the bo( on being seated Cto ins$re prompt serviceC. <ence, the c$stom o tipping servers was created. T%e Bo!ton Tea Part() By ,ecember "# events had deteriorated eno$gh that the men o Boston, dressed as !ndians :remember the original -$sti ication or ta(ation had been the e(pense o the 1rench and !ndian +ar; threw h$ndreds o po$nds o tea into the harbor. &$ch leading citi9ens as &am$el %dams and Eohn <ancoc6 too6 part. England had had eno$gh. !n retaliation, the port o Boston was closed and the city occ$pied by royal troops. The colonial leaders met and revol$tion declared. The Trade Contin$ed in the >rient Tho$gh concerned over developments in %merica, English tea interests still centered on the prod$ct0s so$rce)the >rient. There the trading o tea had become a way o li e, developing its own lang$age 6nown as "P dg n Engl !%". Created solely to acilitate commerce, the lang$age was composed o English, 'ort$g$ese, and !ndian words all prono$nced in Chinese. !ndeed, the word "P dg n" is a corr$pted orm o the Chinese word or Idoes b$sinessJ. &o dominant was the tea c$lt$re within the English spea6ing c$lt$res that many o these words came to hold a permanent place in o$r
lang$age. ""andar n" : rom the 'ort$g$ese CmandarC meaning to order; ) the co$rt o icial empowered by the emperor to trade tea. "Ca!%" : rom the 'ort$g$ese Ccai(aC meaning case or money bo(;)the c$rrency o tea transactions. "Cadd(" : rom the Chinese word or one po$nd weight;)the standard tea trade container."C%o*" : rom the !ndian word or ood cargo;)slang or ood. T%e Cl ''er $a(!) By the mid)"300 the world was involved in a global clipper race as nations competed with each other to claim the astest ships. England and %merica were the leading rivals. Each year the tall ships wo$ld race rom China to the Tea E(change in 2ondon to bring in the irst tea or a$ction. Tho$gh beginning hal way aro$nd the world, the mastery o the crews was s$ch that the great ships o ten raced $p the Thames separated by only by min$tes. <owever, by "37" the newer steamships began to replace these great ships. Glo-al Tea Plantat on! $e.elo') The &cottish botanist@advent$rer *obert 1ort$ne, who spo6e l$ent Chinese, was able to snea6 into Hainland China the irst year a ter the >pi$m +ar. <e obtained some o the closely g$arded tea seeds and made notes on tea c$ltivation. +ith s$pport rom the Crown, vario$s e(periments in growing tea in !ndia were attempted. Hany o these ailed d$e to bad soil selection and incorrect planting techni=$es, r$ining many a yo$nger son o a noble amily. Thro$gh each ail$re, however, the technology was per ected. 1inally, a ter years o trial and error, ort$nes made and lost, the English tea plantations in !ndia and other parts o %sia lo$rished. The great English tea mar6eting companies were o$nded and prod$ction mechani9ed as the world ind$striali9ed in the late "3300s.
Tea In.ent on! n A&er ca/ Iced Tea and Tea-ag!) %merica stabili9ed her government, strengthened her economy, and e(panded her borders and interests. By ".0/, the 8nited &tates was ready or the world to see her development at the &t. 2o$is +orld0s 1air. Trade e(hibitors rom aro$nd the world bro$ght their prod$cts to %merica0s irst +orld0s 1air. >ne s$ch merchant was *ichard Blechynden, a tea plantation owner. >riginally, he had planned to give away ree samples o hot tea to air visitors. <owever, when a heat wave hit, no one was interested. To save his investment o time and travel, he d$mped a load o ice into the brewed tea and served the irst Ciced teaC. !t was :along with the Egyptian an dancer; the hit o the 1air. 1o$r years later, Thomas &$llivan o 4ew 5or6 developed the concept o Cbagged teaC. %s a tea merchant, he care $lly wrapped each sample delivered to resta$rants or their consideration. <e recogni9ed a nat$ral mar6eting opport$nity when he reali9ed the resta$rants were brewing the samples Cin the bagsC to avoid the mess o tealeaves in the 6itchens. Tea *ooms, Tea Co$rts, and Tea ,ances Beginning in the late "3300s in both %merica and England, ine hotels began to o er tea service in tearooms and tea co$rts. &erved in the late a ternoon, Kictorian ladies :and their gentlemen riends; co$ld meet or tea and conversation. Hany o these tea services became the hallmar6 o the elegance o the hotel, s$ch as the tea services at the *it9 :Boston; and the 'la9a :4ew 5or6;.By "."0, hotels began to host a ternoon tea dances as dance cra9e a ter dance cra9e swept the 8nited &tates and England. > ten considered waste $l by older people they provided a place or the new Cwor6ing girlC to meet men in a city, ar rom home and amily. :!ndeed, the editor o Kog$e once ired a large n$mber o emale secretarial wor6ers or Cwasting their time at tea dancesC;. "0 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
0ARI1TEA2) Engl !% Break3a!t) The prototype o this most pop$lar o all teas was developed over a h$ndred years ago by the &cottish Tea Haster ,rysdale in Ed!nb$rgh. !t was mar6eted simply as CBrea6 ast TeaC. !t became pop$lar in England d$e to the cra9e L$een Kictoria created or things &cottish :the s$mmer home o Kictoria and %lbert was the <ighland castle o Balmoral;. Teashops in 2ondon, however, changed the name and mar6eted it as CEnglish Brea6 ast TeaC. !t is a blend o ine blac6 teas, o ten incl$ding some Beem$n tea. Hany tea a$thorities s$ggest that the Beem$n tea blended with mil6 creates a bo$=$et that reminds people o Ctoast hot rom the ovenC and maybe the original so$rce or the name. !t sho$ld be o ered with mil6 or lemon. :>ne never serves lemon to a g$est i they re=$est mil6)the lemon is never $sed. !t wo$ld c$rdle the mil6.; !t may also be $sed to brew iced tea. Ir !% Break3a!t) The !rish have always been great tea drin6ers, and they drin6 their tea brewed very strong. !n act, there is a common tea saying among the !rish that a Cproper c$p o teaC sho$ld be Cstrong eno$gh or a mo$se to trot onJ. %long the same line, the !rish believed there were only three types o tea it to drin6. The irst and best o =$ality was in China with the Chinese, o co$rse. The second best was sent directly to !reland. The third and lowest in =$ality was sent to the English. !rish Brea6 ast beca$se o its rob$st lavor is $s$ally dr$n6 only in the morning :e(cept or the !rish who drin6 it all day;. 8s$ally it is blended rom an %ssam tea base. Beca$se o its $ll taste, it is served with lots o s$gar :loose is considered correct here)s$gar c$bes are an English matter; and "" <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
mil6 :mil6, 4EKE* C*E%H, is served with tea. Cream is too heavy or tea and belongs with co ee. The mil6 is always served at room temperat$re, never cold, as it cools the tea too =$ic6ly;.Caravan7 This e(cellent tea was created in imperial *$ssia rom the teas bro$ght overland by camel rom %sia. Beca$se the trade ro$te was dangero$s and s$pplies $nsteady, *$ssian tea merchants blended the varying incoming tea cargoes, selling a blend rather then a single tea orm. !t was $s$ally a combination o China and !ndia blac6 teas. 2i6e the !rish, the *$ssian avored this tea all day long. Earl Gre() Earl ?rey :"7#/)"3/5; was an act$al person who, tho$gh he was prime minister o England $nder +illiam !K, is better remembered or the tea named a ter him. Tea legends say a Chinese Handarin gave the blend to him see6ing to in l$ence trade relations. % smo6y tea with a hint o sweetness to it, it is served plain and is the second most pop$lar tea in the world today. !t is generally a blend o blac6 teas and bergamot oil. Black Tea! and Oolong $ar4eel ng) *e ers to tea grown in this mo$ntain area o !ndia. The mo$ntain altit$de and gentle misting rains o the region, prod$ce a $ni=$e $ll bodied b$t light lavor with a s$btly lingering aroma reminiscent o H$scatel. *eserved or a ternoon $se, it is traditionally o ered to g$ests plain. >ne might ta6e a lemon with it, i the ,ar-eeling were o the highest grade, b$t never mil6. :Hil6 wo$ld Cb$ryC the very =$alities that ma6e it $ni=$e. Oolong) The elegant tea is sometimes 6nown as the Cchampagne o teasC. >riginally grown in the 1$6ien province o China, it was irst imported to England in "3#. by Eohn ,odd. Today, the highest grade >olongs :1ormosa >olongs; are grown in Taiwan. % cross between green and blac6 teas, it is ermented to achieve a delicio$s r$ity taste that "2 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
ma6es mil6, lemon, and s$gar $nthin6able. +ith s$ch clarity, it is per ect or a ternoon $se with s$ch tea are as c$c$mber sandwiches and madelaines. Green Tea!) ?reen tea ma6es $p only ten percent o the world0s prod$ced tea. The Eapanese tea service :in which green tea is $sed;, is an art orm in and o itsel . The serving o a $ll Eapanese tea service wo$ld be beyond the ability o most properties and as a res$lt, sho$ld not be attempted. ?reen tea is not generally part o the a ternoon tea tradition as appropriate to hotel $se. C% na Tea!5ee&un) !s the most amo$s o China0s blac6 teas. Beca$se o its s$btle and comple( nat$re, it is considered the Cb$rg$ndy o teasC. !t is a mellow tea that will stand alone as well as s$pport s$gar and@or mil6. Beca$se o its Cwine)li6eC =$ality, lemon sho$ld not be o ered as the combined tastes are too tart. Tea is the agric$lt$ral prod$ct o the leaves, lea b$ds, and internodes o the Camellia sinensisplant, prepared and c$red by vario$s methods. ITeaJ also re ers to the aromatic beverage prepared rom the c$red leaves by combination with hot or boiling water, and is the common name or the Camellia sinensis plant itsel . %ltho$gh tea contains vario$s types o polyphenols, Icontrary to widespread belie , tea does not contain tannic acid.J % ter water, tea is the most widely)cons$med beverage in the world. !t has a cooling, slightly bitter, astringent lavo$r which many en-oy. There are at least si( varieties o teaM white, yellow, green, oolong, blac6 and p$)erh o which the most commonly o$nd on the mar6et are white, green, oolong and blac6. %ll tea are made rom the same species o plant, tho$gh di erent varieties may be $sed, and "3 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
the leaves are processed di erently, and, in the case o ine white tea, grown di erently. '$)erh tea, a post) ermented tea, is also o ten $sed medicinally. The term Iherbal teaJ $s$ally re ers to an in $sion or tisane o leaves, lowers, r$it, herbs or other plant material that contains no Camellia sinensis. The term Ired teaJ re ers to an in $sion made rom either blac6 tea :mainly in Chinese, Borean, Eapanese and other East %sian lang$ages; or the&o$th % rican rooibos plant :containing no Camellia sinensis;.
Trad t onal C% ne!e tea cult .at on and tec%nolog e!

Camellia sinensis is an evergreen plant that grows mainly in tropical and s$b) tropical climates. 4evertheless, some varieties can also tolerate marine climates and are c$ltivated as ar north as 'embro6eshire in the British mainland and +ashington in the 8nited &tates. !n addition to a 9one 3 climate or warmer, tea plants re=$ire at least 50 inches o rain all a year and pre er acidic soils. Traditional Chinese Tea C$ltivation and &t$dies believes that high)=$ality tea plants are c$ltivated at elevations o $p to ",500 metres :/,.00 t;7 at these heights, the plants grow more slowly and ac=$ire a better lavo$r. >nly the top ")2 inches o the mat$re plant are pic6ed. These b$ds and leaves are called l$shes. % plant will grow a new l$sh every seven to ten days d$ring the growing season. % tea plant will grow into a tree i le t $ndist$rbed, b$t c$ltivated plants are pr$ned to waist height or ease o pl$c6ing.
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Two principal varieties are $sed7 the China plant :C. sinensis sinensis;, $sed or most Chinese, 1ormosan and Eapanese teas :b$t not '$)erh;M and the clonal %ssam plant :C. sinensis assamica;, $sed in most !ndian and other teas :b$t not ,ar-eeling;. +ithin these botanical varieties, there are many strains and modern !ndian clonal varieties. 2ea si9e is the chie criterion or the classi ication o tea plants7 tea is classi ied into :"; %ssam type, characteri9ed by the largest leavesM :2; China type, characteri9ed by the smallest leavesM and :3; Cambod, characteri9ed by leaves o intermediate si9e.
Proce!! ng and cla!! 3 cat on

% tea0s type is determined by the processing which it $ndergoes. 2eaves o Camellia sinensis soon begin to wilt and o(idi9e, i not dried =$ic6ly a ter pic6ing. The leaves t$rn progressively dar6er as their chlorophyll brea6s down and tannins are released. This process, en9ymatic o(idation, is called ermentation in the tea ind$stry, altho$gh it is not a tr$e ermentation. !t is not ca$sed by micro)organisms, and is not an anaerobic process. The ne(t step in processing is to stop o(idation at a predetermined stage by heating, which deactivates the en9ymes responsible. +ith blac6 tea, this step is e(ec$ted sim$ltaneo$sly with drying. +itho$t care $l moist$re and temperat$re control d$ring man$ act$re and pac6aging, the tea will grow $ngi. The $ng$s ca$ses real ermentation that will contaminate the tea with to(ic and sometimes carcinogenic s$bstances, as well as o ) lavors, rendering the tea $n it or cons$mption. Tea is traditionally classi ied based on the techni=$es with which it is prod$ced and processed. "5 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
White tea
6% te tea is a tea made with leaves that are processed in a manner to let them wilt slightly and lose the CgrassyC taste o green tea, while $ndergoing minimal o(idation. 2i6e green, oolong andblac6 tea, white tea comes rom the Camellia sinensis plant. >olong and blac6 teas are o(idi9ed be ore c$ring. +hite tea is a specialty o the Chinese province 1$-ian. The leaves come rom varieties o tea c$ltivars. 'op$lar are ,a Bai :2arge +hite;, Niao Bai :&mall +hite;, 4arciss$s and Chaicha b$shes. %ccording to the standards o pic6ing and selection, white teas can be classi ied into a n$mber o grades, described in the varieties section.
0ar et e! o3 *% te tea
C% ne!e *% te tea! Bai <ao 5in9hen 7 The highest grade o the Bai <ao 5in9hen sho$ld be leshy,
bright colored and covered with tiny white hairs. The shape sho$ld be very $ni orm, with no stems or leaves. The very best 5in9hen are pic6ed between Harch "5 and %pril "0 when it is not raining and only $sing $ndamaged and $nopened b$ds. 1$-ian 'rovince, China.
Bai H$ ,an :; :+hite 'eony;7 % grade down rom Bai <ao 5in9hen tea,
incorporating the b$d and two leaves which sho$ld be covered with a ine, silvery) white down. 1rom 1$-ian 'rovince, China. :&ometimes spelled 'ai H$ Tan.; "# <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
?ong Hei :Trib$te Eyebrow;7 The third grade o white tea, the prod$ction $ses
leaves rom the Niao Bai or Csmall whiteC tea trees.
&ho$ Hei :4oble, 2ong 2i e Eyebrow;7 % r$ity, $rry white tea that is a mi( o
tips and $pper lea , it has a stronger lavor than other white teas, similar to >olong. !t is the o$rth grade o white tea and is pl$c6ed later than Bai H$ ,an hence the tea may be dar6er in color. 1rom 1$-ian 'rovince and ?$ang(i 'rovince in China
+hite '$erh Tea7 <arvested in the spring rom plantations o$nd high on remote
mo$ntain pea6s o 5$nnan 'rovince, China. Kery labor)intensive, with each step processed by hand, these l$($ry whites are wonder $lly rich in ragrance, and possess an all$ring, sweet nectar)li6e =$ality. Ot%er *% te tea! Ceylon +hite7 ?rown in &ri 2an6a. Ceylon +hite tea can etch m$ch higher
prices than blac6 tea rom the area. The tea has a light li=$oring with notes o pine and honey and a golden coppery in $sion.
,ar-eeling +hite !t has a delicate aroma and brews to a pale golden c$p with a
mellow taste and a hint o sweetness. !t has a delicate taste. % tea rom ,ar-eeling, !ndia.
%ssam +hite7 +hite tea prod$ction in the %ssam, north eastern region o !ndia is
rare. 2ighter in body than the traditional blac6 teas, a white %ssam yields a re ined in $sion that is sweet with a distinct malty character.
% rican +hite7 'rod$ced in min$sc$le amo$nts in Halawi and Benya, mostly as
silver needles :5in Dhen; type made o assamensis b$dsM $s$ally higher in ca eine "7 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
and richer in lavo$r than Chinese whites, sometimes approaching yellow teas, and o ten changing lavo$rs in the c$p. Healt% -ene3 t! % 200. Bingston 8niversity st$dy showed that white tea had high anti)in lammatory, anti)o(idant, anti)collagenase, and anti)elastase properties which co$ld potentially red$ce the ris6s o developing rhe$matoid arthritis, some cancers, heart disease O slow the en9ymatic brea6 down o elastin and collagen :ie wrin6les or sagging; which accompany aging. Bre* ng ?enerally, aro$nd 2 to 2.5 grams o tea per 200 ml :# o$nces; o water, or abo$t ".5 teaspoons o white tea per c$p, sho$ld be $sed. +hite teas sho$ld be prepared with 30PC :"30P1; water :not boiling; and steeped or 2 to 3 min$tes. Hany tea graders, however, choose to brew this tea or m$ch longer, as long as "0 min$tes on the irst in $sion, to allow the delicate aromas to develop. 1iner teas e(pose more lavor and comple(ity with no bitterness. 2ower grade teas do not always stand this test well and develop bitter lavors or tannins. >n s$ccessive brews :white teas prod$ce three very good brews and a o$rth that is passable;, e(tend the time by several min$tes per brewing. The third brew may re=$ire as long as "5 min$tes to develop well. Temperat$re is cr$cial7 i it is too hot, the brew will be bitter and the iner lavors will be overpowered.
"3
YE##O6 TEA
$s$ally implies a special tea processed similarly to green tea, b$t with a slower drying phase, where the damp tea leaves are allowed to sit and yellow. The tea generally has a very yellow)green appearance and a smell di erent rom both white tea and green tea. The smell is sometimes mista6en or blac6 i the tea is c$red with other herbs, b$t similarities in taste can still be drawn between yellow, green and white teas. !t can, however, also describe high)=$ality teas served at the !mperial co$rt, altho$gh this can be applied to any orm o imperially)served tea.
GREEN TEA
Green tea is tea made solely with the leaves o Camellia sinensis that have $ndergone minimalo(idation d$ring processing. ?reen tea originates rom China and has become associated with many c$lt$res in %sia rom Eapan to the Hiddle East. *ecently, it has become more widespread in the+est, where blac6 tea is traditionally cons$med. Hany varieties o green tea have been created in co$ntries where it is grown. These varieties can di er s$bstantially d$e to variable growing conditions, processing and harvesting time. >ver the last ew decades green tea has been s$b-ected to many scienti ic and medical st$dies to determine the e(tent o its long)p$rported health bene its, with some evidence s$ggesting reg$lar green tea drin6ers may have lower chances o heart disease and developing certain types o cancer. ?reen tea has also been claimed as $se $l or Cweight
".
loss managementC Q a claim with no scienti ic s$pport according to medical databases s$ch as '$bHed.
Ja'ane!e green tea
Gen&a c%a
?reen tea is $bi=$ito$s in Eapan and there ore is more commonly 6nown simply as CteaC.!t is even re erred to as CEapanese teaC tho$gh it was irst $sed in China d$ring the &ong ,ynasty, and bro$ght to Eapan by HyRan Eisai, a Eapanese B$ddhist priest who also introd$ced the *in9ai school o Den B$ddhism. Types o tea are commonly graded 20 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
depending on the =$ality and the parts o the plant $sed as well as how they are processed. There are large variations in both price and =$ality within these broad categories, and there are many specialty green teas that all o$tside this spectr$m. The best Eapanese green tea is said to be that rom the 5ame region o 1$6$o6a 're ect$re and the 8-i region o Byoto. &hi9$o6a 're ect$re prod$ces /0S o raw tea lea . G(okuro The highest grade Eapanese green tea c$ltivated in special way. ?yo6$ro0s name re ers to the pale green color o the in $sion. The leaves are grown in the shade be ore harvest, which alters their lavor. 5a-u!ec%a
Bab$secha is made rom the leaves grown in the shade prior to harvest, altho$gh not or as long as ?yo6$ro. !t has a more delicate lavor than &encha. !t is sometimes mar6eted as ?yo6$ro.
Senc%a
The irst and second l$sh o green tea, which is the most common green tea in Eapan made rom leaves that are e(posed directly to s$nlight. Fuka&u!% c%a
1$6am$shi is steamed two times longer than $s$al &encha. !t gives a deeper color.
2"
Bre* ng
?enerally, 2 grams o tea per "00ml o water, or abo$t one teaspoon o green tea per 5 o$nce c$p :"50ml;, sho$ld be $sed. +ith very high =$ality teas li6e gyo6$ro, more than this amo$nt o lea is $sed, and the lea is steeped m$ltiple times or short d$rations. ?reen tea brewing time and temperat$re varies with individ$al teas. The hottest brewing temperat$res are "30P1 to ".0P1 :3"PC to 37PC; water and the longest steeping times 2 to 3 min$tes. The coolest brewing temperat$res are "/0P1 to "#0P1 :#"PC to #.PC; and the shortest times abo$t 30 seconds. !n general, lower =$ality green teas are steeped hotter and longer, while higher =$ality teas are steeped cooler and shorter. &teeping green tea too hot or too long will res$lt in a bitter, astringent brew, regardless o the initial =$ality. !t is tho$ght that e(cessively hot water res$lts in tannin chemical release, which is especially problematic in green teas as they have higher contents o these. <igh =$ality green teas can be and $s$ally are steeped m$ltiple timesM 2 or 3 steepings is typical. The brewing techni=$e also plays a very important role to avoid the tea developing an overcoo6ed taste. 're erably, the container in which the tea is steeped or teapot sho$ld also be warmed be orehand so that the tea does not immediately cool down.
Ca33e ne
8nless speci ically deca einated, green tea contains ca eine. 4ormal green tea itsel may contain more ca eine than co ee :by dry weight)) or ca eine per serving si9e, see below;, b$t the length o in $sion with hot water and the n$mber o times the leaves are re$sed can greatly alter ca eine inta6e. 8sing a given amo$nt o green tea leaves steeped in "00 m2 o water, e(periments have shown that a ter the irst 5 min$tes o brewing, the 22 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
tea contains 32 mg ca eine. B$t i the same leaves are then $sed or a second and then a third ive min$te brew, the ca eine drops to "2 mg and then / mg, respectively. +hile co ee and tea are both so$rces o ca eine, the amo$nts o ca eine in any single serving o these beverages varies signi icantly. %n average serving o co ee contains the most ca eine, the same serving si9e o tea provides "@2 to "@3 as m$ch. >ne o the more con $sing aspects o ca eine content is the act that co ee contains less ca eine than tea when meas$red in its dry orm. The ca eine content o a prepared c$p o co ee is signi icantly higher than the ca eine content o a prepared c$p o tea. ?reen teas contain two ca eine metabolites :ca eine)li6e s$bstances;7 theophylline, which is a stronger stim$lant than ca eine, andtheobromine, which is slightly wea6er than ca eine.
Healt% e33ect!
?reen tea contains polyphenols which are tho$ght to improve health, partic$larly catechins, the most ab$ndant o which is epigallocatechin gallate. !n vitro and animal st$dies as well as preliminary observational and clinical st$dies o h$mans s$ggest that green tea can red$ce the ris6 o cardiovasc$lar disease and cancer as well as bene icially impact bone density, cognitive $nction, dental cavities, and 6idney stones. <owever, the h$man st$dies are sometimes mi(ed and inconsistent. ?reen tea also contains carotenoids, tocopherols, ascorbic acid :vitamin C;, minerals s$ch as chromi$m, manganese, seleni$m or 9inc, and certain phytochemical compo$nds. !t is a more potent antio(idant thanblac6 tea, altho$gh blac6 tea has s$bstances which green tea does not s$ch as thea lavin. 23 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
?reen tea cons$mption is associated with red$ced heart disease in epidemiological st$dies. %nimal st$dies have o$nd that it can red$ce cholesterol. <owever, several small, brie h$man trials o$nd that tea cons$mption did not red$ce cholesterol in h$mans. !n 2003 a randomi9ed clinical trial o$nd that a green tea e(tract with added thea lavin rom blac6 tea red$ced cholesterol.
Oolong
Oolong is a traditional Chinese tea :Camellia sinensis; somewhere between green and blac6 in o(idation. !t ranges rom "0S to 70S o(idation. !t is among the most pop$lar types o teas served in typical Chinese resta$rants. !n Chinese tea c$lt$re, semi)o(idised oolong teas are collectively gro$ped as =TngchU: literally Cclear teaC;. >olong has a taste more a6in to green tea than to blac6 tea7 it has neither the rosy, sweet aroma o blac6 tea nor the stridently grassy vegetal notes that typi y green tea. !t is commonly brewed to be strong, with the bitterness leaving a sweeta tertaste. &everal s$bvarieties o oolong, incl$ding those prod$ced in the +$yi Ho$ntains o northern 1$-ian and in the central mo$ntains o Taiwan, are among the most amo$s Chinese teas. >olong tea leaves are processed in two di erent ways. &ome teas are rolled into long c$rly leaves, while some are pressed into a ball)li6e orm similar to g$npowder tea. The ormer method o processing is the older o the two. The name oolong tea comes into the English lang$age rom the Chinese name which is prono$nced as >V)liWng tX in the Hin 4an spo6en variant. The Chinese name means Cblac6 dragon teaC. 2/ <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
Cla!! 3 cat on and grade

Tea connoisse$rs classi y the tea by its aroma :o ten loral or r$ity;, taste and a tertaste :o ten melony;. >olongs comes in either roasted or light. +hile most oolongs can be cons$med immediately postprod$ction, li6e p$)erh tea, many oolong can bene it rom long aging with reg$lar light roasting with a low charcoal ire. Be ore roasting, >olong tea leaves are rolled and br$ised to brea6 open cell walls and stim$late en9ymatic activity. The process o roasting removes $nwanted odo$rs rom the tea and red$ces any so$r or astringent tastesM in addition, the process is believed to ma6e the oolong tea more gentle on the stomach. Karieties o >olong Tea The most amo$s and e(pensive >olong teas are made here b$t the prod$ction is still $s$ally accredited as organic. % lot o &h$Y NiZn is grown elsewhere in 1$-ian. &ome o the better 6nown cli teas are7 $7 H8ng P9o Big *ed *obe in Chinese, a highly pri9ed tea and a &i ,a Hing Cong :, literally7 The 1o$r ?reat B$shes;. This tea is also one o the two >olongs that ma6e it to the list o Chinese amo$s teas. S%u: J;n Gu; 25 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
?olden +ater T$rtle in Chinese, a &i ,a Hing Cong. T < #u8%7n !ron %rhat in Chinese, a &i ,a Hing Cong tea
B9 J; Gu=n +hite Coc6scomb in Chinese, a &i ,a Hing Cong tea. % light tea with light, yellowish leaves. R>u Gu? Cinnamon in Chinese, a dar6 tea with a spicy aroma. S%u: @ =n +ater &prite in Chinese, a very dar6 tea, o ten grown elsewhere.
Fjin province
T < Gu=n(;n or T 5uan Y n !ron ?$anyin in Chinese, this is a tea rom %n(i in &o$th 1$-ian. !t is very amo$s, in act a0Chinese amo$s tea0 and very pop$lar.
Guangdong province
$=n CAng % amily o stripe)style oolong teas rom ?$angdong 'rovince. The doppelganger o teas, ,ancong teas are noted or their ability to nat$rally imitate the lavors and ragrances o vario$s lowers and r$its, s$ch as orange blossom, orchid, grape r$it, almond, ginger lower, etc. 2# <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
The name dan cong is o ten misinterpreted as meaning the tea is all pic6ed rom a single b$sh, grove, or clone. This is not correct. ,an cong is a botanical term that re ers to the morphology o the tea plant. Host tea b$shes emerge rom the gro$nd as a cl$ster o branches, however, the $ncommon dan cong variety emerges as a single tr$n6 that branches o higher $p the stem.
Ta *an
Tea c$ltivation only began in Taiwan in the mid ".th cent$ry. &ince then, many o the teas which are grown in 1$-ian province have also been grown in Taiwan. &ince the ".70s the tea ind$stry in Taiwan has grown at a rapid rate, in line with the rest o Taiwan0s economy. ,$e to high domestic demand and a strong tea c$lt$re, the ma-ority o Taiwanese tea is bo$ght and cons$med by the Taiwanese. %s the weather in Taiwan is highly variable, =$ality o tea may di er rom season to season. %ltho$gh the island is not partic$larly large, it is geographically varied, with high, steep mo$ntains rising =$ic6ly rom low)lying coastal plains. The di erent weather patterns, temperat$res, altit$des and soil $ltimately res$lt in di erences in appearance, aroma and lavo$r o the tea grown in Taiwan. !n some mo$ntaino$s areas, teas have been c$ltivated at ever higher elevations to prod$ce a $ni=$e sweet taste that etches a premi$m price. $>ngd:ng The name means 1ro9en &$mmit or !ce 'ea6. ,ong ,ing is a mo$ntain in 4anto$ Co$nty, Central Taiwan. This is a tightly rolled tea with a light, distinctive ragrance. $ong3ang "e ren
27
The name means >riental :Eastern; Bea$ty. %lso 6nown as Bai <ao >olong. This tea is tippy :the leaves re=$ently have white or golden tips;, with nat$ral r$ity aromas, a bright red appearance and a sweet taste. Al S%an ?rown in the %lishan area o Chiayi Co$nty, this tea has large rolled leaves that have a p$rple)green appearance when dry. !t is grown at an elevation o "000 to "/00 metres. There is only a short period d$ring the growing season when the s$n is strong, which res$lts in a sweeter and less astringent brew. !t prod$ces a golden yellow tea which has a $ni=$e r$ity aroma. # !%an ?rown in the north)central region o Taiwan this tea is very similar in appearance to %lishan teas b$t is o ten considered to be one o the best teas rom Taiwan. !t is grown at an elevation o above "000 metres with ,ay$ling, 2ishan, and 1$so$ being the best well 6now regions and teas o 2ishan. Pouc%ong %lso romani9ed as Bao9hong, the lightest and most loral >olong, with $nrolled leaves o a light green to brown color. >riginally grown in 1$-ian it is now widely c$ltivated and prod$ced in 'inglin Township near Taipei, Taiwan. Ot%er oolong tea! ,ar-eeling >olong7 ,ar-eeling tea made according to Chinese methods. Kietnamese >olong Thai >olong <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
23
% rican >olong7 made in Halawi and in Benya 4epali >olong
B#AC5 TEA
Black tea is a variety o tea that is more o(idi9ed than the oolong, green, and whitevarieties. %ll o$r varieties are made rom leaves o Camellia sinensis. Blac6 tea is generally stronger in lavor and contains more ca eine than the less o(idi9ed teas. Two principal varieties o the species are $sed, the small)leaved Chinese variety plant :C. sinensis s$bsp. sinensis;, also $sed or green and white teas, and the large)leaved %ssamese plant :C. sinensis s$bsp. assamica;, which was traditionally only $sed or blac6 tea, altho$gh in recent years some green has been prod$ced. !n Chinese and Chinese in l$enced lang$ages, blac6 tea is 6nown as Ccrimson teaC, an acc$rate description o the colo$r o the li=$id. The term blac6 tea re ers to the colo$r o the o(idi9ed leaves. !n Chinese, Cblac6 teaC is a commonly $sed classi ication orpost) ermented teas, s$ch as '$)erh teaM in the +estern world, Cred teaC more commonly re ers to rooibos, a &o$th % rican tisane. +hile green tea $s$ally loses its lavor within a year, blac6 tea retains its lavo$r or several years. 1or this reason, it has long been an article o trade, and compressed bric6s o blac6 tea even served as a orm o de actoc$rrency in Hongolia, Tibet, and &iberia into the ".th cent$ry. The tea originally imported to E$rope was either green or semi)o(idi9ed. >nly in the ".th cent$ry did blac6 tea s$rpass green in 2. <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
pop$larity. %ltho$gh green tea has recently seen a revival d$e to its p$rported health bene its, blac6 tea still acco$nts or over ninety percent o all tea sold in the +est. The e(pression Cblac6 teaC is also $sed to describe a c$p o tea witho$t mil6 :Cserved blac6C;, similar to co ee served witho$t mil6 or cream.
" !cellaneou! 5en(an rom % rica, similar to %ssam. 0 etna&e!e rom Kietnam, similar to some cheaper 5$nnan teas, with a pleasant and sweet aroma b$t a more bodied and dar6er brewM $nli6e teas rom4epal or ,ar-eeling. Ne'ale!e rom $plands o 4epal. &omewhat similar to higher grades o ,ar-eeling.
30
Turk !% 1Ba(2 rom *i9e 'rovince on the eastern Blac6 &ea coast o T$r6ey, that is crystal clear and mahogany in colo$r. 'repared in a samovar or a [aydanl\6, it can be served strong :C6oy$C dar6; or wea6 :Ca[\6C light;, in small glasses with c$bed s$gar. T%a tea rom Thailand ACer-a 4an tea rom Ca$cas$s in %9erbai-an Georg an tea rom Ca$cas$s in ?eorgia 5ra!nodar tea rom Ca$cas$s in *$ssia Ja.a tea rom !ndonesia, has a n$tty aroma, very di erent rom both Chinese and !ndian teas. Su&atra tea rom !ndonesia, similar to Eava tea. Ca&eron tea rom the Cameron <ighlands in HalaysiaM Guate&alan tea 3" <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
rom Chirrepec, Coban, %lta Kerapa9, a blend o %ssam and China Type
Blend ng and add t .e!
Tea weighing station north o Bat$mi,*$ssian Empire be ore "."5 %lmost all teas in bags and most other teas sold in the +est are blends. Blending may occ$r in the tea)planting area :as in the case o %ssam;, or teas rom many areas may be blended. The aim is to obtain better taste, higher price, or both, as a more e(pensive, better)tasting tea may cover the in erior taste o cheaper varieties. &ome teas are not p$re varieties, b$t have been enhanced thro$gh additives or special processing. Tea is highly receptive to incl$sion o vario$s aromasM this may ca$se problems in processing, transportation and storage, b$t also allows or the design o an
32
almost endless range o scented and lavored variants, s$ch as bergamot :Earl ?rey;, vanilla, caramel, and many others.
Content
Tea contains catechins, a type o antio(idant. !n a reshly)pic6ed tea lea , catechins can compose $p to 30S o the dry weight. Catechins are highest in concentration in white and green teas, while blac6 tea has s$bstantially ewer d$e to its o(idative preparation. *esearch by the 8.&. ,epartment o %gric$lt$re has s$ggested that levels o antio(idants in green and blac6 tea do not di er greatly, with green tea having an >(ygen *adical %bsorbance Capacity :>*%C; o "253 and blac6 tea an >*%C o ""23 :meas$red in ]molTE@"00g;. Tea also contains theanine and the stim$lant ca eine at abo$t 3S o its dry weight, translating to between 30 mg and .0 mg per 3 o9 :250 ml; c$p depending on type, brand and brewing method. Tea also contains small amo$nts o theobromine and theophylline, as well as l$oride, with certain types o bric6 tea made rom old leaves and stems having the highest levels.
33
,ry tea has more ca eine by weight than co eeM nevertheless, more dried co ee is $sed than dry tea in preparing the beverage, which means that a c$p o brewed tea contains signi icantly less ca eine than a c$p o co ee o the same si9e. Tea has no carbohydrates, at, or protein.
CHINA
The Chinese have cons$med tea or tho$sands o years. 'eople o the <an ,ynasty $sed tea as medicine :tho$gh the irst $se o tea as a stim$lant is $n6nown;. China is considered to have the earliest records o tea cons$mption, with records dating bac6 to the "0th cent$ry BC. 2ao9i :ca. #00)5"7 BC;, the classical Chinese philosopher, described tea as Ithe roth o the li=$id -adeJ and named it an indispensable ingredient to the eli(ir o li e. 2egend has it that master 2ao was saddened by society0s moral decay and, sensing that the end o the dynasty was near, he -o$rneyed westward to the $nsettled territories, never to be seen again. +hile passing along the nation0s border, he enco$ntered and was o ered tea by a c$stoms inspector named 5in <si. 5in <si enco$raged him to compile his teachings into a single boo6 so that $t$re generations might bene it rom his wisdom. This then became 6nown as the ,ao ,e Eing, a collection o 2ao9i0s sayings. !n 5. BC, +ang Bao wrote the irst 6nown boo6 with instr$ctions on b$ying and preparing tea.
3/
!n 220 , amed physician and s$rgeon <$a T$o wrote &hin 2$n, in which he describes tea0s ability to improve mental $nctions. ,$ring the &$i ,ynasty :53.)#"3 %,; tea was introd$ced to Eapan by B$ddhist mon6s. %ccording to Cha Eing tea drin6ing was widespread. The boo6 describes how tea plants were grown, the leaves processed, and tea prepared as a beverage. !t also describes how tea was eval$ated. The boo6 also disc$sses where the best tea leaves were prod$ced. Teas prod$ced in this period were mainly tea bric6s which were o ten $sed as c$rrency, especially $rther rom the center o the empire where coins lost their val$e. ,$ring the &ong ,ynasty :.#0)"27.;, prod$ction and preparation o all tea changed. The tea o &ong incl$ded many loose)lea styles :to preserve the delicate character avored by co$rt society;, b$t a new powdered orm o tea emerged. &teaming tea leaves was the primary process $sed or cent$ries in the preparation o tea. % ter the transition rom compressed tea to the powdered orm, the prod$ction o tea or trade and distrib$tion changed once again. The Chinese learned to process tea in a di erent way in the mid) "3th cent$ry. Tea leaves were roasted and then cr$mbled rather than steamed. This is the origin o today0s loose teas and the practice o brewed tea. Tea prod$ction in China, historically, was a laborio$s process, cond$cted in distant and o ten poorly accessible regions. This led to the rise o many apocryphal stories and legends s$rro$nding the harvesting process. 1or e(ample, one story that has been told or many years is that o a village where mon6eys pic6 tea. %ccording to this legend, the villagers stand below the mon6eys and ta$nt them. The mon6eys, in t$rn, become angry, and grab hand $ls o tea leaves and throw them at the villagers. There are prod$cts sold today that claim to be harvested in this manner, b$t no reliable commentators have 35 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
observed this irsthand, and most do$bt that it happened at all. 1or many h$ndreds o years the commercially)$sed tea tree has been, in shape, more o a b$sh than a tree. IHon6ey pic6ed teaJ is more li6ely a name o certain varieties than a description o how it was obtained. !n "3.", the Hing co$rt iss$ed a decree that only loose tea wo$ld be accepted as a Itrib$te.J %s a res$lt, loose tea prod$ction increased and processing techni=$es advanced. &oon, most tea was distrib$ted in $ll)lea , loose orm and steeped in earthenware vessels.
GREECE and CYPRUS

Thro$gh o$t ?reece O Cypr$s ?ree6 tea, :?ree6 ^_`a or Tsai;, is made with :6anelles; or simply cinnamon O cloves.
IN$IA
The c$ltivation and brewing o tea in !ndia has a long history o applications in traditional systems o medicine and or cons$mption. Tea had been 6nown or millennia in !ndia as a medicinal plant. The cons$mption o tea in !ndia was irst clearly doc$mented in the ancient epic *amayana :circa 500 BC;. *esearch shows that tea is also indigeno$s to eastern and northern !ndia, and was c$ltivated and cons$med there or tho$sands o years. <owever, commercial prod$ction o tea in !ndia did not begin $ntil the arrival o the British East !ndia Company, at which point large tracts o land were converted or mass tea prod$ction. The Chinese variety is $sed or ,ar-eeling tea, and the %ssamese variety, native to the !ndian state o %ssam, everywhere else. The British started commercial tea plantations in !ndia and in Ceylon7 I!n "32/ tea plants were discovered in the hills along the rontier 3# <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
between B$rma and the !ndian state o %ssam. The British introd$ced tea c$lt$re into !ndia in "33# and into Ceylon :&ri 2an6a; in "3#7. %t irst they $sed seeds rom China, b$t later seeds rom the %ssam plant were $sed.J >nly blac6 tea was prod$ced $ntil recent decades. !ndia was the top prod$cer o tea or nearly a cent$ry, b$t was displaced by China as the top tea prod$cer in the 2"st cent$ry. !ndian tea companies have ac=$ired a n$mber o iconic oreign tea enterprises incl$ding British brands Tetley and Typhoo. +hile !ndia is the largest cons$mer o tea worldwide, the per)capita cons$mption o tea in !ndia remains a modest 750 grams per person every year. % lot o h$ge companies have emerged incl$ding 0?olden Tips Tea Co0, and many other ma-or brands that specialise and emphasi9e on ,ar-eeling tea and to$rism in ,ar-eeling, one o the prime bea$ti $l locations amo$s or tea. Tea garden! n Sout% Ind a "unnar Top station, /" 6m :" <o$r; rom H$nnar, is aptly named, as it is home to some o the highest tea plantations in !ndia. !t lies on the state border between Berala and Tamil 4ad$ and commands a panoramic view o rolling green hills.
JAPAN
Tea $se spread to Eapan abo$t the si(th cent$ry. Tea became a drin6 o the religio$s classes in Eapan when Eapanese priests and envoys, sent to China to learn abo$t its c$lt$re, bro$ght tea to Eapan. %ncient recordings indicate the irst batch o tea seeds were bro$ght by a priest named &aichR in 305 and then by another namedBb6ai in 30#. !t 37 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
became a drin6 o the royal classes when Emperor &aga :D;, the Eapanese emperor, enco$raged the growth o tea plants. &eeds were imported rom China, and c$ltivation in Eapan began. !n "".", the amo$s Den priest Eisai bro$ght bac6 tea seeds to Byoto. &ome o the tea seeds were given to the priest Hyoe &honin, and became the basis or 8-i tea. The oldest tea specialty boo6 in Eapan, Bissa 5R-R6i :D, <ow to &tay <ealthy by ,rin6ing Tea;, was written by Eisai. The two)vol$me boo6 was written in "2"" a ter his second and last visit to China. The irst sentence states, ITea is the $ltimate mental and medical remedy and has the ability to ma6e onecs li e more $ll and complete.J Eisai was also instr$mental in introd$cing tea cons$mption to the warrior class, which rose to political prominence a ter the <eian 'eriod. ?reen tea became a staple among c$lt$red people in EapanQa brew or the gentry and the B$ddhist priesthood ali6e. 'rod$ction grew and tea became increasingly accessible, tho$gh still a privilege en-oyed mostly by the $pper classes. The tea ceremony o Eapan was introd$ced rom China in the "5th cent$ry by B$ddhists as a semi)religio$s social c$stom. The modern tea ceremony developed over several cent$ries by Den B$ddhist mon6s $nder the original g$idance o the mon6 &en no *i6yb:"522)"5.";. !n act, both the beverage and the ceremony s$rro$nding it played a prominent role in e$dal diplomacy. !n "733, &oen 4agatani developed Eapanese sencha, literally roasted tea, which is an $n ermented orm o green tea. !t is the most pop$lar orm o tea in Eapan today. !n "335, Bahei 5amamoto developed gyo6$ro, literally -ewel dew, by shading tea trees d$ring the
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wee6s leading $p to harvesting. %t the end o the Hei-i period :"3#3d"."2;, machine man$ act$ring o green tea was introd$ced and began replacing handmade tea.
5OREA
The irst historical record doc$menting the o ering o tea to an ancestral god describes a rite in the year ##" in which a tea o ering was made to the spirit o Bing &$ro, the o$nder o the ?e$mgwan ?aya Bingdom :/2)5#2;. *ecords rom the ?oryeo ,ynasty :."3)"3.2; show that tea o erings were made in B$ddhist temples to the spirits o revered mon6s. ,$ring the Eoseon ,ynasty :"3.2)"."0;, the royal 5i amily and the aristocracy $sed tea or simple rites. The I,ay Tea *iteJ was a common daytime ceremony, whereas the I&pecial Tea *iteJ was reserved or speci ic occasions. Toward the end o the Eoseon ,ynasty, commoners -oined the trend and $sed tea or ancestral rites, ollowing the Chinese e(ample based on Dh$ Ni0s te(t ormalities o 1amily. &toneware was common, ceramic more re=$ent, mostly made in provincial 6ilns, with porcelain rare, imperial porcelain with dragons the rarest. The earliest 6inds o tea $sed in tea ceremonies were heavily pressed ca6es o blac6 tea, the e=$ivalent o aged p$)erh tea still pop$lar in China. <owever, importation o tea plants by B$ddhist mon6s bro$ght a more delicate series o teas into Borea, and the tea ceremony. ?reen tea, Icha6solJ or Ich$gno,J is most o ten served. <owever, other teas s$ch as IByeo6sory$ngJ Ch$nhachoon, +oo-eon, Ea6seol, Eoo6ro, >6cheon, as well as native chrysanthem$m tea,persimmon lea tea, or m$gwort tea may be served at di erent times o the year.
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TAI6AN Taiwan is amo$s or the ma6ing o >olong tea and green tea, as well as many western) styled teas.B$bble Tea or IDhen Dh$ 4ai ChaJ is blac6 tea mi(ed with sweetened condensed mil6 and tapioca. &ince the island was 6nown to +esterners or many cent$ries as 1ormosa Q short or the 'ort$g$ese !lha 1ormosa, or Ibea$ti $l islandJ Q tea grown in Taiwan is o ten identi ied by that name.
THAI#AN$ T%a tea or Icha)yenJ :Thai7 ; in Thailand, is a drin6 made rom strongly)brewed blac6 tea :Ired teaJ in East %sia;. >ther ingredients may incl$de added orange blossom water, star anise, cr$shedtamarind seed or red and yellow ood coloring, and sometimes other spices as well. This tea is sweetened with s$gar and condensed mil6. 8s$ally, Thai people drin6 Thai hot tea in the morning, re=$ently with 5a$ -a gwai or 'a)tong)6o :Thai7 ; as it is called by most Thais. ) eThai hot tea :Thai7 , cha)ron; Thai tea served hot. ) e,ar6 Thai hot tea :Thai7 , cha)dam)ron; Thai tea served hot with no mil6 content, sweetened with s$gar only. TUR5EY T$r6ey is traditionally one o the largest tea mar6ets in the world. T$r6ish blac6 tea is the most pop$lar drin6 in T$r6ey, even more pop$lar than T$r6ish co ee.
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0IETNA" Kietnamese green teas have been largely $n6nown o$tside o mainland %sia $ntil the present day. *ecent ree)enterprise initiatives are introd$cing these green teas to o$tside co$ntries thro$gh new e(port activities. &ome specialty Kietnamese teas incl$de 2ot$s tea and Easmine tea. Kietnam also prod$ces blac6 and oolong teas in lesser =$antities. Kietnamese teas are prod$ced in many areas that have been 6nown or tea)ho$se Iretreats.J 1or e(ample some are, located amidst immense tea orests o the 2amdong highlands, where there is a comm$nity o ancient *$ong ho$ses b$ilt at the end o the "3th cent$ry.
Tea !'read! to t%e *orld

The earliest record o tea in a more occidental writing is said to be o$nd in the statement o an %rabian traveler, that a ter the year 37. the main so$rces o reven$e inCanton were the d$ties on salt and tea. Harco 'olorecords the deposition o a Chinese minister o inance in "235 or his arbitrary a$gmentation o the tea ta(es. The travelers ?iovanni Batista *am$sio :"55.;, 2. %lmeida :"57#;, Ha ei :"533;, and Tei(eira :"#"0; also mentioned tea. !n "557, 'ort$gal established a trading port in Haca$and word o the Chinese drin6 IchUJ spread =$ic6ly, b$t there is no mention o them bringing any samples home. !n the early "7th cent$ry, a ship o the ,$tch East !ndia Company bro$ght the irst green tea leaves to %msterdam rom China. Tea was 6nown in 1rance by "#3#. !t en-oyed a brie period o pop$larity in 'aris aro$nd "#/3. The history o tea in *$ssia can also be traced bac6 to the seventeenth cent$ry. Tea was irst o ered by China as a gi t to C9ar Hichael ! in "#"3. The *$ssian ambassador tried the drin6M he did not care or it and re-ected the o er, delaying tea0s *$ssian introd$ction by i ty years. !n "#3., tea was /" <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
reg$larly imported rom China to *$ssia via a caravan o h$ndreds o camels traveling the year)long -o$rney, ma6ing it a precio$s commodity at the time. Tea was appearing in ?erman apothecaries by "#57 b$t never gained m$ch esteem e(cept in coastal areas s$ch as >st riesland. Tea irst appeared p$blicly in England d$ring the "#50s, where it was introd$ced thro$gh co ee ho$ses. 1rom there it was introd$ced to British colonies in %merica and elsewhere.
UNITE$ 5ING$O"
The importing o tea into Britain began in the "##0s with the marriage o Bing Charles !! to the'ort$g$ese princess Catherine o Bragan9a, who bro$ght to the co$rt the habit o drin6ing tea. >n 25 &eptember "##0 &am$el 'epys recorded in his diary7 I! did send or a c$p o tee :a China drin6; o which ! never had dran6 be ore.J !t is probable that early imports came via %msterdam or thro$gh sailors on eastern boats. *eg$lar trade began in ?$ang9ho$ :Canton;. Trade was controlled by two monopolies7 the Chinese <ongs :trading companies; and the British East !ndia Company. The <ongs ac=$ired tea rom 0the tea men0 who had an elaborate s$pply chain into the mo$ntains and provinces where the tea was grown. The East !ndia Company bro$ght bac6 many prod$cts, o which tea was -$st one, b$t it was to prove one o the most s$ccess $l. !t was initially promoted as a medicinal beverage or tonic. By the end o the seventeenth cent$ry tea was ta6en as a drin6, albeit mainly by the aristocracy. !n "#.0 nobody wo$ld have predicted that by "750 tea wo$ld be the national drin6. The origin o large trade in tea was the need or a ret$rn cargo rom the East !ndies. Herchantmen ships delivered abrics man$ act$red in Britain to !ndia
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and China b$t wo$ld ret$rn empty or partially $ll. To solve this problem the East !ndia Company began a vigoro$s p$blic relations campaign in England to pop$lari9e tea among the common people in Britain and develop it as a viable ret$rn cargo. The escalation o tea importation and sales over the period "#.0 to "750 is mirrored closely by the increase in importation and sales o cane s$gar7 the British were not drin6ing -$st tea b$t sweet tea. Th$s, two o Britain0s trading triangles were to meet within the c$p7 the s$gar so$rced rom Britain0s trading triangle encompassing Britain, % rica and the +est !ndies and the tea rom the triangle encompassing Britain, !ndia and China. Britain had to pay China or its tea, b$t China had little need o British goods, so m$ch o it was paid or with silver b$llion. %ltho$gh the Chinese did not need the silver, China0s government event$ally accepted the silver as the payments or the irst ew good Chinese tea shipments.Critics o the tea trade at this time wo$ld point to the damage ca$sed to Britain0s wealth by this loss o b$llion. %s an alternative, Britain began prod$cing opi$m in the traditionally cotton)growing regions o !ndia. Tho$gh illegal in China, British importation o opi$m in large amo$nts began in "73" and between "32" and "337 import increased ive old. The Ling government largely ignored the problem $ntil the dr$g had spread widely in Chinese society. +ith demand or the dr$g among the Chinese rising, the British orced China to trade tea or opi$m as part o several treaties a ter the >pi$m +ars. !n another attempt to circ$mvent its dependence on Chinese tea, the East !ndia Company sent &cottish botanist *obert 1ort$ne to China to steal and sm$ggle o$t o China tea plants, which
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were then ta6en to !ndia, where by the end o the ".th cent$ry they mat$red and prod$ced !ndian tea. Tea became a very important item in Britain0s global trade, contrib$ting to Britain0s global dominance by the end o the eighteenth cent$ry. To this day tea is seen worldwide as a symbol o 0Britishness0, b$t also, to some, as a symbol o old British colonialism. The 2ondon 20"2 section o the paralympic handover in Bei-ing incl$ded tea as part o the ro$tine. % c$p or m$g o tea in Britain is $s$ally made in a di erent way than is common in China and other Eastern co$ntries. >ver .0S o tea cons$med is blac6 tea, o ten b$t not always with a small amo$nt o mil6 and @ or s$gar added. Today the British m$g o tea is o ten made by placing one tea bag in the m$g and po$ring boiling water on it till seven eighths o the m$g is $ll. The mi(t$re is then stirred to help the tea dissolve o$t o the tea bag into the hot water and o ten the tea bag is then s=$ee9ed against the inside o the m$g with the spoon to dissolve still more tea be ore the tea bag is thrown away. The tea bag is not soa6ed in the tea or more than a min$te otherwise the tea will be m$ch too strong or most people0s tastes. % little mil6 may well then be added and perhaps s$gar according to the drin6er0s taste with another inal stir o the mi(t$re. % c$p o tea may be made in the same way or -$st as li6ely will be po$red o$t o a traditional tea pot where tea bags and hot water have already been mi(ed. The drin6er then adding mil6 and s$gar, i re=$ired, and stirring the ingredients together be ore gently, occasionally, sipping the hot beverage, o ten while tal6ing, reading, wor6ing, watching TK, ga9ing o$t the window or simply day dreaming. >n semi) ormal occasions tea is almost always dr$n6 rom c$ps, and perhaps rom the best china c$ps on really ormal
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occasions. % m$g o tea is the most common way o cas$ally cons$ming tea at wor6 and at home. Tea and co ee are the most pop$lar hot beverages in the 8nited Bingdom. %s o 200. the 8B can boast two commercial tea plantations, one in Cornwall owned by the Tregothnan Estate and a slightly more northern one in 'embro6eshire, +ales, owned by the 'embro6eshire Tea Company.
UNITE$ STATES
+hile co ee is by ar more pop$lar, hot brewed blac6 tea is en-oyed both with meals and as a re reshment by m$ch o the pop$lation. &imilarly,iced tea is cons$med thro$gho$t. !n the &o$thern states sweet tea, sweetened with large amo$nts o s$gar or an arti icial sweetener and chilled, is the ashion. >$tside the &o$th, sweet tea is sometimes o$nd, b$t primarily beca$se o c$lt$ral migration and commerciali9ation. The %merican specialty tea mar6et has =$adr$pled in the years rom "..3d2003, now being worth G#.3 billion a year. &imilar to the trend o better co ee and better wines, this tremendo$s increase was partly d$e to cons$mers who choose to trade $p. &pecialty tea ho$ses and retailers also started to pop $p d$ring this period. Tea cons$mption decreased in %merica sharply a ter the %merican *evol$tion, as IThe %mericans love it very m$ch, b$t they had resolved to drin6 it no longer, as the amo$s d$ty on the tea had occasioned the war. The Boston Tea 'arty was an act o protest by %merican colonists against the British ?overnment in which they destroyed many crates o tea rom the British East !ndia Company ships in Boston <arbor. The incident, which
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too6 place on Th$rsday, ,ecember "#, "773, has been seen as the brea6ing point o the disapproval o the British and helping to spar6 the %merican *evol$tion.
SRI #AN5A
&ri 2an6a is renowned or its high =$ality tea and as the o$rth biggest tea prod$cing co$ntry globally, a ter China, !ndia and Benya :see the chart below; and has a prod$ction share o .S in the international sphere. The total e(tent o land $nder tea c$ltivation has been assessed at appro(imately "37,30. hectares. The plantations started by the British were initially ta6en over by the government in the ".#0s, b$t have been privati9ed and are now r$n by 0plantation companies0 which own a ew 0estates0 or tea plantations each. Ceylon tea is divided into 3 gro$ps as 8pco$ntry, Hid co$ntry and 2ow co$ntry tea based on the geography o the land on which it is grown.
AFRICA AN$ SOUTH A"ERICA

% rica and &o$th %merica have seen greatly increased tea prod$ction in recent decades, the great ma-ority or e(port to E$rope and 4orth %merica respectively, prod$ced on large estates, o ten owned by tea companies rom the e(port mar6ets. %lmost all prod$ction is o basic mass)mar6et teas, processed by the Cr$sh, Tear, C$rl method. Benya is now the third largest global prod$cer : ig$res below;, a ter China and !ndia, and is now the largest e(porter o tea to the 8nited Bingdom. There is also a great cons$mption o tea in Chile. !n &o$th % rica, the non)Camellia sinensis beverage rooibos is pop$lar. !n &o$th %merica, yerba mate, a tisane, is pop$lar.
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Healt% e33ect!
The health bene its o tea is a controversial topic with many proponents and detractors. %n article rom the 4$trition :"..., pp. ./#d./.; -o$rnal as related on '$bHed states7 The possible bene icial e ects o tea cons$mption in the prevention o cancer and cardiovasc$lar diseases have been demonstrated in animal models and s$ggested by st$dies in vitro. &imilar bene icial e ects, however, have not been convincingly demonstrated in h$mans7 bene icial e ects have been demonstrated in some st$dies b$t not in others. ! s$ch bene icial e ects do e(ist in h$mans, they are li6ely to be mild, depending on many other li estyle)related actors, and co$ld be mas6ed by con o$nding actors in certain pop$lations. %nother concern is that the amo$nts o tea cons$med by h$mans are lower than the doses re=$ired or demonstrating the disease)prevention e ects in animal models. Ca$tion sho$ld be applied, however, in the $se o high concentrations o tea or disease prevention. !ngestion o large amo$nts o tea may ca$se n$tritional and other problems beca$se o the ca eine content and the strong binding activities o tea polyphenols, altho$gh there are no solid data on the harm $l e ects o tea cons$mption. Hore research is needed to el$cidate the biologic activities o green and blac6 tea and to determine the optimal amo$nt o tea cons$mption or possible health) bene icial e ects.
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!n s$mmary, the health bene its o tea have been shown in animal st$dies, b$t at doses m$ch higher than reg$larly cons$med by h$mans, at which dosage levels may prove to be harm $l to health. &everal o the potential health bene its proposed or tea are o$tlined in this e(cerpt rom Hondal :2007, pp. 5".d520; as ollowing7 Tea leaves contain more than 700 chemicals, among which the compo$nds closely related to h$man health are lavanoides, amino acids, vitamins :C, E and B;, ca eine and polysaccharides. Horeover, tea drin6ing has recently proven to be associated with cell)mediated imm$ne $nction o the h$man body. Tea plays an important role in improving bene icial intestinal micro lora, as well as providing imm$nity against intestinal disorders and in protecting cell membranes rom o(idative damage. Tea also prevents dental caries d$e to the presence o l$orine. The role o tea is well established in normali9ing blood press$re, lipid depressing activity, prevention o coronary heart diseases and diabetes by red$cing the blood)gl$cose activity. Tea also possesses germicidal and germistatic activities against vario$s gram)positive and gram negativeh$man pathogenic bacteria. Both green and blac6 tea in $sions contain a n$mber o antio(idants, mainly catechins that have anti)carcinogenic, anti)m$tagenic and anti) t$moric properties. !n a large st$dy o over "",000 &cottish men and women completed in "..3 and p$blished in the "... Eo$rnal o Epidemiology and Comm$nity <ealth :"..., pp. /3") /37;, there was an increase in the ris6 o coronary disease with the reg$lar cons$mption o tea, altho$gh it disappeared a ter ad-$stment or con o$nding actors :age and occ$pational stat$s;. /3 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
The !%*C list teas as $nder ?ro$p 3 carcinogens since in-ection o blac6 tea concentrates $nder the s6ins o mice showed some cancero$s growths. <owever, it has not been possible to prove that tea a ects h$mans in similar ways thro$gh cons$mption.
Tea culture
!n many c$lt$res, tea is o ten had at high class social events, s$ch as a ternoon tea and the tea party. !t may be cons$med early in the day to heighten alertnessM it contains theophylline and bo$nd ca eine :sometimes called ItheineJ;, altho$gh there are also deca einated teas. !n many c$lt$res s$ch as %rab c$lt$re tea is a ocal point or social gatherings. Horeover, the history o tea in !ran ) in the 'ersian c$lt$re) is another to e(plore. >ne so$rce cites7 Ithe irst thing yo$ will be o ered when a g$est at an !ranian ho$sehold is tea.J There are tea ceremonies which have arisen in di erent c$lt$res, Eapan0s comple(, ormal and serene one being one o the most well 6nown. >ther e(amples are the Chinese tea ceremony which $ses some traditional ways o brewing tea. >ne orm o Chinese tea ceremony is the?ong $ tea ceremony, which typically $ses small 5i(ing clay teapots and oolong tea. The %merican poet +allace &tevens, a tea) ancier, is credited by Eleanor Coo6 with a Idelicately implicit trope o drin6ing tea as a metaphor or reading :ingesting a drin6 rom leaves;.J &ee or instance his ITea.J
Pre'arat on
The traditional method o ma6ing a c$p o tea is to place loose tea leaves, either directly, or in a tea in $ser, into a tea pot or teac$p and po$r hot water over the leaves. % ter a /. <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
co$ple o min$tes the leaves are $s$ally removed again, either by removing the in $ser, or by straining the tea while serving. Host green teas sho$ld be allowed to steep or abo$t three min$tes, altho$gh some types o tea re=$ire as m$ch as ten. The strength o the tea sho$ld be varied by changing the amo$nt o tea leaves $sed, not by changing the steeping time. The amo$nt o tea to be $sed per amo$nt o water di ers rom tea to tea b$t one basic recipe may be one slightly heaped teaspoon o tea :abo$t 5 ml; or each teac$p o water :200 ml; :3 o9; prepared as above. &tronger teas, s$ch as %ssam, to be dr$n6 with mil6 are o ten prepared with more leaves, and more delicate high grown teas s$ch as a ,ar-eeling are prepared with a little less :as the stronger mid) lavors can overwhelm the champagne notes;. The best temperat$re or brewing tea depends on its type. Teas that have little or no o(idation period, s$ch as a green or white tea, are best brewed at lower temperat$res, between #5 and 35 PC :"/. and "35 P1;, while teas with longer o(idation periods sho$ld be brewed at higher temperat$res aro$nd "00 PC :2"2 P1;. The higher temperat$res are re=$ired to e(tract the large, comple(, lavor $l phenolic molec$les o$nd in ermented tea, altho$gh boiling the water red$ces the amo$nt o dissolved o(ygen in the water.
&ome tea sorts are o ten brewed several times $sing the same tea leaves. <istorically, in China, tea is divided into a n$mber o in $sions. The irst in $sion is immediately po$red o$t to wash the tea, and then the second and $rther in $sions are dr$n6. The third thro$gh i th are nearly always considered the best in $sions o tea, altho$gh di erent teas open $p di erently and may re=$ire more in $sions o hot water to bring them to li e. 50 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
>ne way to taste a tea, thro$gho$t its entire process, is to add hot water to a c$p containing the leaves and a ter abo$t 30 seconds to taste the tea. %s the tea leaves $n old :6nown as IThe %gony o the 2eavesJ; they give $p vario$s parts o themselves to the water and th$s the taste evolves. Contin$ing this rom the very irst lavo$rs to the time beyond which the tea is =$ite stewed will allow an appreciation o the tea thro$gho$t its entire length.
B#AC5 TEA
The water or blac6 teas sho$ld be added near boiling point .. PC :2"0 P1;. Hany o the active s$bstances in blac6 tea do not develop at temperat$res lower than .0PC :".5P1;. 1or some more delicate teas lower temperat$res are recommended. The temperat$re will have as large an e ect on the inal lavor as the type o tea $sed. The most common a$lt when ma6ing blac6 tea is to $se water at too low a temperat$re. &ince boiling point drops with increasing altit$de, this ma6es it di ic$lt to brew blac6 tea properly in mo$ntaino$s areas. !t is also recommended that the teapot be warmed be ore preparing tea, easily done by adding a small amo$nt o boiling water to the pot, swirling brie ly, be ore discarding. Blac6 teas are $s$ally brewed or abo$t / min$tes and sho$ld not be allowed to steep or less than 30 seconds or more than abo$t ive min$tes :a process 6nown asbrewing or mashing in Britain;. !t is commonly said that a steeping time above ive min$tes ma6es the tea bitter :at this point it is re erred to as being stewed in Britain;, b$t in reality the precise time depends on a n$mber o actors, s$ch as the type o tea and the water =$ality, and bitterness can occ$r as early as three min$tes, or not at all even a ter prolonged steeping. +hen the tea has brewed long eno$gh to s$it the tastes o the
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drin6er, it sho$ld be strained while serving. The pop$lar varieties o blac6 :red; tea incl$de%ssam tea, 4epal tea, ,ar-eeling tea, 4ilgiri tea and Ceylon tea.
GREEN TEA
+ater or green tea, according to most acco$nts, sho$ld be aro$nd 30 to 35 PC :"7# to "35 P1;M the higher the =$ality o the leaves, the lower the temperat$re. <otter water will b$rn green)tea leaves, prod$cing a bitter taste. 're erably, the container in which the tea is steeped, the m$g, or teapot sho$ld also be warmed be orehand so that the tea does not immediately cool down. <igh)=$ality green and white teas can have new water added as many as ive or more times, depending on variety, at increasingly high temperat$res.
OO#ONG TEA
>olong teas sho$ld be brewed aro$nd .0 to "00 PC :"./ to 2"2 P1;, and again the brewing vessel sho$ld be warmed be ore po$ring in the water.5i(ing p$rple clay teapots are the traditional brewing vessel or oolong tea. 1or best res$lts $se spring water, as the minerals in spring water tend to bring o$t more lavor in the tea. <igh =$ality oolong can be brewed m$ltiple times rom the same leaves, and $nli6e green tea it improves with re$se. !t is common to brew the same leaves three to ive times, the third steeping $s$ally being the best. Pre& u& or del cate tea &ome teas, especially green teas and delicate >olong teas, are steeped or shorter periods, sometimes less than 30 seconds. 8sing a tea strainer separates the leaves rom the water at the end o the brewing time i a tea bag is not being $sed. <owever, blac6 ,ar-eeling tea, the premi$m !ndian tea, needs a longer than average steeping time. Elevation and 52 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
time o harvest o er varying taste pro iles, proper storage and water =$ality also have a large impact on taste. PuEer% tea 1or PuFer2 '$)erh teas re=$ire boiling water or in $sion. &ome pre er to =$ic6ly rinse p$)erh or several seconds with boiling water to remove tea d$st which acc$m$lates rom the aging process. !n $se p$)erh at the boiling point :"00 PC or 2"2 P1;, and allow to steep or 30 seconds or $p to ive min$tes. Ser. ng !n order to preserve the pre)tannin tea witho$t re=$iring it all to be po$red into c$ps, a second teapot may be $sed. The steeping pot is best $ngla9ed earthenwareM 5i(ing pots are the best 6nown o these, amed or the high =$ality clay rom which they are made. The serving pot is generally porcelain, which retains the heat better. 2arger teapots are a post)".th cent$ry invention, as tea be ore this time was very rare and very e(pensive. E(perienced tea)drin6ers o ten insist that the tea sho$ld not be stirred aro$nd while it is steeping :sometimes called winding in the 8B;. This, they say, will do little to strengthen the tea, b$t is li6ely to bring the tannins o$t in the same way that brewing too long will do. 1or the same reason one sho$ld not s=$ee9e the last drops o$t o a teabagM i stronger tea is desired, more tea leaves sho$ld be $sed.
Add ng & lk to tea

The addition o mil6 to tea in E$rope was irst mentioned in "#30 by the epistolist Hadame de &fvignf. Hany teas are traditionally dr$n6 with mil6 in c$lt$res where dairy prod$cts are cons$med. These incl$de !ndian masala chai, and British tea 53 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
blends. These teas tend to be very hearty varieties o blac6 tea which can be tasted thro$gh the mil6, s$ch as %ssams, or the East 1riesian blend. Hil6 is tho$ght to ne$trali9e remaining tannins and red$ce acidity. The Chinese :<ans; do not $s$ally drin6 mil6 with tea :or indeed $se mil6 at all; b$t the Hanch$rians do, and the elite o the Ling ,ynastyo the Chinese Empire contin$ed to do so in the pass. <ong Bong)style mil6 tea is based on British colonial habits. Tibetans and other <imalayan peoples traditionally drin6 tea with mil6 or ya6 b$tter and salt. The order o steps in preparing a c$p o tea is a m$ch)debated topic. &ome say that it is pre erable to add the mil6 be ore the tea, as the high temperat$re o reshly brewed tea can denat$re the proteins o$nd in resh mil6, similar to the change in taste o 8<T mil6, res$lting in an in erior tasting beverage. >thers insist that it is better to add the mil6 a ter brewing the tea, as most teas need to be brewed as close to boiling as possible. The addition o mil6 chills the beverage d$ring the cr$cial brewing phase, i brewing in a c$p rather than $sing a pot, meaning that the delicate lavor o a good tea cannot be $lly appreciated. By adding the mil6 a terwards, it is easier to dissolve s$gar in the tea and also to ens$re that the desired amo$nt o mil6 is added, as the color o the tea can be observed.
Ot%er add t .e!

Hany lavo$rings are added to varieties o tea d$ring processing. %mong the best 6nown are ChineseEasmine tea, with -asmine oil or lowers, the spices in !ndian Hasala chai and Earl ?rey tea, which contains oil o bergamot. % great range o modern lavo$rs have been added to these traditional ones.!n eastern !ndia people also drin6 lemon tea or lemon masala tea. 2emon tea simply contains hot tea with lemon -$ice and s$gar. Hasala 5/ <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
lemon tea contains hot tea with roasted c$min seed powder,lemon -$ice,blac6 salt and s$gar which gives it tangy, spicy taste. >ther pop$lar additives to tea by the tea)brewer or drin6er incl$de s$gar, li=$id honey or a solid<oney ,rop, lemon :traditional in *$ssia and !taly;, r$it -ams, and mint. !n China sweetening tea was traditionally regarded as a eminine practice. !n colder regions s$ch as Hongolia, Tibet and4epal, b$tter is added to provide necessary calories. Tibetan b$tter tea contains roc6 salt and dre :ya6; b$tter, which is then ch$rned vigoro$sly in a cylindrical vessel closely resembling a b$tter ch$rn. The same may be said or salt tea, which is cons$med in some c$lt$res in the <ind$ B$shregion o northern 'a6istan. %lcohol may also be added to tea, s$ch as whis6y or brandy. The lavor o the tea can also be altered by po$ring it rom di erent heights, res$lting in varying degrees o o(idi9ation. The art o high)altit$de po$ring is $sed principally by people in 4orthern % rica :e.g. Horocco and 2ibya;, b$t also in +est % rica :e.g. ?$inea, Hali, &enegal; and can positively alter the lavor o the tea, b$t it is more li6ely a techni=$e to cool the beverage destined to be cons$med immediately. !n certain c$lt$res the tea is given di erent names depending on the height it is po$red rom. !n Hali, g$npowder tea is served in series o three, starting with the highest o(idi9ation or strongest, $nsweetened tea :coo6ed rom resh leaves;, locally re erred to as Ibitter as death.J 1ollows a second serving, where the same tea leaves are boiled again with some s$gar added :Ipleasant as li eJ;, and a third one, where the same tea leaves are boiled or the third time with yet more s$gar added :Isweet as loveJ;. ?reen tea is the central ingredient o a distinctly Halian c$stom, the I?rin,J in ormal social gathering that c$ts across social and economic lines, starting in ront o amily compo$nd gates in the 55 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
a ternoons, e(tending late in the night, and widely pop$lar in Bama6o and other large $rban areas. !n &o$theast %sia, partic$larly in Halaysia, the practice o po$ring tea rom a height has been re ined $rther $sing blac6 tea to which condensed mil6 is added, po$red rom a height rom one c$p to another several times in alternating ashion and in =$ic6 s$ccession, to create a tea with entrapped air b$bbles creating a rothy IheadJ in the c$p. This beverage, teh tari6, literally, Ip$lled tea,J has a creamier taste than lat mil6 tea and is e(tremely pop$lar in the region. Tea po$ring in Halaysia has been $rther developed into an art orm in which a dance is done by people po$ring tea rom one container to another, which in any case ta6es s6ill and precision. The participants, each holding two containers, one $ll o tea, po$r it rom one to another. They stand in lines and s=$ares and po$r the tea into each others0 pots. The dance m$st be choreographed to allow anyone who has both pots $ll to empty them and re ill whoever has no tea at any one point.
Econo& c! o3 tea
Tea is the most pop$lar drin6 in the world in terms o cons$mption. !ts cons$mption e=$als all other man$ act$red drin6s in the world Q incl$ding co ee, chocolate, so t drin6s, and alcohol Q p$t together. Host tea cons$med o$tside East %sia is prod$ced on large plantations in !ndia or &ri 2an6a, and is destined to be sold to large b$sinesses. >pposite this large)scale ind$strial prod$ction there are many small Igardens,J sometimes min$sc$le plantations, that prod$ce highly so$ght)a ter teas pri9ed by go$rmets. These teas are both rare and e(pensive, and can be compared to some o the most e(pensive wines in this respect.
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!ndia is the world0s largest tea)drin6ing nation altho$gh the per capita cons$mption o tea remains a modest 750 grams per person every year. T$r6ey, with 2.5 6g o tea cons$med per person per year, is the world0s greatest per capita cons$mer.
Product on
!n 2003, world tea prod$ction was 3.2" million tonnes ann$ally. !n 2003, world tea prod$ction reached over /.73 million tonnes. The largest prod$cers o tea are The 'eople0s *ep$blic o China, !ndia, Benya, &ri 2an6a, and T$r6ey.
Trade
%ccording to the 1%>, in 2007 the largest importer o tea, by weight, was the *$ssian 1ederation, ollowed by the 8nited Bingdom, 'a6istan, and the 8nited &tates. Benya and China were the largest e(porters o tea in 2007. The largest e(porter o blac6 tea is Benya.
Packag ng Tea -ag!

!n ".07, %merican tea merchant Thomas &$llivan began distrib$ting samples o his tea in small bags o Chinese sil6with a drawstring. Cons$mers noticed that they co$ld simply leave the tea in the bag and re)$se it with resh tea. <owever, the potential o this distrib$tion@pac6aging method wo$ld not be $lly reali9ed $ntil later on. ,$ring +orld +ar !!, tea was rationed. !n ".53 :a ter rationing in the 8B ended;, Tetley la$nched the tea bag to the 8B and it was an immediate s$ccess.
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Tea leaves are pac6ed into a small envelope :$s$ally composed o paper; 6nown as a tea bag. The $se o tea bags is easy and convenient, ma6ing tea bags pop$lar or many people today. <owever, the tea $sed in tea bags has an ind$stry nameQit is called annings or Id$stJ and is the waste prod$ct prod$ced rom the sorting o higher =$ality loose lea tea, altho$gh this certainly is not tr$e or all brands o tea, especially in the case o many specialty, high =$ality teas now available in bag orm. !t is commonly held among tea a icionados that this method provides an in erior taste and e(perience. The paper $sed or the bag can also be tasted by many, which can detract rom the tea0s lavor. Beca$se annings and d$st are a lower =$ality o the tea to begin with, the tea o$nd in tea bags is less inic6y when it comes to brewing time and temperat$re. %dditional reasons why bag tea is considered less well) lavored incl$de7 ,ried tea loses its lavor =$ic6ly on e(pos$re to air. Host bag teas :altho$gh not
all; contain leaves bro6en into small piecesM the greats$r ace area to vol$me ratio o the leaves in tea bags e(poses them to more air, and there ore ca$ses them to go stale aster. 2oose tea leaves are li6ely to be in larger pieces, or to be entirely intact.

Brea6ing $p the leaves or bags e(tracts lavored oils. The small si9e o the bag does not allow leaves to di $se and steep properly. &ome tea bags are made $sing a wet paper strength)rein orcing coating
$sing epichlorohydrin, a 6nown carcinogen.
P(ra& d tea -ag!

The Ipyramid tea bag,J introd$ced by 2ipton and '? Tips in "..#, has a $ni=$e design that addresses one o connoisse$rs0 arg$ments against paper tea bags, beca$se its three) 53 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
dimensional tetrahedron shape allows more room or tea leaves to e(pand while steeping. <owever, some types o pyramid tea bags have been critici9ed as being environmentally $n riendly, since their synthetic material does not brea6 down in land ills as loose tea leaves and paper tea bags do.
#oo!e tea
The tea leaves are pac6aged loosely in a canister or other container. *olled g$npowder tea leaves, which resist cr$mbling, are commonly vac$$m pac6ed or reshness in al$mini9ed pac6aging or storage and retail. The portions m$st be individ$ally meas$red by the cons$mer or $se in a c$p, m$g, or teapot. This allows greater le(ibility, letting the cons$mer brew wea6er or stronger tea as desired, b$t convenience is sacri iced. &trainers, Itea presses,J iltered teapots, and in $sion bags are available commercially to avoid having to drin6 the loating loose leaves and to prevent over) brewing. % more traditional, yet perhaps more e ective way aro$nd this problem is to $se a three)piece lidded teac$p, called a gaiwan. The lid o the gaiwan can be tilted to decant the leaves while po$ring the tea into a di erent c$p or cons$mption.
Co&'re!!ed tea
&ome teas :partic$larly '$)erh tea; are still compressed or transport, storage, and aging convenience. The tea bric6 remains in $se in the <imalayan co$ntries. The tea is prepared and steeped by irst loosening leaves o the compressed ca6e $sing a small 6ni e. Compressed teascan $s$ally be stored or longer periods o time witho$t spoilage when compared with loose lea tea.
5.
In!tant tea
!n recent times, Iinstant teasJ are becoming pop$lar, similar to ree9e dried instant co ee. !nstant tea was developed in the ".30s, b$t not commerciali9ed $ntil the late ".50s, and is only more recently becoming pop$lar. These prod$cts o ten come with added lavors, s$ch asvanilla, honey or r$it, and may also contain powdered mil6. &imilar prod$cts also e(ist or instant iced tea, d$e to the convenience o not re=$iring boiling water. Tea connoisse$rs tend to critici9e these prod$cts or sacri icing the delicacies o tea lavor in e(change or convenience.
Canned tea
Canned tea was irst la$nched in ".3" in Eapan. %s s$ch, it is a airly recent innovation, and it has mostly bene its in mar6eting.
Storage
Tea has a shel li e that varies with storage conditions and type o tea. Blac6 tea has a longer shel li e than green tea. &ome teas s$ch as lower teas may go bad in a month or so. %n e(ception, '$)erh tea improves with age. Tea stays reshest when stored in a dry, cool, dar6 place in an air)tight container. Blac6 tea stored in a bag inside a sealed opa=$e canister may 6eep or two years. ?reen tea loses its reshness more =$ic6ly, $s$ally in less than a year. ?$npowder tea, its leaves being tightly rolled, 6eeps longer than the more open)lea ed Ch$n Hee tea. &torage li e or all teas can be e(tended by $sing desiccant pac6ets or o(ygen absorbing pac6ets, and by vac$$m sealing. +hen storing green tea, discreet $se o re rigeration or ree9ing is recommended. !n partic$lar, drin6ers need to ta6e preca$tions against temperat$re variation. #0 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
!mproperly stored tea may lose lavor, ac=$ire disagreeable lavors or odors rom other oods, or become moldy.
6OR#$ FA"OUS BRAN$S

%ri9ona Beverage Company B>< 'lantations Barry0s Tea Benoist :tea; Bigelow Tea Company Broo6e Bond Celestial &easonings ,ai 'ai ,ong ,ilmah ?lengettie ?old Tea ?ood Earth Teas <arney and &ons <onest Tea Ebro6$cha B$smi Tea 2ancashire Tea 2ipton #" <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
2ipton !ced Tea 2 cont. 2$9ianne Hariage 1rgres Hatthew %lgie Ha9awattee Tea Company Highty 2ea Tea 4ambarrie handi :mate; 4estea '? Tips 'ersian nectar 'ic6wic6 tea '$n-ana *ed *ose Tea &alada tea &cottish Blend &ilver 2ea Tea Company &o$th Beach Beverage Company &tash Tea Company &weet 2ea Tea Company Tanganda Tea T cont.
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Taragjk Tata Tea 2imited Tavalon Tea Ta9o Tea 1ortf Tea?schwendner Tea45 Teadirect Teh botol Ten *en Tea Tetley Tetley Tea 1ol6 The *ep$blic o Tea T$r6ey <ill Twinings TyVphoo +issot96y Tea 5ogi Tea 5or6shire Tea
HEA#TH EFFECTS
The %ealt% e33ect! o3 tea have been e(amined ever since the irst in $sions o Camellia sinensis abo$t /700 years ago in China. The legendary emperor &hennong claimed in The ,ivine 1armer0s <erb)*oot Classic that Camellia sinensis in $sions were $se $l or #3 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
treating conditions incl$ding t$mors, abscesses, bladder ailments, and lethargy. The possible bene icial health e ects o tea cons$mption have been s$ggested and s$pported by some st$dies, b$t others have o$nd no bene icial e ects. The st$dies contrast other claims, incl$ding antin$tritional e ects s$ch as preventing absorption o iron and protein, $s$ally attrib$ted to tannin. The vast ma-ority o st$dies have been o green teaM however, some st$dies have been made o the other types o tea derived rom Camellia sinensis, s$ch as white, oolong, and blac6 tea. ?reen tea has been claimed to be help $l or atherosclerosis, 2,2 cholesterol, cancer, in lammatory bowel disease, diabetes, liver disease, weight loss,ne$rodegenerative diseases, and even halitosis.
Potent al -ene3 t! Ant Ecancer 'ro'ert e!

%n article in 4ew &cientist maga9ine mentions that n$mero$s st$dies s$ggest that green tea protects against a range o cancers, incl$ding l$ng, prostate and breast cancer. The reason cited is the antio(idant epigallocatechin gallate :E?C?;, according to <iro $mi Tachibana0s team at By$sh$ 8niversity. Their research showed that growth o h$man l$ng cancer cells with a cell receptor called #7 2* is slowed signi icantly a ter drin6ing -$st two or three c$ps o green tea, which contains E?C?. The research also showed that #7 2* is involved in the propagation o prion diseases s$ch as h$man Cre$t9 eldt) Ea6ob :related to mad cow disease in animals;. This is not direct evidence o tea0s e ect on prion diseases, b$t a hint that E?C?0s e ect on #7 2* is an interesting lead in the search or treatments. #/ <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
+hite tea has been claimed to be more e ective, based $pon preliminary wor6 by &antana)*ios et al. %nother st$dy rom the 2i e &cience -o$rnal Carcinogenesis demonstrated that green tea, in combination with tamo(i en, is e ective in s$ppressing breast cancer growth in vitro h$man breast cancer t$mors and in vivo animal e(periments in mice. % st$dy at Taiwan0s Ch$ng &han Hedical 8niversity o$nd that people who dran6 at least one c$p o green tea per day were ive times less li6ely to develop l$ng cancer than those who did not. The anticarcinogenic e ect o green tea on gastric cancer was re $ted by a large)scale, pop$lation)based, prospective cohort st$dy in Eapan that involved more than 2#,000 residents. &everal case control st$dies s$ggest an inverse relation between green tea cons$mption and gastric cancer. 1$rther eval$ation is needed to assess the role o green tea and gastric cancer red$ction. Topical applications o green tea e(tracts :E?C?; have protective e ects on 8K%) and 8KB)ind$ced s6in damage :photoaging andcarcinogenesis;. !n a E$ly 2005 review o claims made abo$t the health bene its o green tea, the 8.&. 1ood and ,r$g %dministration concl$ded that it was highly $nli6ely that green tea red$ces the ris6 o breast and prostate cancer. The 1,% believes that the evidence does not s$pport =$ali ied health claims or green tea cons$mption and a red$ced ris6 o cancer.
#5
Increa!e! &eta-ol c rate Clinical trials cond$cted by the 8niversity o ?eneva and the 8niversity o Birmingham indicate that green tea raises metabolic rates, speeds $p at o(idation and improves ins$lin sensitivity and gl$cose tolerance. !n addition to ca eine, green tea contains catechin polyphenols that raise thermogenesis :the prod$ction o heat by the body;, and hence increases energy e(pendit$re. There is also a s$ggestion that it can increase end$rance in e(ercise by improving at metabolism. Po!! -le ant Ed a-ete! e33ect There is also epidemiological evidence that drin6ing green tea and blac6 tea may help prevent diabetes, altho$gh it is worth noting that this is evidence o an association, and that $t$re st$dies are needed to con irm the e ect. Boo!t! &ental alertne!! The amino acid 2)theanine, o$nd almost e(cl$sively in the tea plant, actively alters the attention networ6s o the brain, according to res$lts o h$man trials anno$nced in &eptember 2007. !t has been proposed that theanine is absorbed by the small intestine and crosses the blood)brain barrier, where it a ects the brain0s ne$rotransmitters and increases alpha brain)wave activity. The res$lt is a calmer, yet more alert, state o mind. Boo!t! &&une !(!te& >n 2" %pril 2003 the Brigham and +omen0s <ospital released details o a research pro-ect which indicated that theanine may help the body0s imm$ne system response when ighting in ection, by boosting the disease) ighting capacity o gamma delta T cells. The ## <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
st$dy incl$ded a o$r)wee6 trial with "" co ee drin6ers and "0 tea drin6ers, who cons$med #00ml o co ee or blac6 tea daily. Blood sample analysis o$nd that the prod$ction o anti)bacterial proteins was $p to ive times higher in the tea)drin6ers, an indicator o a stronger imm$ne response. #o*er! c%ance! o3 cogn t .e &'a r&ent % 200# st$dy showed that elderly Eapanese people who cons$med more than 2 c$ps o green tea a day had a 50 percent lower chance o having cognitive impairment, in comparison to those who dran6 ewer than 2 c$ps a day, or who cons$med other tested beverages. This is probably d$e to the e ect o E?C?, which passes thro$gh the blood) brain barrier. #o*er! !tre!! %or&one le.el! %ccording to a st$dy by researchers at 8niversity College 2ondon, drin6ing blac6 tea can lead to lower levels o the stress hormone cortisol a ter a stress $l event. 1i ty min$tes a ter being s$b-ected to challenging tas6s, s$b-ects who had been drin6ing / c$ps o blac6 tea daily or # wee6s, had a 20S greater drop in cortisol than the placebo gro$p. Blood platelet activation, which is lin6ed to blood clotting and the ris6 o heart attac6s was also lower or tea drin6ers. E33ect! on HI0 % recent st$dy appearing in the Eo$rnal o %llergy and Clinical !mm$nology was the s$b-ect o an article on BBC 4ews. !t stated that epigallocatechin gallate :E?C?; o$nd in green tea can lead to the inhibition o <!K vir$s binding and may be $sed as a complementary therapy or <!K patients, b$t =$ali ied it by noting that C!t is not a c$re, #7 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
and nor is it a sa e way to avoid in ection, however, we s$ggest that it sho$ld be $sed in combination with conventional medicines to improve =$ality o li e or those in ected.C !t was an in vitro :test t$be; st$dy, not an in vivost$dy, which only tested e ects o a chemical in green tea. CHany s$bstances shown to prevent <!K in ection in the test t$be t$rn o$t to have little or no e ect in real li e, so ! thin6 there0s a long way to go be ore anyone sho$ld rely on green tea to protect against <!K in ection.C E33ect! on n3la&&ator( -o*el d !ea!e 1IB$2 The polyphenols in green tea have been shown to red$ce intestinal in lammation in mo$se models o !B,. This e ect seems to be related to teacs ability to interr$pt the cascade o in lammatory reactions that are the ca$se o !B,. E33ect! on -ad -reat% *esearchers at the 8niversity o !llinois at Chicago stated that polyphenols help inhibit the growth o bacteria that ca$se bad breath. Iron o.erload d !order! *esearchers in ?ermany have o$nd that a daily c$p o blac6 tea can help stop e(cess iron damaging the bodies o people who s$ er rom hemochromatosis d$e to its high content o lavonoids :commonly mista6en or tannins;, which limit iron absorption. E33ect! a!!oc ated * t% ca33e ne % c$p o green tea contains between "5 and 50 mg o ca eine. Certain cognitive bene its are associated with ca eine cons$mption, s$ch as a red$ction in the li6elihood o 'ar6inson0s disease and a temporary increase in short term memory. 1$rther, ca eine cons$mption has been lin6ed with greater athletic per ormance, healthy weight loss, #3 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
red$ction in d$ration and severity o headaches and is e ective in treating the symptoms o asthma. E33ect! on o-!truct .e !lee' a'neaErelated -ra n de3 c t! 8niversity o 2o$isville researchers report that green tea polyphenols may stave o the cognitive de icits that occ$r with obstr$ctive sleep apnea, in the second iss$e or Hay, 2003 o the %merican Thoracic &ocietycs %merican Eo$rnal o *espiratory and Critical Care Hedicine. *esearchers e(amined the e ects o green tea polyphenols administered thro$gh drin6ing water, on rats that were intermittently deprived o o(ygen d$ring "2) ho$r InightJ cycles, mimic6ing the intermittent hypo(ia that h$mans with >&% e(perience. E33ect! on -acter al and 3ungal n3ect on! % st$dy at 'ace 8niversity reported in %merican &ociety 1or Hicrobiology :Hay 2003; o$nd white tea e(tracts e ective at treating bacterial in ections, s$ch as &taphylococc$s, &treptococc$s, pne$monia and dental caries. +hite tea was also o$nd to be e ective in treating $ngal in ections rom 'enicilli$m chrysogen$m and &accharomyces cerevisiae. *esearchers also reported that white tea e(tracts showed a greater e ect than green tea e(tracts. Ant E.eno& e33ect! %ntivenin activity o melanin e(tracted rom blac6 tea :HEBT; was reported or the irst time in 200/. 2ow to(icity o HEBT in combination with its antagonistic activity against di erent venoms may allow e ective li e)saving treatment against sna6ebites. &$ch
#.
application o HEBT is important when identi ication o the sna6e is impossible or i speci ic treatment is $navailable. Stroke *esearch presented at the !nternational &tro6e Con erence in 1ebr$ary 200. o$nd that drin6ing three or more c$ps o tea per day can red$ce the ris6 o s$ ering a stro6e by as m$ch as 2"S. The research, cond$cted at the 8niversity o Cali ornia, 2os %ngeles :8C2%;, o$nd that drin6ing green and blac6 varieties o teas has a signi icant impact on the ris6 o stro6e. Card o.a!cular %ealt% *esearch p$blished in %pril 200. by the 8niversity o 20%=$ila and $nded by the 8nilever)owned 2ipton !nstit$te o Tea s$ggests that drin6ing -$st one c$p o reg$lar, blac6 tea per day may help to protect against cardiovasc$lar disease.The research showed that blac6 tea cons$mption does ) depending on dose ) improve blood vessel reactivity, red$ce both blood press$re and arterial sti ness, indicating a notably better cardiovasc$lar health pro ile. Anogen tal *art! &inecatechin, an e(tract rom green tea, was shown to be e ective in treating anogenital warts in a do$ble)blinded, randomi9ed controlled trial o greater than 500 s$b-ects. The s$b-ects applied a topical ointment containing either sinecatechin or placebo to the a ected area or $p to / months, and were ollowed or 3 months a ter treatment. Hore than hal o the s$b-ects in the treatment gro$p :57S; e(perienced a complete resol$tion o their warts, compared with a third :3/S; in the control gro$p. 73S o the patients in 70 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
the treatment gro$p e(perienced at least 50S improvement in their warts. The n$mber needed to treat was /)5 patients. The green tea e(tract treatment was well)tolerated, with relatively ew side)e ects. Ant de're!!ant 'ro'ert e! !n a Eapanese st$dy ?reen tea cons$mption was inversely associated with psychological distress even a ter ad-$stment or possible con o$nding actors. % more re=$ent cons$mption o green tea was associated with a lower prevalence o depressive symptoms in another Eapanese st$dy . *esearchers cond$cted a cross)sectional st$dy in ",053 comm$nity)dwelling elderly Eapanese individ$als 70 years o age. The prevalence o mild and severe depressive symptoms was 3/." percent and 20.2 percent, respectively. % ter ad-$stment or con o$nding actors, the odds ratios or mild and severe depressive symptoms when higher green tea cons$mption was compared with green tea cons$mption o " c$p@d were7 2 to 3 c$ps green tea@d and / c$ps green tea@d. &imilar relations were also observed in the case o severe depressive symptoms.
Potent al dra*-ack!
Carc nogen! n tea -ag! &ome tea bags are made $sing a wet paper strength rein orcing coating $sing epichlorohydrin, which is 6nown to be carcinogenic. 8ses are not limited to tea bags, as co ee ilters and sa$sage@salami casings can have the same iss$es. The problem can be avoided by $sing loose)lea tea or tea bags which do not $se the coating.
7"
E33ect! o3 3luor de %ll tea leaves contain l$orideM however, mat$re leaves contain as m$ch as "0 to 20 times the l$oride levels o yo$ng leaves rom the same plant. +hite tea contains less l$oride than green tea and blac6 tea, beca$se it is made o b$ds and yo$ng leaves only. The l$oride content o tea depends directly on the l$oride content o the soil in which it is grownM tea plants absorbs this element at a greater rate than other plants. Care in the choice o the location where the plant is grown may red$ce the ris6.
E33ect! a!!oc ated * t% ca33e ne

Ca eine is an addictive dr$g and over$se o tea can res$lt in harm $l side e ects, s$ch as an increased li6elihood o certain sleep disorders. ,eca eination red$ces total catechins in both blac6 and green dry teas by abo$t "5 times and 3 times respectively. >ne consideration to ta6e into acco$nt when investigating the relationship between ca eine and di$resis is the dose si9e o ca eine ingested. +here the dose relationship has been systematically investigated it is only at a high dose o 3#0 mg that a di$retic action is o$nd. % recent systematic review o the acc$m$lated evidence has shown that ac$te di$retic e ects are observed generally in cases where at least 300 mg o ca eine is ingested. This inding s$ggests that tea does not have a di$retic e ect $nless the amo$nt o tea cons$med at one sitting contains more than 250d300 mg o ca eine, e=$ivalent to between 5 and # c$ps o tea. OGalate! Tea contains o(alate, overcons$mption o which can ca$se 6idney damage, as well as soa6 $p ree calci$m in the bodyM other minerals co$ld be soa6ed $p as well. 72 <!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.
The bioavailability o o(alate rom tea is low and beca$se o this a negative e ect re=$ires large amo$nts o tea. Tann n !t has been s$ggested that chemicals 6nown as tannins may increase one0s ris6 o esophageal cancer, with some st$dies having o$nd that tea drin6ing may in act be negatively associated with ris6 o esophageal cancer.
E33ect o3 & lk on tea

% st$dy at the Charitf <ospital o the Berlin 8niversities showed that adding mil6 to tea will bloc6 the normal, health $l e ects that tea has in protecting against cardiovasc$lar disease. This occ$rs beca$se casein rom the mil6 binds to the molec$les in tea that ca$se the arteries to rela(, especially E?C?. Hil6 may also bloc6 tea0s e ect on other things, s$ch as cancer. >ther st$dies have o$nd little to no e ect rom mil6 on the observed increase in total plasma antio(idant activity. Teas with high E?C? content, s$ch as green tea, are not typically cons$med with mil6. 'revio$s st$dies have observed a bene icial e ect rom blac6 tea which was not attrib$table to the catechin content. 'lant)based Cmil6sC, s$ch as soy mil6, do not contain casein and are not 6nown to have similar e ects on tea.
E33ect o3 c tru! on tea

,rin6ing tea, partic$larly green tea, with citr$s s$ch as lemon -$ice is common. &t$dies, incl$ding a st$dy rom '$rd$e 8niversity in 2007, o$nd that most o the antio(idant catechins are not absorbed into the bloodstream when tea is dr$n6 by itsel .
73
The st$dy, however, o$nd that adding citr$s to the tea lowers the p< in the small intestine and ca$ses more o the catechins to be absorbed.
TEA
7/
75

History of Tea

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History of Tea

<!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.

<!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.

<!&T>*5 >1 TE% A 5ashwant B$mar 4.

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Trad t onal C% ne!e tea cult .at on and tec%nolog e!

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Proce!! ng and cla!! 3 cat on

leaves rom the Niao Bai or Csmall whiteC tea trees.

% rican +hite7 'rod$ced in min$sc$le amo$nts in Halawi and Benya, mostly as

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Ja'ane!e green tea

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Cla!! 3 cat on and grade

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% rican >olong7 made in Halawi and in Benya 4epali >olong

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Blend ng and add t .e!

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GREECE and CYPRUS

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Tea !'read! to t%e *orld

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AFRICA AN$ SOUTH A"ERICA

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Add ng & lk to tea

Ot%er add t .e!

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Packag ng Tea -ag!

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$sing epichlorohydrin, a 6nown carcinogen.

P(ra& d tea -ag!

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6OR#$ FA"OUS BRAN$S

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Potent al -ene3 t! Ant Ecancer 'ro'ert e!

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E33ect! a!!oc ated * t% ca33e ne

E33ect o3 & lk on tea

E33ect o3 c tru! on tea

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