WHAT IS TEA?

Genuine tea is made from the dried leaves of the tea plant (the Camellia sinensis) which was originally grown and farmed in China and was found in India to be naturally growing. Other countries such as Japan were introduced to the concept of tea by the European traders & Chinese monks. In modern times there are over 3000 different types of tea and each individual tea has been uniquely named for the area where it is grown. Each tea has a different way of preparing the leaves. Green tea is prepared by steaming fresh-picked leaves before heat-drying. Black tea is prepared by allowing picked tea leaves to completely ferment before firing. Oolong teas are only partially fermented. White tea is the least processed. It is merely withered and dried by steaming it.

HISTORY OF TEA

Our story begins over four and a half thousand years ago. According to Chinese mythology, in 2737 BC the Chinese Emperor, Shen Nung, scholar and herbalist, was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water. A leaf from the tree dropped into the water and Shen Nung decided to try the brew. The tree was a wild tea tree.

There are many authentic and supposed references to tea in the centuries before Christ, according to the Chinese dictionary dated circa 350 AD. The Chinese t"u was often used to describe shrubs other than tea, hence the confusion when Confucius allegedly referred to tea or t"u when writing about the "sow thistle" plant in the Book of Odes.

From the earliest times tea was renowned for its properties as a healthy, refreshing drink. By the third century AD many stories were being told and some written about tea and the benefits of tea drinking, but it was not until the Tang Dynasty (618 AD - 906 AD) that tea became China"s national drink and the word ch"a was used to describe tea.

The first book on tea "Ch"a Ching", circa 780 AD, was written by the Chinese author Lu Yu. It comprises three volumes and covers tea from its growth through to its making and drinking, as well as covering a historical summary and famous early tea plantation. There are many illustrations of tea making utensils and some say that the book inspired the Buddhist priests to create the Japanese tea ceremony.

The modern term "tea" derives from early Chinese dialect words - such as Tchai, Cha and Tay - used both to describe the beverage and the leaf. Known as Camellia sinensis, tea is an evergreen plant of the Camellia family. It has smooth, shiny pointed leaves which look similar to the privet hedge leaf found in British gardens.

As Buddhist priests start to move around China and Japan, the spread of cultivation and tea drinking follows them.

The Indian and Japanese legends both attribute it to Bodhidharma the devout Buddhist priest who founded Zen Buddhism. The Indian legend tells how in the fifth year of a seven year sleepless contemplation of Buddha he began to feel drowsy. He immediately plucked a few leaves from a nearby bush and chewed them which dispelled his tiredness. The bush was a wild tea tree.

The first mention of tea outside China and Japan is said to be by the Arabs in 850 AD and it was they who were reputed to have brought it to Europe via the Venetians circa 1559. However, it is the Portuguese and Dutch who claim the credit bringing tea and tea drinking to Europe.

The Portuguese opened up the sea routes to China, some say as early as 1515. Jesuit priests travelling on the ships brought the tea drinking habit back to Portugal, while the sailors manning the ships encouraged the Dutch merchants to enter the trade. Subsequently a regular shipment of tea to ports in France, Holland and the Baltic coast was set up in 1610. England entered the trade via the East India Company, or the John Company as it was known, in the mid to late 17th Century.

TYPES OF TEA

Black tea is one of the most popular teas in the western world. The flavour is generally robust and ranges from fruity to a rich spicy malty taste. The leaves go through a full fermentation or oxidization process during which the leaf colour darkens to give them their black colour. The health benefits include the presence of antioxidants that reduce levels of damaging free radicals which in turn helps prevent aging. Regular consumption can reduce the risk of having a stroke.

Green tea has a flavour generally described as a unique delicate and subtle taste. The leaves undergo a minimum of processing and are dried but not oxidized. The health benefits include the presence of antioxidants that reduce levels of damaging free radicals which in turn helps prevent aging. They also help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, prevent cancer and are good for the immune system.

Oolong tea has a complex flowery or fruity flavour with a pleasant aftertaste. The leaves are semi oxidized by drying in the sun for a few hours before the leaves are then rolled. It is then oxidized again for a short period of time resulting in semi-oxidised tea. The health benefits include the presence of antioxidants that reduce levels of damaging free radicals which in turn helps prevent aging. It also helps increase metabolism and helps digestion and weight loss.

Pu-erh tea is often described as a smooth complex elemental earthy taste. The Pu-er tea is fully fermented and comes in both loose and compressed into different shapes and sizes (cakes or bricks). The health benefits of Pu-er include the presence of antioxidants that reduce levels of damaging free radicals which in turn helps prevent aging. It is known for its general medicinal benefits including lowering cholesterol and helping digestion.

Flower tea or scented tea has flavours that are many and varied, depending upon the flowers used. You can experiment and find the tea that fits your mood. The health benefits include the presence of antioxidants that reduce levels of damaging free radicals which in turn helps prevent aging and each different type has its own specific benefit.

ADVANTAGES OF TEA

Drinking tea every day has been a Chinese tradition for as long as anybody can remember. The reasons for this are many, but the main ones are what follows:

The tea leaf contains 20-30% tannic acid which is known for its germicidal and its anti-inflammatory characteristics. It also contains an alkaloid (5%, mainly caffeine), a pick-me-up for the nerve centre and the human metabolism. Scented tea can help support digestion and therefore helps people who eat a lot of meat and fatty foods, for it helps them to digest it quicker and keep the person healthier. Tea is also rich in various vitamins and helps to discharge nicotine out of the system, so it helps smokers.

Tea appears to create an immediate cool and relaxing feeling in the hot summer climate. For this reason, in market villigaes and towns in South China, tea-houses flourish and provide elderly retirees with the locales to meet and gossip over a cup of tea.

PRODUCTION OF TEA

A tea-plants leaves can only be picked from when the plant is of 5 years of age to when the plant is 30 years. When the tea-plant is 30 years of age it is not productive and has therefore expired its use, so the trunk is then cut off to make room for new stems to grow in the next season. This process may only be done for about 100 years until the plant cannot be rehabilitated. Organic manure such as soy-bean cakes are usually used to fertilize and chemical fertilizers are barely ever used. A plant will be removed from the crop if pests are discovered as to stop the spread.

The climate dictates the seasons for tea-picking so the start of the seasons varies from region to region. For instance, the season for tea-picking starts from the end of March and goes through October in West Lake (Dragon Well) in Hangzhou, famous for green tea, and a skilled tea-picker can only gather around 600g of green tea leaves a day. The leaves are picked between 20 and 30 times from the same plants and at intervals of 7 to 10 days, the longer the intervals are means the quality of the tea will deteriorate.

SERVING TEA

The type of tea pot used to serve the tea may vary from region to region in China. For instance, Northern China more commonly prefers serving their tea with large tea pots and in Southern China people more commonly like to use smaller tea pots. Although different regions use different pots, it is basically unanimous amongst all regions that the tea pot produced in Yixing is the best.

The Yixing tea pot has been used since the Song Dynasty (between 960 and 1279). This tea pot is not only good for making tea, but even back when they were first used, some people would collect certain Yixing tea pots as they were designed with beautiful designs on them. This has caused the potters to become more creative with their designs and it also keeps making them by hand to maintain authenticity.

The Yixing tea pot are made with a special type of clay called "zisha". or purple clay. This clay allows the flavour of the tea to be absorbed into it and the tea pots become more and more seasoned the longer it is used. In saying this, if you were to use a Yixing tea pot, it is recommended that you only brew one type of tea with it, because the different flavours will likely mix together. Other reasons that these tea pots are thought of as the best are that the clay allows the heat to be retained better then other types of pots, it has a solid structure, and the pot is free of any toxic element that is often found in pots that use a different type of clay.