Tea

Summary

Tea is a drink made by infusing leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis, or Thea sinensis) in hot water.

Contents

The name 'tea' is also used to refer to the leaves themselves; and it is also the name of a mid- to late-afternoon meal in the British Isles and associated countries, at which tea (the drink) is served along with various foods.

Tea is grown around the world in thousands of estates or tea gardens, resulting in thousands of flavorful variations. Like wines, many teas take their names from the district in which they are grown, and each district is known for producing teas with unique flavor and character.

While there are more than 1500 varieties of tea available worldwide, all teas can be divided into three basic types: black, green and oolong.

The way the fresh tea leaves are processed and their level of contact with oxygen determine the types of tea. During oxidation, the tea leaves experience natural chemical reactions that result in distinctive taste and colour characteristics.

Tea is the world's most popular prepared drink. It was discovered by Chinese Emperor Shen Nung in 2737 B.C., when a tea leaf accidentally fell into the bowl of hot water he was drinking.

In the early 19th century, afternoon tea as a social custom, was originated by Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford. The Duchess began inviting guests to join her for a cup of tea and some sweets and savouries in the afternoon, in order to fill the long gap between breakfast and late dinners. The ritual caught on in England and North America and soon became an afternoon tradition that remains today. Modern afternoon tea at trendy tea salons and cafés feature a wide variety of quality teas and fine finger foods.

An Englishman named Richard Blechynden was unsuccessfully promoting tea at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. You see, the sweltering southern heat did little to attract patrons to hot tea, so Mr. Blechynden added ice cubes and the crowds loved the new brew. Ever since this fortuitous discovery, iced tea has continued to grow in popularity.

The first tea shipment to arrive in Canada was imported by the Hudson Bay Company in 1716 and took more than a year to arrive - Canadians have been tea lovers ever since

White Tea is made entirely from leaf buds that are covered with whitish hairs. The new budds are plucked before they open, withered, then dired slowly at low temperatures. Unlike other tea processing methods, the leaf buds are not rolled and slightly oxidized. The result is a tea with a mild flavour and natural sweetness.

The name oolong literally translates as “Black Dragon” and is very popular in China. Oolong teas feature partly oxidized leaves and combine the taste and colour qualities of black and green tea. Extremely flavourful and highly aromatic, oolong teas are consumed without milk and sugar. Varieties of oolong tea include: Formosa Oolong, Ti Kuan Yin, Pu-erh, Formosa Pouchong, and Black Dragon.

Most popular in Asia, green tea is not oxidized. It is withered, immediately steamed or heated to prevent oxidation and then rolled and dried. It has a delicate taste, light green colour and is very refreshing. Varieties of green tea include: Gunpowder, Dragon Well, Jasmine, Sencha Dancha, Hojicha, Genmaicha, Gyokuro, Spider Leg, Mattcha, and Tencha.

Most commonly used in North American tea bags, black tea is made from fully oxidized leaves, which produce a hearty deep rich flavour in a coloured amber brew. Popular black teas include: Assam, Ceylon, Darjeeling, Earl Grey, Keemun, Lapsang Souchong, Sikkim, Yunnan, and popular blends such as English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast and Russian Caravan.