Encyclopedia
Tea is the second most popular
beverage in the world . It is made by steeping processed leaves, buds or twigs of the tea bush
Camellia sinensis is the
tea plant, the plant [i] species [i] whose leaves and leaf buds are u ...
in hot water for a few minutes. The processing can include
oxidation , heating, drying and the addition of other herbs, flowers, spices and fruits.
There are four types of true tea:
black tea,
oolong tea,
green tea, and
white tea.
The term
herbal tea usually refers to infusions of fruit or herbs such as
rosehip tea, chamomile tea and
Jiaogulan that contain no tea leaves. This article is concerned exclusively with preparations and uses of the tea plant
Camellia sinensis.
Tea is a natural source of
caffeine,
theophylline, and antioxidants, but it has almost no fat,
carbohydrates, or
protein. It has a cooling, slightly bitter and astringent taste.
Iced Tea has been popular in North America since the 1904
St. Louis World's Fair.
Processing and classification
The types of tea are distinguished by their processing. Leaves of
Camellia sinensis, if not dried quickly after picking, soon begin to wilt and
oxidize. This process resembles the
malting of barley, in that starch is converted into
sugars; the leaves turn progressively darker, as
chlorophyll breaks down and tannins are released. The next step in processing is to stop the oxidation process at a predetermined stage by removing the water from the leaves via heating.
The term
fermentation was used to describe this process, and has stuck, even though no true fermentation happens . Without careful moisture and temperature control, however,
fungi will grow on tea. The fungi cause real fermentation which will contaminate the tea with toxic and carcinogenic substances, so that the tea must be discarded.
Tea is traditionally classified based on the degree or period of fermentation the leaves have undergone:
;
White tea: Young leaves that have undergone no oxidation; the buds may be shielded from sunlight to prevent formation of chlorophyll. White tea is produced in lesser quantities than most of the other styles, and can be correspondingly more expensive than tea from the same plant processed by other methods. It is also less well-known in countries outside of China, though this is changing with the introduction of white tea in bagged form.
;
Green tea: The oxidation process is stopped after a minimal amount of oxidation by application of heat; either with
steam, a traditional Japanese method; or by dry cooking in hot pans, the traditional Chinese method. Tea leaves may be left to dry as separate leaves or rolled into small pellets to make
gun-powder tea. The latter process is time-consuming and is typically done only with
pekoes of higher quality. The tea is processed within one to two days of harvesting.
;
Oolong: Oxidation is stopped somewhere between the standards for green tea and black tea. The oxidation process will take two to three days.
;
Black tea/Red tea: The tea leaves are allowed to completely oxidize. Black tea is the most common form of tea in southern Asia and in the last century many African countries including Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Malawi and Zimbabwe. The literal translation of the Chinese word is
red tea, which may be used by some tea-lovers. The Chinese call it
red tea because the actual tea liquid is red. Westerners call it
black tea because the tea leaves used to brew it are usually black. However,
red tea may also refer to
rooibos, an increasingly popular
South African tisane. The oxidation process will take around two weeks and up to one month. Black tea is further classified as either
orthodox or
CTC . Unblended black teas are also identified by the estate they come from, their year and the flush . Orthodox and CTC teas are further graded according to the post-production leaf quality by the
Orange Pekoe system.
;
Pu-erh: , Two forms of pu-erh teas are available, "raw" and "cooked". "Raw" or "green" pu-erh may be consumed young or aged to further mature. During the aging process, the tea undergoes a second, microbial fermentation. "Cooked" pu-erh is made from green pu-erh leaf that has been artificially oxidized to approximate the flavour of the natural aging process. This is done through a controlled process similar to
composting, where both the moisture and temperature of the tea are carefully monitored. Both types of pu-erh tea are usually compressed into various shapes including bricks, discs, bowls, or mushrooms. Compression occurs to start the second oxidation/fermentation process, as only compressed forms of pu-erh will age. While most teas are consumed within a year of production, pu-erh can be aged for many years to improve its flavour, up to 30 to 50 years for raw pu-erh and 10 to 15 years for cooked pu-erh, although experts and afficionados disagree about what the optimal age is to stop the aging process. Most often, pu-erh is steeped for up to five minutes in boiling water. Additionally, Some
Tibetans use pu-erh as a caloric food, boiled with
yak butter, sugar and salt to make yak butter tea. Teas that undergo a second oxidation, such as pu-erh and liu bao, are collectively referred to as
black tea in Chinese. This is not to be confused with the English term
Black tea, which is known in Chinese as "red Tea".
;
Yellow tea: Either used as a name of high-quality tea served at the Imperial court, or of special tea processed similarly to green tea, but with a slower drying phase.
;
Kukicha: Also called
winter tea, kukicha is made from twigs and old leaves
pruned from the tea plant during its dormant season and
dry-roasted over a fire. It is popular as a health food in
Japan and in macrobiotic diets.
;
Genmaicha: literally "brown rice tea" in Japanese, a green tea blended with dry-roasted brown rice , very popular in Japan but also drunk in China.
;Flower Tea: Teas processed or brewed with flowers; typically, each flower goes with a specific category of tea, such as green or red tea. The most famous flower tea is jasmine tea , a green or oolong tea scented with
jasmine flowers.
Rose,
lotus,
lychee, and
chrysanthemum are also popular flowers.
Tea is sometimes classified by its health-related properties. For instance, teas good for weight loss include all green teas in the broadest sense, including white and yellow teas, and even pu-erh teas . Different types of teas in China are associated with different balances of yin and yang. Green teas tend to be yin, black and red teas tend to be yang, and Oolong teas tends to be balanced. Brown Pu-erh tea is usually yang, and is sometimes mixed with yin-energy chrysanthemum flowers to balance it. Chinese people will often choose which tea to drink based on the yin-yang nature of a season, or based on a recommendation from a Chinese doctor .
Blending and additives
Almost all teas in tea-bags and most other teas sold in England are blends. Blending may occur at the level of tea-planting area , or teas from many areas may be blended. The aim of blending is a stable taste over different years, and a better price. More expensive, better tasting tea may cover the inferior taste of cheaper tea.
There are various teas which have additives and/or different processing than "pure" varieties. Tea is able to easily receive any aroma, which may cause problems in processing, transportation or storage of tea, but can be also advantageously used to prepare scented teas.Whereas pure tea is known to have cool effects in summer whereas has soothing and hot effects in winters.
Content
Tea contains
catechins, a type of antioxidant. In fresh tea leaf, catechins can be up to 30% of the dry weight. Catechins are highest in concentration in white and green teas while black tea has substantially less due to its oxidative preparation. Tea also contains the stimulants
caffeine ,
theophylline and
theobromine, the latter two being present in very small amounts.
Origin and early history in Asia
The cradle of the tea plant is a region that encompasses eastern and southern China, northern Myanmar, and the Assam state of India. Spontaneous growth of the
assamica variant is observed in area ranging from
Chinese province Yunnan to the northern part of
Myanmar and
Assam region of
India. The variant
sinensis grows naturally in eastern and southeastern regions of China. Recent studies and occurrence of hybrids of the two types in wider area extending over mentioned regions suggest the place of origin of tea is in an area consisting of the northern part of Myanmar and the
Yunnan and
Sichuan provinces of China.
Origins of human use of tea are described in several myths, but it is unknown as to where tea was first created as a drink.
Creation myths
In one popular Chinese legend,
Shennong, the legendary
Emperor of China, inventor of
agriculture and Chinese medicine, was on a journey about five thousand years ago. The Emperor, known for his wisdom in the ways of science, believed that the safest way to drink water was by first boiling it. One day he noticed some leaves had fallen into his boiling water. The ever inquisitive and curious monarch took a sip of the brew and was pleasantly surprised by its flavour and its restorative properties. Variant of the legend tells that the emperor tried medical properties of various herbs on himself, some of them poisonous, and found tea works as an antidote. Shennong is also mentioned in Lu Yu's
Cha Jing, famous early work on the subject.
A
Chinese legend, which spread along with
Buddhism,
Bodhidharma is credited with discovery of tea. Bodhidharma, a semi-legendary Buddhist monk, founder of the Chan school of Buddhism, journeyed to China. He became angered because he was falling asleep during meditation, so he cut off his eyelids. Tea bushes sprung from the spot where his eyelids hit the ground. Sometimes, the second story is retold with
Gautama Buddha in place of
Bodhidharma In another variant of the first mentioned myth,
Gautama Buddha discovered tea when some leaves had fallen into boiling water.
China
See also: History of tea in ChinaWhether or not these legends have any basis in fact, tea has played a significant role in Asian culture for centuries as a staple beverage, a curative, and a symbol of status. It is not surprising its discovery is ascribed to religious or royal origins. The fact is that the Chinese have enjoyed tea for centuries. Scholars hailed the brew as a cure for a variety of ailments, the nobility considered the consumption of good tea as a mark of their status and the common people simply enjoyed its flavour.
While historically the origin of tea as a medicinal
herb useful for staying awake is unclear, China is considered the birthplace of tea drinking with recorded tea use in its history to at least 1000 BC. The
Han Dynasty used tea as medicine. The use of tea as a beverage drunk for pleasure on social occasions dates from the
Tang Dynasty or earlier.
The Tang Dynasty writer
Lu Yu's ??
Cha Jing ?? is an early work on the subject. According to
Cha Jing written around 760, tea drinking was widespread. The book describes how tea plants were grown, the leaves processed, and tea prepared as a beverage. It also describes how tea was evaluated. The book even discusses where the best tea leaves were produced.
At this time in tea's history, the nature of the beverage and style of tea preparation were quite different from the way we experience tea today. Tea leaves were processed into cakes. The dried teacake, generally called
brick tea was ground in a stone mortar. Hot water was added to the powdered teacake, or the powdered teacake was boiled in earthenware kettles then consumed as a hot beverage.
A form of compressed tea referred to as white tea was being produced as far back as the Tang Dynasty . This special white tea of Tang was picked in early spring when the new growths of tea bushes that resemble silver needles were abundant. These "first flushes" were used as the raw material to make the compressed tea.
Advent of steaming and powder tea
During the
Song Dynasty , production and preparation of all tea changed. The tea of Song included many loose-leaf styles , but a new powdered form of tea emerged. Tea leaves were picked and quickly steamed to preserve their colour and fresh character. After steaming, the leaves were dried. The finished tea was then ground into fine powders that were whisked in wide bowls. The resulting beverage was highly regarded for its deep emerald or iridescent white appearance and its rejuvenating and healthy energy. Drinking tea was considered stylish among government officers and intellectuals during the Southern Song period in China . They would read poetry, write calligraphy, paint, and discuss philosophy, while enjoying tea. Sometimes they would hold tea competitions where teas and tea instruments were judged. When Song Dynasty emperor Hui Zhong proclaimed white tea to be the culmination of all that is elegant, he set in motion the evolution of an enchanting variety.
This Song style of tea preparation incorporated powdered tea and ceramic ware in a ceremonial aesthetic known as the Song tea ceremony. Japanese monks traveling to China at this time had learned the Song preparation and brought it home with them. Although it later became extinct in China, this Song style of tea evolved into the Japanese tea ceremony, which endures today.
Many forms of white tea were made in the Song Dynasty due to the discerning tastes of the court society. Hui Zhong, who ruled China from 1101-1125, referred to white tea as the best type of tea, and he has been credited with the development of many white teas in the Song Dynasty, including "Palace Jade Sprout" and "Silver Silk Water Sprout".
Producing white teas was extremely labour-intensive. First, tea was picked from selected varietals of cultivated bushes or wild tea trees in early spring. The tea was immediately steamed, and the buds were then selected and stripped of their outer, unopened leaf. Only the delicate interior of the bud was reserved to be rinsed with spring water and dried. This process produced white teas that were paper thin and small.
Once processed, the finished tea was distributed and often given as a tribute to the Song court in loose form. It was then ground to a fine, silvery-white powder that was whisked in the wide ceramic bowls used in the Song tea ceremony. These white powder teas were also used in the famous whisked tea competitions of that era.
Roasting and brewing
Steaming tea leaves was the primary process used for centuries in the preparation of tea. After the transition from compressed tea to the powdered form, the production of tea for trade and distribution changed once again. The Chinese learned to process tea in a different way in the mid-13th century. Tea leaves were roasted and then crumbled rather than steamed. This is the origin of today's loose teas and the practice of brewed tea.
In 1391, the
Ming court issued a decree that only loose tea would be accepted as a "tribute". As a result, loose tea production increased and processing techniques advanced. Soon, most tea was distributed in full-leaf, loose form and steeped in earthenware vessels.
Oxidization
Tea "fermentation" is not related to yeast fermentation. It is actually the oxidization of the tea leaves. In 17th century China numerous advances were made in tea production. In the southern part of China, tea leaves were sun dried then half fermented, producing Black Dragon teas or Oolongs. However, this method was not common in the rest of China.
Korea
The first historical record documenting the offering of tea to an ancestral god describes a rite in the year 661 in which a tea offering was made to the spirit of King Suro, the founder of the Geumgwan Gaya Kingdom .
Records from the
Goryeo Dynasty show that tea offerings were made in Buddhist temples to the spirits of revered monks.
During the
Joseon Dynasty , the royal Yi family and the aristocracy used tea for simple rites, the "Day Tea Rite" was a common daytime ceremony, whereas the "Special Tea Rite" was reserved for specific occasions. These terms are not found in other countries. Toward the end of the Joseon Dynasty, commoners joined the trend and used tea for ancestral rites, following the Chinese example based on Zhu Xi's text formalities of Family.
Stoneware was common, ceramic more frequent, mostly made in provincial kilns, with porcelain rare, imperial porcelain with dragons the rarest.
Historically the appearance of the bowls and cups is naturalistic, with a division according to religious influence. Celadon or jade green, "punchong", or bronze-like weathered patinas for Buddhist tea rituals; the purest of white with faint designs in porcelain for Confucian tea rituals; and coarser porcelains and ash-stone glazes for animist tea rituals, or for export to Japan where they were known as "gohan chawan". An aesthetic of rough surface texture from a clay and sand mix with a thin glazing were particularly prized and copied. The randomness of this creation was said to provide a "now moment of reality" treasured by tea masters.
Unlike the Chinese tradition, no Korean tea vessels used in the ceremony are tested for a fine musical note. Judgment instead is based on naturalness in form, emotion, and colouring.
The earliest kinds of tea used in tea ceremonies were heavily pressed cakes of black tea, the equivalent of aged
pu-erh tea still popular in China. Vintages of tea were respected, and tea of great age imported from China had a certain popularity at court. However, importation of tea plants by Buddhist monks brought a more delicate series of teas into Korea, and the tea ceremony.
While green tea, "chaksol" or "chugno", is most often served, other teas such as "Byeoksoryung" Chunhachoon, Woojeon, Jakseol, Jookro, Okcheon, as well as native chrysanthemum tea, persimmon leaf tea, or mugwort tea may be served at different times of the year.
Buddhist monks incorporated tea ceremonies into votive offerings. However the Goryeo nobility and later the Confucian yangban scholars formalized the rituals. Tea ceremonies have always been used for important occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, remembrance of old friends, and increasingly a way to rediscovering Seon meditation.
Japanese Involvement
Importing tea and tea culture
The earliest known references to green tea in Japan are in a text written by a Buddhist monk in the
9th century. Tea became a drink of the religious classes in Japan when Japanese priests and envoys sent to
China to learn about its culture brought tea to Japan. The first form of tea brought from China was probably in a teacake. Ancient recordings indicate the first batch of tea seeds were brought by a priest named Saicho in 805 and then by another named
Kukai in 806. It became a drink of the royal classes when Emperor Saga , the Japanese emperor, encouraged the growth of tea plants. Seeds were imported from China, and cultivation in Japan began.
Kissa Yojoki - the Book of Tea
In 1191, the famous Zen priest
Eisai brought back tea seeds to
Kyoto. Some of the tea seeds were given to the priest Myoe Shonin, and became the basis for Uji tea. The oldest tea specialty book in Japan,
Kissa Yojoki was written by Eisai. The two-volume book was written in 1211 after his second and last visit to China. The first sentence states, "Tea is the ultimate mental and medical remedy and has the ability to make one's life more full and complete". The preface describes how drinking tea can have a positive effect on the five vital organs, especially the heart. It discusses tea's medicinal qualities which include easing the effects of alcohol, acting as a stimulant, curing blotchiness, quenching thirst, eliminating indigestion, curing beriberi, preventing fatigue, and improving urinary and brain function. Part One also explains the shapes of tea plants, tea flowers and tea leaves and covers how to grow tea plants and process tea leaves. In Part Two, the book discusses the specific dosage and method required for individual physical ailments.
Eisai was also instrumental in introducing tea consumption to the warrior class, which rose to political prominence after the Heian Period. Eisai learned that the shogun
Minamoto no Sanetomo had a habit of drinking too much every night. In 1214, Eisai presented a book he had written to the general, lauding the health benefits of tea drinking. After that, the custom of tea drinking became popular among the Samurai.
Very soon, green tea became a staple among cultured people in Japan -- a brew for the gentry and the Buddhist priesthood alike. Production grew and tea became increasingly accessible, though still a privilege enjoyed mostly by the upper classes.
Roasting process introduced to Japan
In the 13th century Ming dynasty, southern China and Japan enjoyed much cultural exchange. Significant merchandise was traded and the roasting method of processing tea became common in Kyushu, Japan. Since the steaming and the roasting method were brought to Japan during two different periods, these teas are completely distinct from each another.
Japan tea culture emerges
The pastime made popular in China in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries -- reading poetry, writing calligraphy, painting, and discussing philosophy while enjoying tea – eventually became popular in Japan and with Samurai society. The modern tea ceremony developed over several centuries by Zen Buddhist monks under the original guidance of the monk Sen-no Rikyu . In fact, both the beverage and the ceremony surrounding it played a prominent role in feudal diplomacy. Many of the most important negotiations among feudal clan leaders were carried out in the austere and serene setting of the tea ceremony. By the end of the sixteenth century, the current "Way of Tea" was established. Eventually, green tea became available to the masses, making it the nation's most popular beverage.
Modern Japanese green tea
In 1740, Soen Nagatani developed Japanese
sencha , which is an unfermented form of green tea. To prepare
sencha, tea leaves are first steam-pressed, then rolled and dried into a loose tea. The dried leaves are then ground and mixed with hot water to yield the final drink.
Sencha is now one of Japan's mainstay teas. This is a formal hemp species tea which develops its deep green color. It has long been used as a mild sedative, to calm and soothe.
Rolling machines
At the end of the Meiji period , machine manufacturing of green tea was introduced and began replacing handmade tea. Machines took over the processes of primary drying, tea rolling, secondary drying, final rolling, and steaming.
Automation
Automation contributed to improved quality control and reduced labour. Sensor and computer controls were introduced to machine automation so that unskilled workers can produce superior tea without compromising in quality. Certain regions in Japan are known for special types of green tea, as well as for teas of exceptional quality, making the leaves themselves a highly valued commodity. This combination of Nature's bounty and manmade technical breakthroughs combine to produce the most exceptional green tea products sold on the market today. Today, roasted green tea is not as common in Japan and powdered tea is used in ceremonial fashion.
Tea spreads to the world
As the Venetian explorer
Marco Polo failed to mention tea in his travel records, it is conjectured that the first
Europeans to encounter tea were either Jesuits living in
Beijing who attended the court of the last
Ming Emperors; or
Portuguese explorers visiting
Japan in 1560. Russia discovered tea in 1618 after a Ming Emperor of China offered it as a gift to Czar
Michael I.
Soon imported tea was introduced to
Europe, where it quickly became popular among the wealthy in
France and the
Netherlands.
English use of tea dates from about 1650 and is attributed to
Catherine of Braganza .
The high demand for tea in Britain caused a huge
trade deficit with China. The British set up tea
plantations in
colonial India to provide their own supply. They also tried to balance the trade deficit by selling
opium to the Chinese, which later led to the
First Opium War in 1838–1842.
The
Boston Tea Party was an act of uprising in which
Boston residents destroyed crates of British tea in 1773, in protest against British tea and taxation policy. Prior to the Boston Tea Party, residents of Britain's North American
13 colonies drank far more tea than
coffee. In Britain,
coffee was more popular. After the protests against the various taxes, Americans stopped drinking tea as an act of patriotism. Similarly, Britons slowed their consumption of coffee.
These days, contradicting tea economies do exist. Tea farmers in Japan, Taiwan and China often enjoy better incomes compared to farmers in black tea producing countries.
The word tea
The
Chinese character for tea is ?, but it is pronounced differently in the various
Chinese dialects. Two pronunciations have made their way into other languages around the world. One is 'te' which comes from the Min Nan dialect spoken around the
port of
Xiamen . The other is
Cha, used by the Cantonese dialect spoken around the ports of
Guangzhou ,
Hong Kong, and in overseas Chinese communities, as well as in the Mandarin dialect of northern China. Yet another different pronunciation is 'zoo', used in the Wu dialect spoken around
Shanghai.
Languages that have
Te derivatives include
Afrikaans ,
Armenian,
Catalan ,
Danish ,
Dutch ,
English ,
Esperanto , Estonian ,
Faroese ,
Finnish ,
French , Frisian ,
Galician ,
German ,
Hebrew ,
Hungarian , Icelandic , Indonesian ,
Irish ,
Italian , scientific
Latin , Latvian , Malay ,
Norwegian , Polish ,
Scots Gaelic ,
Singhalese,
Spanish ,
Swedish ,
Tamil ,
Welsh , and Yiddish .
Those that use
Cha or
Chai derivatives include
Albanian ,
Arabic ,
Bangla ,
Bosnian ,
Bulgarian , Capampangan , Cebuano ,
Croatian ,
Czech , Greek ,
Hindi ,
Japanese ,
Korean , Macedonian ,
Malayalam, Nepali ,
Persian ,
Punjabi ,
Portuguese ,
Romanian ,
Russian, ,
Serbian , Slovak ,
Slovene ,
Swahili ,
Tagalog 
