Tea: From a Modest Beginning To a Global Phenomenon

So you’re a tea drinker with a good idea of the immense anti-oxidant properties. This ancient brew has cheers for you. It is woderful having this hot beverage to relax yourself at any point of day?

As science confirms many ancient beliefs about tea and the exact nature of anti-oxidants in the leaf. The leaf  began its sojourn along the track of human civilization as a modest infusion. Initially prepared from leaves of Camelia sinensis by Chinese and other Asian natives the brew has gained an enormous appeal. As a beverage of choice amid consumers worldwide they are increasing year by year.. It remains challenged in popularity only by coffee that still remains a favorite in US. But with entry into sections like canned options of iced-tea and combination with liquor continues to gain new flavors with time.

Tea: How It Is Sold

Tea is often sold in packages in different varieties- green, black, white, oolong, pu-erh, etc. You also find variations like organically grown blends, sweetened teas, ready-to-drink versions, canned beverage and  leaves sold in loose form.

The most popular tea in terms of high sales is black, followed closely by green leaf. England and India are the biggest consumers of black tea, followed closely by Europe, Japan, China and US, though China has its own variants that have lighter textures and unique flavors. North America has registered some of the highest growth in iced-tea drinking. This definitely indicates a sure consumer shift and heightened consumer interest in non-carbonated drinks.

Indian or Chinese?

Undoubtedly Indian and Chinese blends holds sway over a majority of global sales volumes. The Lapsang Souchong of China is the most famed amid the numerous other Chinese brands in use. Yunnan is another, grown and plucked from the Yunnan province.

The Indian tea considered best in quality and aroma is one grown in Darjeeling. It is liked for its light and delicate flavor. In contrast the Ceylon leaf is strong with a sharp aroma. Assam tea is strong and shows readiness to blending with other flavors. You find many Assam variants in market in India and elsewhere.

Darjeeling Orange Pekoe and Ceylon broken-orange Pekoe are highly in demand in England. China alone is reported to produce world’s 18 percent production. Parts of Asia like Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia also grow tea as does Kenya and other countries.

Popular Tea Blends

Earl Gray is a blend that combines a black tea with flavor of bergamot. It is smoky and aromatic with just the slightest touch of citrus. Usually Earl Gray is a blend of Indian with Ceylon leaves. Breakfast tea is stronger than Darjeeling and popular blends in this category are the English breakfast, Irish and Scottish Breakfast blends. If you like the aroma of jasmine try Jasmine tea which has a delicate flavor added of green leaf.

Different Tea Choices: Understanding Health Benefits & Flavor Variations

Tea has been one of the oldest beverages drunk up by man for relaxation and comfort. In cold weather a hot brew helps keep body warm and refreshes the mind from the day’s labors. Visit any grocery store and you’re sure to find a lot of tea brands as choices and some herbal infusions claiming to be herbal and healthy.

Do you want regular tea or one with little/no caffeine? Tea that’s classic in its flavor or one that’s infused with myriad other flavors like of fruits, spices or plant parts? You can get the finest blends in packages, loose form and in hygienic bags.

Such is the pull of this deeply flavored leaf that it has entered the cold beverages market with a storm and is fast finding its own niche in form of iced-teas and infused alcohol mixtures.

 Tea: What Is It Really?

You have to remember that only tea made from leaves of Camelia sinensis - a bush that originally grew in Asia and was used by Chinese  in earlier times as digestive tonic.  Other Asians also followed and used the leaves to prepare a hot beverage. .

There are variants of this plant depend on the climates where it is grown, the stage of growth when the leaf is plucked and the leaf size as also the processing it undergoes. So we have tea categorized as white, black, green and oolong.

These also have differing levels of antioxidants and other important ingredients. Green tea for instance has a higher catechin level than what you’d find in black leaf.  But it doesn’t have theaflavins as is found in black tea. Herbal infusions are essentially not considered ‘true’ teas.

 Green Tea: Benefits

The flavor of green leaf is attributed to presence of theanine and its texture is thanks to the catechins present. It is also the theanine that acts as mild relaxant while toning down effects of caffeine that lends a bitter taste to the flavor and helps improve alertness.

 White Tea: Why It Is Good?

White tea happens to have extremely low caffeine levels and is least processed of all the leaves. Great for people wanting to cut down on their caffeine! It is also the least oxidized and helps prevent heart problems, cancers and fight diabetes.

 Oolong Tea: A Digestive Aid

Oolong teas fluctuate in their oxidation levels from 20 to 80% and though higher in oxidation than green leaf have polyphenols which defend body against dementia, cancers and heart issues.

 Pu-erh: Uniquely Processed

Pu-erh tea leaves are the fermented, aged variation of regular leaves which is why it has a high flavonoid content and low caffeine level. Known to break down fats Pu-erh helps your stomach settle down after a heavy meal. You also get a metabolic boost by having this brew. So go on and get energized!

Tea Grading

It means tea leaf grading. The highest is referred as orange pekoe while the dust or fanning is the lowest in the rung. The leaf buds and the number of associated leaves determine the quality of the lot. The grading system is recognized more in India, Sri Lanka and other tea producing nations other than China.     

The size and wholeness influences the taste and clarity of the brew hence they are the standards of judgement.  The leaves are processed and dried during the time of grading. Orange Pekoe hence consists of whole leaves of a specific size these are considered in the Western Trade as medium grade black leaves. the new flushing with a terminal bud and young set of leaves receive the highest grade. During the grading the mesh which usually ranges from size eight to thirty mesh plays a major role.     

High grade of Pekoe Tea  from fresh flush usually consists of a terminal bud and one or two young leaves.  The flavor consists of scent of natural surroundings and a sweet bitter taste. Hence the rejects obtained during the selection or grading process are leftovers termed as fanning. The further grading leads to leftover fine pieces of leaves known as dust.  The dust is the lowest grade of tea and hence most economical.  Albeit dust of high quality leaves can be more expensive than whole leaf poor quality produce.   The demand for dust and fanning is most among the poor in Asian countries and commercially the chai wallahs or tea stalls in India. 

The process of tea tasting and blending

As I have said in my earlier blog entry, the process of tea tasting and blending is an art. This is how it takes place.

The tea to  be tasted is placed in boiling water...normally double the amount that we add to our home brew. The temperature of the water depends upon the sensitivities of the leaves. The temperatures could be anywhere from 170 to 212 degrees centigrade.  

The tea is steeped for about 3 to 4 minutes in a cup covered with a lid. The lid is taken off and the brew is ready for tasting. Here both taste and aroma matters hence the smell enhances the taste perception. 

The taster begins with a big slurp which lowers the temperature and the brew covers the sensitive taste buds. On the buds some oxygen is pumped in to capture more aroma. Then the brew is ejected in a waste cup and the taster then moves to the next.  

Before moving to the next all the attributes are noted down. This is a complex process and only expert tea tasters are able to judge the leaf accurately.

Tea Tasting an Art

Tea tasting is an important process in selecting and blending the finest leaves.  The sensory apparatus plays an important role in tasting and discovering the right leaves. On the contemporary times this has come to a level of art. The tasting is done by professional and talented people usually from old house involved in the trade of blending the leaves and selling them in the market.   

Albeit the tea leaves are derived from the same plant Camellia Sinensis the differing climatic conditions, soil, topography and way of cultivation results in the leaves acquiring properties that are vastly different whence compared with leaf grown in other regions.   

The taste buds play the most important role. The nose and the smelling power is as useful is selecting the aroma. Besides the flavoring characteristics and aroma the color of the leaves, size and the type is also taken into consideration. The process involves liquid teas which are tasted in a row one by one.     

After the tasting process over the leaves are carefully mixed to form a blend. The blend subscribes to taste, aroma and cost.  Hence the companies try to optimize on cost and flavor depending upon the targeted audience.  

Which are the places recommended for tea plantation?

India is, as on day, one of the largest tea producing country of the world. Ironically, more than 70 percent of planted Indian leaf is consumed within the country. A large-scale production was started to grow with the efforts of (in the early 1820s) the British East India Company in Assam, India. Virtually, tea industry of India has drastically grown to develop to multiple brands at International level. It is ranked as one among the technologically sound and well-equipped industries among the best in the World.  
 

Darjeeling and Assam are the major areas involved in producing teas at very high level and supplied to different cities of India. The Tea Board of India is the controlling body to grade production, exportation, certification, and other related facets in the trade in India. To coup up the plantation, there are a few areas in India carrying best factors for cultivation.
 

Darjeeling: It’s one of India’s populated hill stations and is widely capped by plantations that produce elegant light colored, floral smelling tea. This hill station shares about 25% of Indian production in the form of output.  Initially graded as the finest tea growing Estate, at 2,750 meters above sea level by the Englishman it retains its popularity even now. Darjeeling is also known to have one of the highest gardens in the world.

Assam: It is a North-East state of India and is the largest tea producing belt in the country. The state is mostly covered the Valley of Brahmaputra. The malty Assamese leaf incorporates bright color. Jorhat positioned itself in the central portion of the valley is recognized as the "Tea Capital".

Munnar : There are wide lush plantation, in this hill station, by miles after miles. About 1600 meters above sea level, the place is flourishing with the plantations and which generate revenue to State and Central Governments through taxes.

Initially, Tata the largest tea manufacturing company in India owned it, but employees themselves now run it. The TATA Tea Museum amazingly portrays the growth of Munnar Estates, Visitors to the museum can see and enjoy on various stages of processing.

Wayanad : It is actually a lush and a mountainous agricultural area belonging to the city of Kerala. This city is involved in the production of some significant amounts in combination with spices and coffee. Majority of tea plantations are located south of Kalpetta. The Estate here is run by a co-operative of Tribals who work and live within on the estate

Nilgiti Mountains: The mountainous Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu, in south India, is also renowned for its intensely aromatic and distinctive dark leaf. Tea has been grown there for more than a century back and is the most vital industry in this belt . In fact, Conoor is the most suitable place to discover Nilgiri Leaf. Tea is produced throughout the year in Nilgiri. However, people produce good quality of teas starting from the duration of late November to mid of February.

How is black and green tea better than coffee?

There is a world of hot beverages. An amazing world filled with refreshing hot drinks. But sadly, it has two kings, fighting for their dominance. It may sound hilarious; but such is the story between both. Both have historically been drinks of the nobility. But coffee was known for its intoxicating effects rather than soothing ones, till few years earlier. It was always the bad brother of them and still there are many factors, which make tea much more chosen than the other.

Firstly, tea is economic. While the price of  the other has always been soaring high, its price has come down due to its increased farming and globalization making trade much easier. The price is not the only factor in satisfaction, as many will argue. But it is not only about the price. The preparation process is also simpler with no problems of grinding beans, taking the powder, filtering it, refining it further to get to the stage where you can boil it. To tackle this problem coffee makers have always attempted various instant brands to hand over the ready to boil to customers but brewing tea making still stays the simplest process. The variety that coffee breeds offer is also mild. There is no such broad difference of taste in Mexican and Ethiopian produce that are well marketed as the best.

However, talk of tea, the variety does not seem to end at all: black, green, almond and white leaves. Now talking of the taste, original taste of coffee is raw and bitter. Even its lovers cannot have it without adding milk and sugar. Whereas tea is always, ready to go. You can have it with or without sugar or milk. Apart from that, while coffee came from the forest, historically, the other came from the families of kings and rich people. Thus, when the question of class arises, tea comes in as the first choice. 

From health point of view, coffee never stands close to its rival. It has more harmful caffeine, and other biochemical enzymes and oxidants, which do more harm to human body than good. On the other is all good things packed in small leaves. It aids in digestive system maintenance. Be it black or green leaf, it is good for heart, cholesterol, and many other human body systems. Overall, black or green leaf should always be the first choice over its rival. As it may intoxicate you for few moments. However, tea gives you pleasure along with the health factors, which are very essential in today’s world. So choose your health, go green, and have it. In conclusion, we should say that people willing to achieve their good health should immediately stop the consumption of coffee and step towards consuming of green and black tea as soon as possible.

Which is better coffee or tea?

Ever since man has put his foot on this planet, he has shown his true colors. Man has got everything that he needed. Naturally he was provided with food and drinks. And he has been exploiting the resources of nature because man knows that he will find something or the other which will benefit him. The quest may give rise to something that is new and even more beneficial. And hence that is the way man has been, he has always compared. He has the habit of drawing a comparison between everything that he has got and everything that he thought he would get.

As mentioned above, man has always got what he wanted. When he started living on the planet, the food and the drinks that he required were available naturally. Whether they were the fruits or vegetables, or plain simple water, it was available. And with the advent of time man also discovered fire. And naturally after discovering fire he started doing things that he had never done before. This included finding out new things which already existed on the face of this earth and also use them for the benefits that he would provide themselves with. And in this process man also came across the most important drinks in today’s world, tea and coffee.

It is the most widely consumed drinks in the world though tea has a better hold over the market and its consumers. Tea is an everyday drink and everyone consumes it on a large scale. The hot beverage was made better and better over the period of time.

People in many countries started the same with the coffee bean that they had found and were surely going to get the maximum benefit out of it. And in the process of doing all this, the coffee lovers started asking one question how one is tea better than the other whence both are consumed in such high amounts.

Well arguments like these where which is better and which is not, people don’t usually win. That is because when you will ask a tea lover if he likes it over coffee he will definitely say a yes. Whereas the coffee lovers will say something else and this will be a never ending fight.

The weather too plays an important role in seeing which is consumed more. And what is it that people have been trying to do is switch drinks and trying on something new? With natural anti oxidants and elements that support the immunity system, how is tea better than coffee can be answered but no one really will. At the end what matters now is the preference of the people and not the kind and quality of the product that will be available.

Albeit coffee is consumed in many nations the health benefits of tea are becoming obvious and attracting new customers.    

What are the health benefits of having tea?

Tea, as we all know is the most widely consumed drink across the globe. Everyday there has been a noticeable rise in the consumption of tea by people. When we have a look inside any normal household anywhere around the world, we see that the day starts off by having tea.

People have tea during their breakfast and also before and after. They consume during the long and tiring working hours at the office and also in the middle of regular household chores. So undoubtedly the discovery of this beverage from a consumable plant was the greatest of all times.

We all know that every discovery has been made by chance. Earlier human being inhabiting this planet was a nomad and he did not know what all was available. And finally after finding out that there were quite a number of things which were available naturally that would help him to survive.

And once this process was initiated he also started discovering more and more things that was available all around him. And one is very sure that it was a search of this kind which lead to the discovery of the tea plant and that is how man started consuming it.

But nevertheless the point here remains that from the beginning of time man has done things which he didn’t really intend to do. Later on he went ahead to find out how useful his uselessness was. And that happens to be one of the reasons why now man is also bringing up the question what are the health benefits of having tea?

Because everything that he has found out for himself has turned out to be better than he has expected. These were the hidden benefits which were slowly discovered. Since this has happened all the time men are sure that tea which is a part of their daily lives will also some health benefits. These benefits will give people even more reasons to stay addicted to the drink they already love.

What are the health benefits of having tea is one question that the experts have already begin to answer?

Tea has natural anti oxidants which helps to strengthen the immunity system of the body and thus help the body to fight germs and other harmful elements. Research will lead us to better understanding of this wonder brew. There are many other chemicals waiting to be discovered which help the body. The beverage has been a part of every other household in many countries. It is known for having that refreshing feeling that no other beverage can give. With consumption of tea on a rise, along with its production, no one will deny the above mentioned facts.

All is good about tea - But

All is good about tea but do not drink it in excess. Excessive tea consumption can lead to acidity hence stomach upset. Albeit there is no evidence about the harmful effects of this brew excessive consumption of any substance is bad.

Large amount of green tea consumption can cause problems hence a doctor should be consulted first. Although no harmful effects of tea consumption have been noted but the high concentration caffeine can cause problems. However green tea or less processed teas are certainly beneficial because of polyphenol which is an excellent antioxidant. 

The beneficial chemicals present in the tea leaf percolate down to  the brew. These are the agents which regulate human health, prevent disease and make the body resistant to many ills.  Researchers attribute various benefits to different types of teas available in the market. The plant in all the cases is the same but its variety differs which brings about change in the flavor. The major difference arises in the way leaf is processed. Less processed leaves retain much of the health beneficial chemicals whilst those grown under different shades of sun retain some chemicals with different health attributes.     

Green tea lowers bad cholesterol, helps maintain blood pressure and prevents hardening of arteries on regular consumption. Similarly studies have shown green tea to be beneficial in case of various ailments. With more in depth research evidence that supports curative properties of the tea will emerge.     

Health is important yes! But whence the agent that cures offers mouth watering taste, wonderful aroma and  cheers what more you need. Consider health benefits as additional benefit.