The Jewel in The Crown - Tea

Throughout the centuries the wonderland India was the target of many civilizations. The invaders and plunderers were the first to arrive and arrive they did relentlessly. The Greeks, Mongols, Arabs were the invaders who did not stay put but wrecked havoc on a populace that had long ago forgone militancy. The campaigns were brutal besides imposing ideological alterations vehemently as proselytizers. 

The land of rivers, forests and riches was a cynosure of many global entities. A branch of Moghuls settled permanently and rejoiced in conquest that was both enriching and at times brutal. The conquest was both overpowering and imposing. They brought about an enrichment by admixture of foreign culture in terms of lifestyle and architecture and religious pursuits but not more. 

The British set about a paradigm change as rulers wherever they went including in the Jewel in Crown. The junta paid a price through voracious economic exploitation, famine and subvert domination. But the then superior civilization in terms of technology and innovations did the populace a lot of good as well. They brought in infrastructure, organized and systemic management techniques - politically and administratively - and reforms all of these  still persist in contemporary era. 

The masters had caught on to tea by 1700 as a beverage. This was until then a  medicine in the cabinet. The popularity of the beverage brought into the fore play the dynamics of economics. To counter highly priced leaf from China efforts were made to cultivate the leaf in India.      

About 1800 Governor General William Bentinjck appointed a committee to cultivate the leaf in India. But in the absence of closely guarded Chinese cultivation technique the initial foray was a failure. Experimentation were than carried out in Assam with the result the Indian State is one of the leading producer.  

Subsequently the Nation became a quality tea producer and the black leaf  became popular in England and Australia.    

Thomas Lipton a Scot by Birth began purchasing the leaf in bulk in order to market it at a cheaper rate the the Chinese leaf. Today Lipton is a global brand. Though the production saga was phenomenal the locals were still far away for this wonder beverage and that is what the preceding two blog entries are about.

are all about.

Chai! How it began in India

The English popularized tea as a hot beverage but it was the Indians who accorded it a mass following.  In fact they embraced it with so much fervor and zeal that its consumption in the country surpasses its production. A large quantity of leaf is imported from countries like Sri Lanka, Kenya and so in.

Its relation building and bonding mechanism out does the drink mates in the bar. Many a deals are sealed over a cup of tea hot steaming one at that. In India it is customary to serve chai to official visitors of fellow business men. 

In earlier times this beverage was considered as a medicine in the subcontinent. But as the popularity increased the leaf turned into a beverage unsurpassed by any.   I remember elders telling me of popularity of milk and jelebies as customary offerings in stalls in India. At that time tea was not in the reckoning at all. 

It was the British who made the brew popular in the country. Themselves fond of this hot beverage they promoted its cultivation in India and developed a vast market as well. Indian Tea Association owned by the  British succeeded in conversion of masses into avid tea drinkers during the nineteen hundred. 

But the real boost for tea consumption came about during the  World War I. The  Tea Campaign  initiated stalls at factories, coal mines, and  mills. This was eventually followed by the tea canteens.
Railways was another booster the Tea Association equipped small contractors with kettles and cups and packets of tea. In the beginning these vendors worked in Punjab, Northwest Provinces and Bengal railway stations. 

The vendors in spite of careful guidance the masters paid no heed and made the hot beverage their own way. This is how chai came into being added with lot of milk and sugar and sometimes jaggery.   Till this day the loud call of the vendors Chai!Garam Chai can be heard at each and every railway station.  

The next step was to set up stalls in large towns which was resisted by small vendors who brought about a new innovation. They added flavors and spices in order to out bid the larger stalls.

It was at Kanpur that spice tea came into being with the add mixture consisting of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves etc. This tool place in a Kanpur Mill canteen. Much popular all over the World this was later called the masala chai.         

Interesting and amazing history progression of tea from China to different world countries

Modern Tea Lounge

Green Leaf

The Brew

Sakura

When it comes to exploring the interesting history and culture of different countries, you will find an excellent amalgamation tea drinking habits. You will realize the modern necessity of a single cup of tea. Yes,this is all about the fascinating story of tea marketing, distribution and recipe variation.This has really brought tea at the extreme corner of popularity in everyone’s life.

Right from the beginning in China, it traveled to almost every country in this world. Going through Britain, America, Japan and India the flavorful leaf  tells a tale of victory over all other conventional beverages.

Discovery

There are several stories and legends about the discovery and first sip of  this wonder brew taken by human race. The origin is indicated to Chinese Emperor, right back to 2737 BC when it was consumed by locals because of immense medicinal and herbal freshness. The plantation and distribution passed through different dynasties in China such as Zhou, Han and Tang. This is the era whence drinking this hot beverage assumed a more common form percolating down to the lowest sections of society. Of course, the beverage was exposed much to Chinese, Indian and Japanese residents as it gained early popularity. This was acceptance  as beverage and not a medicinal concoction any more.

In China and Japan the green leaf gained thrust with the creation of wide ranging varieties.Culture and trends also played a major role. In India the black leaf from Assam and Darjeeling Estates became highly popular.   

Tea Journey to England

Since tea was then very common and limited to the Chinese regions, it was possibly in the seventeenth century when it reached England. This was in the kingship session of Charles II. Of course, tea was assumed to be a royal drink at that time. It was the power and virtue of East India Company which marketed tea to  nations under its belt. However, the leaf was very expensive then and the British Government imposed hefty taxes on the consumption. This augured smuggling and black marketing which the government found difficult to control.

American Tea History

With the start of eighteenth century, special tanks, ships and containers were made to export huge quantity of leaf from China to European nations like UK. The famous Boston tea party made this leaf a symbol of protest. The destruction of leaf was done by those favoring independence from British rule in America .  

Why people love tea?

It was not the traditional trend of  tea culture which attracted people at large but also the health benefits. The brew contained  minerals and vitamins and antioxidants.  These supplied the body with vital elements initiating a cheerful countenance and warm feel.  The packaging created a transportation flexibility that lead to development of a wide range of leaves like green, white or black.

History Of Tea

It is said and written everywhere that tea beverage was first discovered whence a leaf fell into a war cup of water. Obviously it was the Chinese Emperor  who happened to be holding the cup. This goes about five thousand years back whence Indus Civilization  was taking roots in the sub continent.

How tea came to India is little known except it was the British who initiated commercial plantation. It is quiet likely that tea plant was found in North East India from ancient times. The brew was perhaps consumed for medicinal purpose by the tribes inhabiting that region.    

The British also created a commercial demand for this hot beverage. They did this by initially distributing free packets of leaves to the Indians. Before the introduction of tea people used to drink milk for breakfast. This changed dramatically and we are now addicted to the brew or rather it has entered our daily habit. 

The dramatic spread of tea cultivation in Asia is well known. China and Japan grow exotic varieties of green leaf while India is known to be a mass producer of black leaf. Nevertheless India grows some exquisite variety of leaves like the Darjeeling, Assam and Nilgiri premium teas.

The country consumes most of the cultivation within itself.  But does export whence the crop is robust. India also exports some fine blends of its premium teas to many countries.

Major tea companies in India.

In India every household is a consumer of tea. Not only on daily basis, it is a part of everyone’s life because it is actually consumed more than one time during a day. Tea more than choice is a necessity for hundreds of people in India now. Even though we Indians as daily consumers of this hot beverage hardly have any idea about the way it came out of its shell and started playing a major role in our lives. Not only that, we hardly have any idea about its origin or its current processing methods in our country. Despite of all this one thing we have to be sure of is that since India is one of the largest consumers of tea in the world. The country has major tea processing industries located in the North East and South.


Tea was introduced to the Indian consumers during the advent of the British. It was then that our country men started converting the lands for tea cultivation and most probably it was in the 1950s that the plant was introduced and accepted as a recreational drink. Today India is one of the largest producers and processor of tea and more than 70% is consumed by the country itself. With these rates of production and consumption the country is bound to have the major tea processing companies and gardens.


Breaking the monopoly of the Chinese the first step in was taken by the British East India Company when they used Chinese seeds and started cultivating tea in India. With time and advancement of technology the leaf production increased and modern methods of production and processing came into being.
This is what makes India a proud country of major tea processing companies.


India is not only the largest consuming nation in the world but is also as mentioned earlier the largest tea producing nation too. There is even an expectation that the major producing companies will grow in the coming year. Most of the companies are located in the following state - Orissa, Bihar, Mizoram, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Karnataka, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Nagaland, Uttarakhand and Manipur. Some of the big concerns in India are Wagh Bakri House based in Ahmadabad, Tata, Lipton, Duncan and Brook Bond.


As the expectation is high that the production will increase in the coming year and so will the consumption.  Forming a major part of India’s GNP the tea companies are the largest employers of semi skilled and skilled work force. They contribute towards the income that is generated via export as well.

History of tea in brief

Tea has been consumed in many countries since thousands of years. First creditable records appear from China dating back to the 3rd century AD. The use in earlier period may have been for medicinal purpose and its use as beverage may have been accidental.  

The tea may have been used similarly in Eastern India but there are no records. The tea was introduced into India during the 19th century by the British. They used Chinese Seed and cultivation technique on large scale of lands cleared for tea plantation. Some local Assamese variety was also cultivated. Today India is the largest producer of tea leaf after China and exports a substantial amount in bulk and packets. Several varieties of tea is grown in many countries now but not on very large scale.  

Eventually tea become popular among the Indian masses as late as 1950. This was due to aggressive promotion by the rulers. Today it has become a lifestyle product with it being consumed daily in the morning and evening. Tea is served almost any time of the day to visitors and business associates etc. 

The number of varieties of this wonderful brew is mind boggling with Assam Black and Darjeeling Green being the connoisseurs choice. The leaf after blending by experts is available in many kinds of packing. The carton is most popular followed by tea bags and plastic jars. Tea leaf is also available in loose bags or big cartons. 

The brew is consumed without milk in many countries. In India it is prepared with milk and sugar. Another Indian brew that is very popular is the Masala Chai or Spiced tea. This is actually a mixture of tea leaf with suitable spices offering additional flavor to the taste. A vast variety of spices are used to blend with the leaf. Some of the spices added have medicinal properties along with a distinct aroma.          

For more information read History of Tea