Essence of World Tea
Created | Updated Mar 4, 2002
Tea is the fermented and dried leaves of the tea plant and the drink produced by using the leaves with boiling water. The outermost leaves of the shoot, still coiled up, are known as the pecco and are assumed to produce the finest teas. Below this, there are two to three more coarse leaves, the so-called souchongleaves, providing a slightly smoked flavour. Under these are the really coarse leaves, the coriaceous kongo leaves, used for cheaper and poorer teas. The leaves are handpicked three to four times per month. Black or brown tea is produced by slow drying of the leaves. Green tea is dried for 12 to 18 hrs. at a low heat. If dried at 105º, the tea becomes black tea.
A teaspoon is actually an accurate medical measurement: One teaspoon equals five cm3! A particular kind of teaspoon is the scullet, which is another word for the very last teaspoon, the one that always shows up when you let out the water, thinking that you are finished doing the dishes! (According to Douglas Adams; The Meaning of Liff.)
“Emperors and peasants, Taoist recluses, Buddhist monks, wandering physicians, mandarins, lovely ladies, craftsmen, potters, poets, singers, painters, architects, landscape gardeners, nomadic tribesmen who bartered horses for bricks of tea and statesmen who used tea to buy off would-be invaders have all played a part in the history of tea!” Quote from the preface of John Blofeld's book about the Chinese art of tea.
In Japan, there is a complicated ceremony to the process of serving and drinking tea, known as the chanoyu or the tea ceremony; an elaborate and very stylish traditional way to prepare, serve and drink the tea. Offering chanoyu is considered an honour and is presented only at special occasions or with close family. Now a days, the chanoyu is also available for tourists at a certain price...
Origins of tea: All tea in the world came originally from China; in fact it is only the last century and a half that tea has been grown (from Chinese seeds) anywhere outside that country, apart from some neighbouring realms where its history is much longer. The nearly 4500-year-old history of tea is closely linked to that of China her self.
The Song of Tea:
Life is full of ups and downs;
Sunshine comes and goes;
Then why such fuss and bustle?
Let’s live for happiness.
Why care what people say,
Since ups and downs are fleeting
And everything’s uncertain?
Take autumn harvests,
Moonlight on the river,
Once gorgeous mansions
Falling into ruin,
Fame, great wealth and honour -
All of them ephemeral,
Like pearling frost or dew;
For all depend on fate.
Away with worldly cares!
Why dream of splendid mansions
Or care for fame and name?
When free, sing songs or strum
Some charming melodies.
When you meet good fortune,
Then make the most of it.
Invite your choicest friends
To picnic by the water,
Have fun, with lute or chess,
Appraise choice books and paintings,
Or fish beneath the willows,
Go boating with some pretty girls,
Tell happy-ending stories
Or tales of ancient happenings.
Enjoy the rich embroidery
Of leaves and perfumed blossom.
Echo the birdsong on your lute.
Let others treat you as they will
With feelings warm or cold.
Draw water from a spring
Beneath the blue-green pines
Boil it on an earthen stove
Surrounded by bamboos.
With Dragon-and-Phoenix tea leaves.
Make a delicious brew,
Then taste the joys
Of Lu T’ung’s seven bowls
Of famous Yang Hsien tea!
Written by Chang T’ieh-Chün for his book upon tea; The Seven Bowls
In China, there is a tradition and art to the serving of tea, known as the ch’a-shu. This covers not only the serving and drinking of tea, but also the growing and processing of tea leaves and the knowledge of how to brew fine teas so as to extract the maximum flavour and aroma. Included in the ch’a-shu is also cultivating a taste for all kinds of delightful ceramics and other accessories; collecting old poems, songs and stories about everything to do with tea. To the wealthy few, the ch’a-shu also includes the building of a personal teahouse placed in surroundings making it a perfect setting for enjoying tea.
The composition of tea, according to science:
Caffeine, a stimulant, which if not used to excess, promotes alertness. Common tea contains 1-1½% caffeine.
Tannic acid, which works well against alkaloid poisons and greatly stimulates digestion.
Vitamins A, B2, C, D and P are all vitamins present in common tea.
Manganese is in small but not negligible amounts present in green teas.
Aromatic oils help calming the nerves and benefiting the circular system. 1% of the tea consists of aromatic oil.
Tea for diets: Recent Japanese research proves that the traditional Japanese green tea has slimming effects: It has been proven that many people have lost considerable weight by remaining on their normal diet, just with an addition of plenty of green tea!
Tea for beauty: Brew a strong, black tea and then wash your hair in the usual way: Rinsing the hair thoroughly in the cooled tea makes it very soft and glossy. This substitute for chemical shampoos, besides producing admirable results at virtually no cost, has none of the long-term side effects to be feared from chemical beauty aids.
A quick poem about tea:
The spring sang most obligingly,
The rocks did what they could.
The birds caught up the melody,
Which echoed through the wood.
The kettle sang in harmony
That fitted in quite well,
But the stove behaved disgracefully
Until I gave it hell.
John Blofeld, author of The Chinese Art of Tea, 1985.
The British traditional afternoon tea is a habit originating from the times of the Commonwealth where the British imported tea from the colonies in China. Tea was used in Europe for medicinal purposes in the 16th century and as a drink in the 17th century. Today, tea is a popular drink in Britain and in most of the Western World.
Some very special British tea-arrangements: If you should be visiting the Queen of England for a nice cup of afternoon tea, it is a tradition that the tea is served with cucumber sandwiches. If you should be invited for a cup of tea with the Queen, do remember that there are strict rules of conduct and remember to address the Queen properly! If you are in London and you are not invited to join the Queen for tea, you can also go to the Ritz for a cup of tea; just remember to make reservations a few weeks ahead and remember the dress code and manners. A cup of tea on the Ritz is quite an event, both the experience and the price. In other words, even if the Brits do not have the chanoyu or the ch’a-shu, they still have certain traditions about the matter.
Tea as we know it today need not be brewed on tea leaves. Actually we also use the term tea for warm beverages brewed on herbs as well as we combine traditional tea with a great variety of herbs, fruits, berries or other flavouring additives.
And to go with tea, we have a wide variety of cakes, sandwiches and other servings.
Finally, Tea is a lovely way to gain warmth, relaxation and comfort without having to pay a lot of money or other inconvenient things.
A teaspoon is actually an accurate medical measurement: One teaspoon equals five cm3! A particular kind of teaspoon is the scullet, which is another word for the very last teaspoon, the one that always shows up when you let out the water, thinking that you are finished doing the dishes! (According to Douglas Adams; The Meaning of Liff.)
“Emperors and peasants, Taoist recluses, Buddhist monks, wandering physicians, mandarins, lovely ladies, craftsmen, potters, poets, singers, painters, architects, landscape gardeners, nomadic tribesmen who bartered horses for bricks of tea and statesmen who used tea to buy off would-be invaders have all played a part in the history of tea!” Quote from the preface of John Blofeld's book about the Chinese art of tea.
In Japan, there is a complicated ceremony to the process of serving and drinking tea, known as the chanoyu or the tea ceremony; an elaborate and very stylish traditional way to prepare, serve and drink the tea. Offering chanoyu is considered an honour and is presented only at special occasions or with close family. Now a days, the chanoyu is also available for tourists at a certain price...
Origins of tea: All tea in the world came originally from China; in fact it is only the last century and a half that tea has been grown (from Chinese seeds) anywhere outside that country, apart from some neighbouring realms where its history is much longer. The nearly 4500-year-old history of tea is closely linked to that of China her self.
The Song of Tea:
Life is full of ups and downs;
Sunshine comes and goes;
Then why such fuss and bustle?
Let’s live for happiness.
Why care what people say,
Since ups and downs are fleeting
And everything’s uncertain?
Take autumn harvests,
Moonlight on the river,
Once gorgeous mansions
Falling into ruin,
Fame, great wealth and honour -
All of them ephemeral,
Like pearling frost or dew;
For all depend on fate.
Away with worldly cares!
Why dream of splendid mansions
Or care for fame and name?
When free, sing songs or strum
Some charming melodies.
When you meet good fortune,
Then make the most of it.
Invite your choicest friends
To picnic by the water,
Have fun, with lute or chess,
Appraise choice books and paintings,
Or fish beneath the willows,
Go boating with some pretty girls,
Tell happy-ending stories
Or tales of ancient happenings.
Enjoy the rich embroidery
Of leaves and perfumed blossom.
Echo the birdsong on your lute.
Let others treat you as they will
With feelings warm or cold.
Draw water from a spring
Beneath the blue-green pines
Boil it on an earthen stove
Surrounded by bamboos.
With Dragon-and-Phoenix tea leaves.
Make a delicious brew,
Then taste the joys
Of Lu T’ung’s seven bowls
Of famous Yang Hsien tea!
Written by Chang T’ieh-Chün for his book upon tea; The Seven Bowls
In China, there is a tradition and art to the serving of tea, known as the ch’a-shu. This covers not only the serving and drinking of tea, but also the growing and processing of tea leaves and the knowledge of how to brew fine teas so as to extract the maximum flavour and aroma. Included in the ch’a-shu is also cultivating a taste for all kinds of delightful ceramics and other accessories; collecting old poems, songs and stories about everything to do with tea. To the wealthy few, the ch’a-shu also includes the building of a personal teahouse placed in surroundings making it a perfect setting for enjoying tea.
The composition of tea, according to science:
Caffeine, a stimulant, which if not used to excess, promotes alertness. Common tea contains 1-1½% caffeine.
Tannic acid, which works well against alkaloid poisons and greatly stimulates digestion.
Vitamins A, B2, C, D and P are all vitamins present in common tea.
Manganese is in small but not negligible amounts present in green teas.
Aromatic oils help calming the nerves and benefiting the circular system. 1% of the tea consists of aromatic oil.
Tea for diets: Recent Japanese research proves that the traditional Japanese green tea has slimming effects: It has been proven that many people have lost considerable weight by remaining on their normal diet, just with an addition of plenty of green tea!
Tea for beauty: Brew a strong, black tea and then wash your hair in the usual way: Rinsing the hair thoroughly in the cooled tea makes it very soft and glossy. This substitute for chemical shampoos, besides producing admirable results at virtually no cost, has none of the long-term side effects to be feared from chemical beauty aids.
A quick poem about tea:
The spring sang most obligingly,
The rocks did what they could.
The birds caught up the melody,
Which echoed through the wood.
The kettle sang in harmony
That fitted in quite well,
But the stove behaved disgracefully
Until I gave it hell.
John Blofeld, author of The Chinese Art of Tea, 1985.
The British traditional afternoon tea is a habit originating from the times of the Commonwealth where the British imported tea from the colonies in China. Tea was used in Europe for medicinal purposes in the 16th century and as a drink in the 17th century. Today, tea is a popular drink in Britain and in most of the Western World.
Some very special British tea-arrangements: If you should be visiting the Queen of England for a nice cup of afternoon tea, it is a tradition that the tea is served with cucumber sandwiches. If you should be invited for a cup of tea with the Queen, do remember that there are strict rules of conduct and remember to address the Queen properly! If you are in London and you are not invited to join the Queen for tea, you can also go to the Ritz for a cup of tea; just remember to make reservations a few weeks ahead and remember the dress code and manners. A cup of tea on the Ritz is quite an event, both the experience and the price. In other words, even if the Brits do not have the chanoyu or the ch’a-shu, they still have certain traditions about the matter.
Tea as we know it today need not be brewed on tea leaves. Actually we also use the term tea for warm beverages brewed on herbs as well as we combine traditional tea with a great variety of herbs, fruits, berries or other flavouring additives.
And to go with tea, we have a wide variety of cakes, sandwiches and other servings.
Finally, Tea is a lovely way to gain warmth, relaxation and comfort without having to pay a lot of money or other inconvenient things.
