THE STORY OF TEA

The beginning of tea is the stuff of legends.  In one tale, the first tea grew form the eyelids of a Buddhist monk, Dharuma, who traveled to China in the 5th century.  Unable to stay awake as he meditated, Dharuma cut off his offending eyelids, and cast them away.  Where they fell a tree grew--the tea tree--which made a drink that could drive away sleep.

Another legend relates how, in 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor Shen Nung discovered tea by accident, when leaves from a tea tree fell into water being boiled to drink.

Among the first written references to tea is a 7th-century Chinese medical text.  Tea is recommended as treatment for abscesses and ailments of the bladder.  It was also said that tea "gladdens and cheers the heart."

TEA FOR EVERYONE

From the earliest days, tea brought people together.  The wealthy, the ordinary and even the criminal visited the new tea gardens that opened in 18th-century London.  Modeled on a Dutch idea of taking tea outside, people could walk and be entertained, dine, and drink tea in private summer houses.

Tea was a great leveler outside London.  Servants in Britain's great houses had tasted tea, and by the mid-18th century, many servants had their wages calculated to include a tea allowance.  Mill owners and landowners began to provide tea for workers as a more productive alternative to ale and spirits.

Smuggling, played an important part in bringing tea to the masses.  Smuggled tea could be had for half the prie of official tea.  A 19th-century report--the Commission of Excise on Smuggling--estimated that nearly $1.6 million was lost annually in revenues on smuggled tea; an immense sum for the time.

In 1833 the East India Company monopoly was ended.  Taxes on tea were successively reduced; new cheaper teas arrived from India and Ceylon and consumption soared.  Tea was now for everyone--a unique blend of necessity, pleasure and luxury.

TEA TREE

There are three varieties of tea plant, with many other hybrids recognized and cultivated by growers.  The Assam variety, used mainly for black teas, has large glossy leaves.

The China variety normally grows as a shrub up to 10 feet high.  It has small, matt, deep green leaves.

The Cambodian variety can gow to 32 feet and has long, narrow, turned-up leaves that can take on a reddish tinge in the fall.

TEA AND HEALTH

Tea has always been associated with good health.  It was first used in China exclusively as a medicinal drink.  This reputation followed tea to the Netherlands, where Dr. Decker endorsed its benefits, and on to Britain in the mid-17th century, where Thomas Garway would promote the virtues of tea.

Thomas Garway, the first tea seller, who sold tea from his cofee house in Exchange Alley in the City of London, wrote in a shop-bill, or advert, that "The Drink is declared to be most wholesome, preserving in perfect health till extreme Old Age."  He went on to list fourteen ways that tea protected health, including improving sight and memory, flushign away kidney stones and even curing lipitude distillations--nowadays known as the common cold.

In fact tea was, at first, anything but healthy.  It was adulterated, mixed with dung, even recycled, dyed and re-sold.  Yet people still believed tea was healthy, and a few years after first tasting it himself, Samuel Pepys recorded that his wife was being prescribed tea by her doctor.

THE PERFECT CUP OF TEA

Just slopping water onto a tea bag doesn't make the best tea--even though we've all done it.  For your next cup, why not take your time, to try a few simple rules for perfect tea?

CHOOSE YOUR TEA:  Choose tea to your taste, and to suit the occasion. Light teas such as Darjeeling and some Oolong teas are good in the afternoon.  Green teas work well with or after meals.  Black teas such as Assam, or Irish Breakfast, are excellent for strong morning tea.

BOIL YOUR WATER:  Use water cold from the faucet, or even better, filtered water, especially if you live in a hard-water area.  Only make tea when the water is boiling vigorously.  Water that is overboiled or reboiled is flat, without the oxygen content that gives life to new-made tea.

USE A POT:  Give tea space to brew properly, using a pot rather than a cup.

KEEP IT HOT: Warm the teapot with a little hot water--the aim is to keep the water as hot as possible while the tea is brewing; black tea in particular, only really brews well in the hottest water.

Keep the teapot clean by rinsing it reguarly with hot water, or it can give a bitter taint to the next brew.

ADD THE TEA: Pour boiling water onto the tea.  Use one teaspoon of tea per cup, and "one for the pot" if you like stronger tea.  However, bear in mind that tea leaves vary in size and weight depending on the blend you are using, so experiment.

LET THE TEA BREW:  Allow the tea to stand and brew, or infuse, for between three to five minutes--less for bags, more for loose tea.

This is the time it takes for the tea to release most of its characteristic flavors and stimulants, without becoming harsh or bitter.

After the tea is brewed, separate the leaves from the tea by pouring off the brewed tea into a second, warmed pot.  Leave the tea and leaves together if you prefer, and enjoy the way the tea changes and becomes stronger as you finish the pot.

LOOSE TEA OR TEA BAGS?

Use bags for convenience and a quick brew, use loose tea when you want the best flavor.  Loose tea floats freely and brews properly. All the best grades of tea are sold as loose tea.

GREEN, WHITE, AND OOLONG TEAS

Brew green teas differenly from black.  Don't use boiling water; slightly cooler water will give you the best results.

Many tea sellers recommend between 80 degrees and 90 degrees, which means standing the boiled keetle for around five minutes before using the water.  Or, add a dash of cold water to the leaves before pouring on the boiling water.  Green teas will make multiple brews.  For the first allow around a minute, depending on the tea.  Some teas, such as the Japanese green tea Gyokuro, need as little as twenty seconds for the first brew. Drain the leaves, drink the tea, and brew again allowing slightly longer with each brew.  Don't over-brew the tea, or it will quickly become bitter.

TEA CEREMONIES

Tea is central to the welcome and entertainment of guests in cultures the world over.  Many countries have very formal etiquette and even ceremonies for the serving of tea.

The taste and types of modern-day tea ceremonies vary hugely, as does the tea.  In Malaysia, the taking of tea is practically a national pastime but not every nation would approve of the tea, brewed for several hours in a metal pot.

In Mali, West Africa, tea drinkers have formal daily gathering where people meet in what are known as grins for the ceremony of the three teas.  The first cup is brewed strong, like life.  The second is sweet, like love.  The third is bitter, like death.

While few see the British idea of afternoon tea as a ceremony, it began very like one, as a very formal occasion with extremely strict rules.  For instance, in 18th-century Britain you could not refuse a cup of tea, and if a guest to tea did not know to balance their spoon the rim of their cup, they would be served cup after cup until they burst.

THE WORLD DRINK

The world produces nearly three million tons of tea every year; it seems we can't get quite enough.

From green, black, herbal, and mint, from the rate mountain teas of China, collected only at dawn, to pyramid tea bags--tea is as versatile and as different as the people who drink it.  New ways to enjoy tea are constantly being invented--from the American iced tea, to ready-brewed canned Oolong tea, and even Taiwanese bubble tea, made with tapioca.

But while tea is ever popular the way we buy it could be about to undergo a revolution--internet shopping.  The internet makes speciality, single estate teas ever easier to find.  We can all still enjoy our favorite tea bag brand, but at the same time track down rare and unusual teas from named estates in all corners of the world.

But even if our tea tastes change, one thing about tea stays the same--it is recognized the world over as an opportunity to relax, and to share time and talk with friends.

For more information on Tea--Blends, Origins and Rituals, visit our eBay auction site at 62851Mary or our eBay Store at Tom and Mary Antiques and Treasures. 

We offer a Tea Gift Set along with other Gifts Sets; The Art of Bonsai, Zen Garden, Reflexology, Massage, Detox and more.