Lately I have learned to appreciate a nice cup of tea. Usually late afternoons. I have learned how to enjoy the fragrance of herbal tea. How soothing it is to close your eyes and allow it to bring peaceful feelings. To tea lovers, tea is much more than this. My friends were coming over for tea. They are "true lovers of herbal tea". To them drinking tea is much more than boiling water over the tea leaves. So how can we make the perfect cup of tea? Well, you will need a tea kettle of boiling hot water and a teapot. When the water is ready, the first thing you do is pour a small amount into the teapot, as if to rinse, and quickly pour it out. Now, place a teaspoon or two of dry loose tea leaves into this heated, steaming teapot. This is an old trick that helps to achieve better taste and release all the healthy elements of the tea leaves, as I had mentioned earlier.
Now pour hot water into the teapot, making it a little more than half-full, cover it with the lid, and place a large hotpad on top. Let it sit for about five minutes, and then you will be ready to serve your tea. The tea in the pot will be too strong, and it is not meant to be drunk as it is. What you do is pour some in a teacup, filling only a third or even a fourth of it, depending on how strong you want your tea; then you fill up the rest with hot water from the tea kettle.
That's it! Now you can enjoy traditional, properly made tea. Remember to pour slowly and carefully if you don't want any tea leaves to get into your cup. Another thing you can do to avoid it is to get a little strainer, or a special teapot that has a separate inner compartment for tea leaves and keeps them there. The amount of dry tea leaves you use depends on the size of your tea party. For one or two people, a full teaspoon is usually enough. Larger groups will require more. Also, different brands of tea vary in strength, so you might want to try every new one and see how you it works before you invite company. Relax and enjoy your own teapot of loose leaf tea
Life Is Too Short For A Bad Cup Of Tea
Teas fall into four classifications: Black, Green, White and Oolong. The difference in tea classifications are determined by the amount of oxygen the leaves are allowed to absorb. Black teas have absorbed the most oxygen; green teas have absorbed the least. Tea leaves that have not gone through the oxidation process are classified as white tea. Oolong teas are semi–fermented and are produced primarily in China and Taiwan. Flavored teas are a result of combining essential oils of the desired flavor with black, green or white teas.
Tisanes or herbal teas are not actually tea. They are infusions of dried flowers, fruit and herbs.
Flower Camellia sinensis
Green, black and oolong teas contain antioxidants called polyphenols. Research studies indicate that drinking tea may protect againts cancer, heart disease and stroke. Tea drinkers in studies consumed between 1 and 8 cups of tea a day. The human palate is much more sensitive to moderately warm beverages than to very hot ones. Consequently, we recommend that you have the patience to let the tea cool until you can comfortably touch the cup; as long as the cup is too hot, the tea is too hot to drink. Resorce: (Cynthia Boock, MS, RD 2005)
Tea in Portugal – Chá em PortugalDid you know there is a Tea Plantation in Portugal? To be more exact in the Azores – The Azores are an archipelago of nine islands situated in the mid-Atlantic Ocean and Tea is produced in the island of S. Miguel.It is believed that Tea was introduced in Azores in 1755, however, it was not until 1820 that initial trials for commercial production started. At the moment, there are two factories still in operation – The Gorreana (founded in 1883) and Porto Formoso (which reopened in 2001). The Gorreana is the larger plantation, of about 50 hectares (equivalent to 124 acres). They mainly produce black Tea, but there is also a limited quantity of green Tea being produced. The black Tea from Gorreana comes in three different grades: Orange Pekoe, Pekoe and Broken leaf. Their green Tea is known as Hysson. When you visit Azores, (which is really worth it!), You should organise a Tea Tour to one of the factories. The best time to go is between April and September, where you can see the Tea being processed – witted, rolled, fermented and dried. |
Chá, um prazer com 5 mil anosA história do chá remota da velha China que segundo reza a lenda, teria sido o imperador Shen Nung que certo dia parou na sombra de um arbusto para descansar de uma longa caminhada pelo seu império, e ao ferver água para beber (equivalente a destilá-la para evitar doenças) uma brisa fez cair uma folha do arbusto dentro do recipiente. Ao beber, deliciou-se com o líquido dourado, achando a mistura muito refrescante e revitalizante. Por volta de 2750 aC foram descobertas as primeiras propriedades medicinais da planta, a Camellia Sinensis.
A chegada ao Japão
Já sua chegada ao Japão é bem mais tardia. No início do século IX, monges budistas partiram da China em direção ao outro país, levando a tiracolo sementes da Camellia Sinensis. Esse intercâmbio despretensioso foi responsável pela introdução da cultura do chá em solo nipônico. O exemplar verde conquistou o paladar dos japoneses, infiltrando-se definitivamente em sua cultura.
Por volta do ano 800, o chá tornara-se a bebida nacional e marcaria profundamente a cultura japonesa, sobretudo a partir do século XV. No Japão, o ritual do chá ganhou forma quase religiosa. Inspirados na atitude contemplativa do budismo zen, na formalidade do xintoísmo autóctone e nos seus valores estéticos, os japoneses criaram no século XVI, adjacentes as suas moradas, as casas de chá.
A chegada ao ocidente
Os primeiros europeus a contactar o chá foram os portugueses, que chegaram ao Japão por volta de 1560. Anos mais tarde foi redescoberto pelos ingleses nas suas colonias indianas.
Em 1662, a princesa portuguesa Catarina chegou a Londres resfriada e pediu uma bebida quente. Mas na corte inglesa, o chá ainda não era conhecido. As damas de companhia de Catarina ensinaram como se preparava um chá, com ervas que trouxeram na bagagem. Assim como levaram a receita da geléia de laranja.
A história da tradição do chá na Inglaterra é contada dessa forma por várias fontes, que atribuem também a Catarina a substituição dos pratos e canecas de metal, usados pela nobreza inglesa.
O mercado do chá
Portugal teve duas primazias em relação à introdução do chá na Europa. A da introdução do consumo de chá e a introdução, em 1750, do cultivo do chá. Foram produzidos na Ilha de São Miguel e em zonas de micro-clima como Porto Formoso e Capelas os primeiros 10 kg de chá preto e 8 kg de chá verde.
Em 1773 foi criada pelos britânicos a a Lei do Chá. Ela aumentou consideravelmente a aquisição de impostos sobre a comercialização do chá, que era muito consumido nas colônias. Também foi instituída a exclusividade de sua venda (o monopólio comercial) à Companhia das Índias Orientais.
A cultura ocidental do chá Em meados de 1830, o tão tradicional Chá das Cinco foi criado no Reino Unido pela Duquesa de Bedford, época em que aristocracia não dispensava mais esse chique hábito. Logo foram criadas regras de etiqueta para o serviço de chá e receitas que fariam parte do cardápio, como torradas com manteiga, geléias, muffins e bolos.
Em 1934 a indústria do chá foi fundada na Índia pelo governador geral Lord William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, que nomeou um comitê para formular um plano de cultivo da planta, embora no norte da Índia já se cultivasse uma variedade nativa.
A partir de então o chá é cada vez mais consumido em todos os lares do Brasil e do mundo. Por isso, o Jardim do Chá oferece chás da mais alta qualidade, procedentes das melhores regiões produtoras do mundo, para levar até você esse prazer descoberto há mais de 5.000 anos.
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Tea’s Wonderful History
Tea is among the world’s oldest and most revered beverages. It is today’s most popular beverage in the world, next to water. Tea drinking has long been an important aspect of Chinese culture. A Chinese saying identifies the seven basic daily necessities as fuel, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. According to Chinese legend, tea was invented accidentally by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nong in 2737 B.C. Emperor Shen Nong was a scholar and herbalist, as well as a creative scientist and patron of the arts. Among other things, the emperor believed that drinking boiled water contributed to good health. By his decree, his subjects and servants had to boil their water before drinking it as a hygiene precaution. On one summer day while he was visiting a distant region, he and his entourage stopped to rest. The servants began to boil water for the skilled ruler and his subjects to drink. Dried leaves from a nearby camellia bush fell into the boiling water. The emperor was interested in the new liquid because it had a pleasing aroma in this new brew interested the emperor, so he drank the infusion and discovered that it was very refreshing and had a delightful flavor. He declared that tea gives vigor to the body, thus. That was when tea was invented, but it was considered as a medicinal beverage. It was around 300 A.D. when, tea became a daily drink.
It was not until the Tang and Song Dynasties when tea showed some significance in Chinese tradition. During the mid-Tang Dynasty (780 A.D.), a scholar named Lu Yu published the first definitive book, Cha Ching or The Tea Classic, on tea after he spent over twenty years studying the subject. This documentation included his knowledge of planting, processing, tasting, and brewing tea. His research helped to elevate tea drinking to a high status throughout China. This was when the art of tea drinking was born.
Later, a Song Dynasty emperor helped the spread of tea consumption further by indulging in this wonderful custom. He enjoyed tea drinking so much, that he bestowed tea as gifts only to those who were worthy. During this e same time, tea was the inspirationinspired many of books, poems, songs, and paintings. This not only popularized tea, it also elevated tea’s value which drew tea-growers to the capital.
Between the Yuan and Qing Dynasties, the technology of tea production continuously advanced to become more simplified and to improve the methods of enhancing tea flavor. During this period, tea houses and other tea-drinking establishments were opening up all over China. By 900 A.D., tea drinking spread from China to Japan where the Japanese Tea Ceremony or Chanoyu, was created. In Japan, tea was elevated to an art form which requires years of dedicated studying. Unlike the Japanese people, the Chinese people tend to view tea drinking as a form of enjoyment: to have after a meal or to serve when guests visit.
Tea was introduced to Europe in the 1600s; it was introduced to England in 1669. At that time, the drink was enjoyed only by the aristocracy because a pound of tea cost an average British laborer the equivalent of nine months in wages. The British began to import tea in larger qualities to satisfy the rapidly expanding market. Tea became Britain’s most important item of trade from China. All classes were able to drink tea as the tea trade increased and became less of a luxury. Now, tea is low in price and readily available.
The word "tea" was derived from ancient Chinese dialects. Such words as "Tchai," ""Cha," and "Tay" were used to describe the tea leaf as well as the beverage. The tea plant’s scientific name is Camellia sinensis (which is from the The aceae family of the Theales order), and it is indigenous to China and parts of India. The tea plant is an evergreen shrub that develops fragrant white, five-petaled flowers, and; it is related to the magnolia. Tea is made from young leaves and leaf buds from the tea tree. Two main varieties are cultivated: C. sinensis sinensis, a Chinese plant with small leaves, and C. sinensis assamica, an Indian plant with large leaves. Hybrids of these two varieties are also cultivated. What we call "herbal tea" is technically not tea because it does not come from the tea plant but consists a mixture of flowers, fruit, herbs or spices from other plants.
Today, there are more than 1,500 types of teas to choose from because over 25 countries cultivate tea as a plantation crop. China is one of the main producers of tea, and tea remains China’s national drink.
By L. K. Yee
Tea in Britain
Tea, that most quintessential of English drinks, is a relative latecomer to British shores. Although the custom of drinking tea dates back to the third millennium BC in China, it was not until the mid 17th century that the beverage first appeared in England.
The use of tea spread slowly from its Asian homeland, reaching Europe by way of Venice around 1560, although Portuguese trading ships may have made contact with the Chinese as early as 1515. It was the Portuguese and Dutch traders who first imported tea to Europe, with regular shipments by 1610. England was a latecomer to the tea trade, as the East India Company did not capitalize on tea's popularity until the mid-18th century.
Tea gained popularity quickly in the coffee houses, and by 1700 over 500 coffee houses sold it. This distressed the tavern owners, as tea cut their sales of ale and gin, and it was bad news for the government, who depended upon a steady stream of revenue from taxes on liquor sales. By 1750 tea had become the favoured drink of Britain's lower classes.
Smuggling Tea.
Even smuggled tea was expensive, however, and therefore extremely profitable, so many smugglers began to adulterate the tea with other substances, such as willow, licorice, and sloe leaves. Used tea leaves were also redried and added to fresh leaves.
Finally, in 1784 William Pitt the Younger introduced the Commutation Act, which dropped the tax on tea from 119% to 12.5%, effectively ending smuggling. Adulteration remained a problem, though, until the Food and Drug Act of 1875 brought in stiff penalties for the practice.
Tea Clippers.
So great was the race for speed that an annual competition was begun for clippers to race from the Canton River to the London Docks. The first ship to unload its cargo won the captain and crew a hefty bonus.
The most famous of the clipper ships was the Cutty Sark, built in 1868. It only made the tea run eight times, but for its era it was a remarkable ship. The Cutty Sark is now on exhibition at Greenwich.
Tea Customs.
Tea Gardens.
Tea Shops
Tea and Pottery.
Note: much of the material in this article is based on the excellent "History of Tea" on the web site of the
Tea Council.
What connection, you might be excused for asking, does tea have with the growth of the British pottery industry? Simply this: tea in China was traditionally drunk from cups without handles. When tea became popular in Britain, there was a crying need for good cups with handles, to suit British habits. This made for tremendous growth in the pottery and porcelain industry, and the prosperity of such companies as Wedgwood, Spode, and Royal Doulton. - that oh, so British establishment, can be traced to one person. In 1864 the woman manager of the Aerated Bread Company began the custom of serving food and drink to her customers. Her best customers were favoured with tea. Soon everyone was asking for the same treatment. The concept of tea shops spread throughout Britain like wildfire, not in the least because tea shops provided a place where an unchaperoned woman could meet her friends and socialize without damage to her reputation. The popular pleasure gardens of Ranelagh and Vauxhall in London began serving tea around 1730. An evening of dancing and watching fireworks would be capped by tea. The concept caught on, and soon Tea Gardens opened all over Britain. Usually the gardens were opened on Saturday and Sunday, and an afternoon of entertainment and dancing would be highlighted by serving tea. Afternoon tea is said to have originated with one person; Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford. In the early 1800's she launched the idea of having tea in the late afternoon to bridge the gap between luncheon and dinner, which in fashionable circles might not be served until 8 o'clock at night. This fashionable custom soon evolved into high tea among the working classes, where this late afternoon repast became the main meal of the day. In the early 1800's ships carrying tea from the Far East to Britain could take over a year to bring home their precious cargo. When the East India Company was given a monopoly on the tea trade in 1832, they realized the need to cut the time of this journey. The Americans actually designed the first "clippers", or streamlined, tall-masted vessels, but the British were close behind. These clippers sped along at nearly 18 knots by contemporary accounts - nearly as fast as a modern ocean liner.Ships from Holland and Scandinavia brought tea to the British coast, then stood offshore while smugglers met them and unloaded the precious cargo in small vessels. The smugglers, often local fishermen, snuck the tea inland through underground passages and hidden paths to special hiding places. One of the best hiding places was in the local parish church!
