History of Tea
Tea dates back to around 2700 BC from China. Legends tell us that Chinese Emperor Shen Nung drank the first Cup of Tea by accident when the wind blew a couple of tea leaves into his hot water. The Emperor found the drink to be savory and refreshing; the new drink was created.
2000 years later, Buddhist Priest traveling from China to Japan introduced the Japanese to tea. The Priests took seeds from the Camellia Sinensis plants with them and began cultivating the plant in Japan. Growing tea was a success and it was quickly integrated into the lifestyle of the Japanese.
It wasn’t until the 1600’s when tea starting making it’s way across the rest of Europe. The Portuguese created a trading route with China and began trading the tea to Holland, France and Germany. Tea was originally being consumed by the upper class across Europe but as it became more accessible, it became the drink of choice for many especially in England and Russia.
Once the Dutch started trading directly with China for tea in the mid 1600’s, they brought the tea across the ocean to the colonists in America. The settlers were heavy tea drinkers who at the time drank more tea then all of England. The British Government mistakenly thought they could excessively raise the taxes on imported tea in America since they thought the colonists were becoming addicted to tea. This eventually lead to the Boston Tea Party which started the American Revolution.
Types of Teas
Tea is cultivated from the Camellia Sinensis plant. While there seems to be a vast variety of teas available, basically there are four types of teas; Black tea, Green tea, Oolong tea and White tea. The way the leaves are processed and and then dried will determine the type of tea.
Tisanes are other drinks we enjoy that are similar to tea and are often referred to as tea but do not contain leaves from the Camellia Sinensis plant. Tisanes are made with a variety of dried fruits, herbs and other plants that are brewed and enjoyed the same way as tea. Some popular tisanes are Herbal Infusions, Rooibos tea and Fruitblends.
Tea is also broken down into other categories. Varietal names, such as Assam or Darjeeling, refers to the region where the tea is grown. Many plants grown in different regions offer a unique flavour distinction that other regions cannot replicate. These teas are then processed and dried to create the four basic tea types.
Other popular terms associated with tea include Souchong, Pekoe or Orange Pekoe actually refer to the size of the tea leaf used to create the tea. This is another way to categorize tea yet has no effect on the flavour.