Where does tea come from? All tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, a warm-weather evergreen. How the fresh leaves of the tea plant are processed and their level of contact with oxygen determine resulting types of tea. During oxidation, tea leaves undergo natural chemical reactions that result in distinctive color and taste characteristics.
Tea is grown in thousands of tea gardens or estates around the world, resulting in thousands of flavorful variations. Like wines, each tea takes its name from the district in which it's grown, and each district is known for producing tea with unique flavor and character. Tea is also divided by grades, determined by leaf size. Smaller sized leaves are used in tea bags while the larger sized leaves can be found in packaged loose tea.
Herbal teas do not come from Camellia sinensis, but are an infusion of leaves, roots, bark, seeds or flowers of other plants. They lack many of the unique characteristics of tea and are not linked with the research on the potential health benefits of traditional teas
When, Where and by whom was tea first discovered? The first references to tea go back nearly 5,000 years and are understandably obscure. Many countries have their own version of how tea was discovered, but the Chinese version is the oldest. According to Chinese literature, Emperor Shen Nung, who was known, as the “Divine Healer” would routinely boil his drinking water before consuming it, a healthy practice even by today’s standards. As the story goes, one day some leaves from a nearby tree fell into the pot, which resulted in an excellent tasting and fragrant beverage. For the record, tea grows on bushes which are usually kept pruned to 3 feet but, left unattended in the wild, could easily grow to a tree of 30 or more feet high. In this manner, according to legend, tea was discovered.
What is the most popular beverage in the world, next to water?
Tea
What about in the US? In the United States, in addition to water, it trails soft drinks, coffee, beer, and milk which makes it the sixth most popular beverage.
What is the ratio of tea consumption in the US of hot to iced? Over 80% of the tea consumed within the United States is consumed as an iced beverage. According to reports, iced tea was discovered accidentally by, of all people, a young Englishman Richard Blechynden who had come all the way from Calcutta, India to represent teas from the Far East at the 1904 St. Louis World Fair. Not meeting with much success in the stifling heat, Mr. Blechynden poured the tea over ice and met with a near instant success.
What countries produce most the tea consumed in the US? For the most recent 12 month period approximately 66% of the tea consumed in the United States is imported from Argentina, China, and Indonesia. All told, approximately 3 dozen countries have exported tea to the United States in 1995. Although tea can grow in a great many environments, the ideal is areas of heavy rainfall, very warm days and cool nights, which can often be found at higher elevations. India is the largest producer of tea in the world producing 819,877 tons of tea in 1994. China is next with 648,675 tons, followed by Sri Lanka (Ceylon, off coast of India) with 268,482 tons and Japan with 95,133 tons.
What is the difference between branded teas and specialty teas Most branded teas are blends of teas from many different tea gardens and several different countries. This is done to make it easier to maintain a particular flavor profile that consumers of that particular brand have become accustomed to. Most specialty teas, but not all, are unblended teas from a particular region of a specific tea producing country. Some specialty teas, like fine wines, come from a particular tea garden known for certain flavor characteristics.
How should tea be stored? Tea should not be placed in a refrigerator since the change in temperatures when the product is used could contribute to “sweating” which could lead to mold formation and deterioration of quality. Similarly, tea should be allowed to breathe so that excess moisture may safely evaporate. Shipping tea in airtight containers for short periods of time is an acceptable practice which serves to protect the fragile product from harmful outside contaminants.
What is the right temperature to brew tea? Brewing Black or Oolong tea with water, which has just started to boil but not boiled too long is the ideal practice. This ensures the optimal brewing temperature (212º F) without destroying the quality of the water through excessive loss of oxygen. Green tea is an exception and should be brewed with water which has not come to a boil. Ideally, this water should be between 165º F and 185º F. A common practice is to take water which has been brought to a boil and set it aside for several minutes until it has cooled before brewing Green tea.
Is there a difference in taste in loose leaf tea? A cup of tea brewed from loose tea will likely have a superior taste than a cup of tea brewed from the same leaves in tea bag form. The nuances will be small, but due to the fact that the larger loose leaf sizes will have more room to expand and give up the entire flavor which they have to offer. Loose tea also adds to the overall mood and “romance” of tea and could add immensely to customer satisfaction.
Does black or green tea have more caffeine? Green and Black tea contain similar amounts of caffeine.This too is contrary to popular opinion, which generally holds that Green tea has less caffeine than Black tea. Support for this conclusion lies in the fact that both types of tea are derived from exactly the same plant, Camellia sinensis and that the processing differences between the two types of tea have little to no effect on caffeine content. Once again exceptions to this rule are possible if your brew your Green tea for very short periods of time, which is often recommended. However, the raw tea itself has near identical caffeine levels.
How many types of tea are there? The three basic kinds of tea are Black, Oolong, and Green tea. White tea is sometimes considered to be a 4th type. The three basic forms of tea are determined by the degree of processing, which takes place of the identical tea leaves. The only differences in the processing is that Black tea leaves are allowed to oxidize (exposed to air) before the leaf is dried. Although the term “fermentation” is frequently used to describe the processing of tea, the term “oxidation” is a much more accurate description of the chemical transformation which takes place.
Biodynamic refers to a holistic form of organic agriculture that considers the entire ecosystem and cosmic energy in its approach to farming.
Distilled Water is clean, healthful, delicious-tasting water is not only critical to your health, it is an absolute for making a great cup of tea. Mandala Tearoom makes high-quality water a high priority, so you'll really notice the difference. The water used is as important as the tea itself. Chlorine and fluoride in tap water should be filtered out as they harm the flavor of the tea. Some people believe that distilled water makes flat tea and that high mineral content in the water brings out the richness of the tea. However, impossible to separate the good from the bad in our local tap water, we decided to start with a pure distilled water and enjoy the taste of the leaf.
Fair Trade certification means that the garden where the tea is grown meets specific standards for the wages, living situation, and working conditions of its pickers. For every tea purchase, a Fair Trade premium goes directly back to the tea workers themselves. A committee, elected by the workers, decides how these funds will be used to meet the community's most serious needs. Tea workers have used Fair Trade premiums to hire school teachers, build maternal health clinics, and bring electricity to their villages, among other projects.
Herbal Infusion contains only herbs and/or spices and is naturally caffeine free.
Organic is grown without synthetic chemical fertilizers, hormones, pesticides or herbicides. Certified organic is processed and handled in accordance with the USDA National Organic Program.
Single Estate denotes a tea from one particular tea garden or estate.
Sustainably Grown refers to farming that co-exists with the natural surrounding habitat.
Swiss Water Process refers to the decaffeination method used. No solvents or other chemicals are used and the organic integrity is maintained.
