Facts About Tea
Those who know their facts about tea can tell you that all teas originate from the same evergreen plant: the Camilla Sinensis. There are over 3,000 varieties of the bush grown in mountainous areas around the world.
Tea is often said to be traced back to a Chinese Emperor, Shen Nung who live over 4700 years ago. Although this is likely not true, the earliest record that confirms the cultivation of tea is dated to the 4th century China. Drinking tea leaves steeped in a tea pot did not become popular until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and modern tea drinking is about the same age.
Black tea, the most popular variety, offers a hearty flavor and deep reddish color that results from an extensive fermentation process that includes exposing crushed tea leaves to the air for a set amount of time until they are fully oxidized and dried.
Green tea makes up about 10% of world-tea production and is a milder brew with a mild, appealing taste and understandably green appearance. There is no oxidation during processing. Rather, the leaves are simply withered and then roasted or dried.
Oolong tea is a cross between black and green tea, which can be detected in both taste and color. Recognized for its distinctive fruity flavor, oolong leaves undergo a moderated fermentation process where they are withered, partially fermented and then dried.
White tea, the rarest type of tea, come from young tea leaves that are picked before the buds have fully opened. The tea features a delicate, soft taste and light coloration. With a minimalist approach to processing, white tea leaves are simply steamed and dried, which keeps them closer to their natural state.
Tea contains about 50% less caffeine than coffee, making it a great alternative to those that are sensitive to caffeine intake. Tea can also be made to be decaffeinated as most of the caffeine is released in the first few minutes of the steep.
You may not know it, but Indian tea is the world’s most consumed tea! It is also the world’s largest tea producer, with an estimated 850,000 tons of tea being processed each year! A very common type of tea is Indian black tea, like Assam tea, and Darjeeling tea.
While England is the one of the countries that is acclaimed for its tea consumption, 5 out of 6 North Americans drink tea! It is the most popular and cheapest beverage, next to water, in the world.
White Tea has a higher anti-oxidant level than green tea, making it superior in it’s ability to boost the immune system and heal the body.