Conclusion

Here is a video of Kim Pham telling you how to make a lovely cup of green tea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vtmd0R6YH4&feature=relmfu

She also has lots of other tea videos, they can be found here:

http://www.differenttypesofteas.com/basics-of-tea

These are the websites I used to write my blog:

www.wtea.com

www.greysteas.co.uk

www.the-tea-site.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea

http://www.tea.co.uk/tea-growing-and-production

www.aboutcoffeeandtea.com

www.enjoyingtea.com

www.planet-tea.com

www.kew.org

I also used a tea time recipe book, 100 Top Teatime Treats by Marguerite Patten.

This will be my last post, so I hope you learned as much as I did about tea!

I began with a tea quote, so I will finish with a tea quote.

"It is better to go three days without food, than one without tea"

-Ancient Chinese proverb.

Tea Around the World

Tea has been around for a long time, and it has been adapted in different ways in different places and has become a key component of everyday life for many people. In different places, the ways of preparing and drinking tea are very diverse.


Starting with the most boring - America. Very little proper appreciation for tea here. 80% of the tea consumed in the USA is cold, iced tea, and any hot tea is mostly black with milk and/or sugar added. Tea isn't an especially popular drink here, most people preferring coffee.


Now, Britain and Ireland. This is one of the top places for tea - drinking in the world. Black tea was the most popular here for a long time, but more recently green and herbal teas have become more sought - after. Britain actually was the first place to try putting milk into tea - and this is one of the most popular ways to consume tea now. Afternoon Tea, the light meal between breakfast and dinner, was created focusing on the tea that was drunk with the meal and this was a huge tradition for many years in Britain and still is to a certain extent.
Ireland especially consumes huge amounts of tea for its size, well over 46 billion cups per year (and I'm only responsible for like half of that). Irish tea is often served stronger than tea in Britain.




Tea is also one of the most popular drinks in India. Darjeeling tea is widely consumed in India, and is considered to be one of the best teas in the world. Indians also consume a lot of black tea, normally with lots of milk, a tradition remaining from the British colonial rule over India. Sometimes spices are also added. Tea is often served with biscuits which are dipped in the tea and eaten before drinking the tea. This is done all over the world now but is thought to have started in India.




And now for China, the 'home' of tea. The tea ceremony in China may be conducted for any number of reasons: to apologise to someone, to express thanks and appreciation for something, as part of a family gathering,the list goes on and on. The ceremony must be conducted in utter peace and in a harmonious environment. The host and participants smell, drink and appreciate all the flavours of the tea. The ceremony symbolises the need to appreciate every time tea is drunk and to find beauty in everything, following Chinese philosophy. Tea is also used in Chinese medicine and cooking.




Finally, the Japanese tea ceremony. In Japan, the tea ceremony is also called the 'Way of Tea'. It is more strict in Japan than in China. It is ideally conducted in a specially - built tatami room in the house of the host. However not everybody has access to one of these so it may be performed in other areas that are equipped for the ceremony. The Japanese ceremony is about focusing yourself on the tiny details in life and perfecting them to induce harmony and tranquility among the participants in the ceremony. This tea ceremony is not conducted much any more as is is a long process needing very exact attention to detail. Not many people have the time to do this every day any more, so it is kept for very special occasions and such. However some people go to special tea schools to perfect the art of tea and hosting a tea ceremony.

Varieties of Tea

The next step in the story of tea is the actual process of changing the magic leaves into the makings of a wonderful cup of happiness. After plucking, all the tea leaves are brought to the tea factory, and from here there are a number of different paths a tea leaf may take, all very different, which is why now I think it's time to explore the different kinds of tea!

We'll start off with the world - widely popular black tea. The leaves arrive at the tea factory and are spread out on mats in the sun for vapourisation, or, as in more modern times, warm air is blown over the leaves. This is the drying process and it takes 60% of the moisture out of the leaves, strengthening and preserving them. This is called drying. Next the leaves are rolled using a rolling machine. The purpose of this is to further remove the liquid from the leaf, to ready the tea for fermentation and oxidisation which are coming next!
Fermentation is essentially what makes black tea black. It is done by exposing the leaves to humid currents of air, to bind the enzymes within the leaves to the oxygen in the air. This will take about 3 hours to complete. Finally there is another drying session which stops the leaves from oxidising too much and is similar to the first drying. At the end of all this, you have some lovely processed black tea leaves to brew!


Green tea (which is my favourite kind!) is next. All these different kinds of tea come from the same kind of tea plant, interestingly. Tea leaves destined to become green tea are first laid out on bamboo mats in the sun for a few hours, like black tea. The next stage is roasting, in which the leaves undergo a stir-frying like operation is a giant pan to allow extra moisture to evaporate and give it its unique flavour. Then the leaves are rolled, but unlike black tea this is done manually as it must be done very gently since the leaves are so delicate. Finally they are heated again and this gives the leaves their shape. And there you have some beautiful green tea.

Now for white tea. White tea is rare and it can be very expensive. It has a very light, delicate texture and soft taste. It receives almost no processing, but the buds are harvested before they are ripe and open. This sets it apart from all the other teas. In the factory, the buds are sun-dried and that is all. This preserves the delicate and refreshing flavour of this tea. It is produced in small quantities, since it is so expensive.

Oolong tea is interesting because it is said to have a flavour between that of black and green tea. The processing is very similar to that of black tea. They are dried on mats for a short period of time, and then there is a process called bruising. This involves placing the leaves in a big basket and shaking it about for a while. This bruises the edges of the leaves which is the main difference between Oolong tea and other teas, because the bruising begins the oxidisation process. However, we don't want them to oxidise too much, so the leaves are brought to the firing room to stop the oxidisation. Finally, they are dried again.

Well, there you have the four main teas and their processing methods. Also, many variations on these teas are available, flavours such as green tea with mint, black tea with citrus and many more.

Growing and Harvesting Tea

Camellia Sinensis leaves



Tea grows best at about 5000 ft above sea level, but it will grow lower down or higher up to a certain limit. Typically, the highest quality of tea will be grown above the 5000 ft mark. Tea likes a lot of heat and rain, but it grows best in the shade, as too much direct sunlight can cause the leaves to mature at a slower rate or even to die. Tea also grows well in an acidic soil (one with a lower pH). This is why it likes mountainous Asia and East Africa.


Tea grows from a small seed into a bush, and subsequently into a tree. A tea plant is mostly harvested at the bush stage. If it is not regularly pruned and harvested it will grow into a tree which can reach about 16 metres in height. Constant harvesting of tea allows the plant to live for up to 60 years. A tea plant should produce about three thousand tea leaves a year, which in an average tea tree life is between one hundred and fifty and one hundred and eighty thousand leaves. But before you get any fantastic ideas about buying a tea bush and making a fortune you should know that three thousand leaves will only get you about a pound of fully processed tea.


Traditionally, a tea bush would be harvested by hand. Only the bud and the second and third leaves would be picked. This is because smaller leaves are more valuable than larger ones as they have a better, purer flavour. It also ensures the most tea possible is acquired froma harvest as new leaves continue to grow. Tea is harvested in the early morning. The fine white fluff that grows on a young bud is the sign that it is ready to be harvested. Thezse buds give a light, sweet tea. This is the 'orthodox' or 'fine' method of harvesting tea. It is time - consuming and not extremely profitable, but the tea is highly valued and sought - after by people very into the ins and outs of the flavours.
The more commonly used method of harvesting tea is 'coarse' harvesting. It is done extremely quickly, and removes not only the bud of the plant but normally more than two leaves and most of the twig. Due to the leaves being older and not as carefully selected, this method produces a stronger tasing tea, not as delicate as the finely - plucked teas.


There are two main harvests of tea in a year. These harvests are called 'flushes'. The first flush is in spring, around February or March, and the second flush is in the summer. The different teas will be ready for harvest at slightly different times, so you have to know your tea crop very well to get the best from it. Growing and harvesting tea is an art, and it takes a long time to master. You have to be friends with your tea if you want it to grow for you.

The Tea - Producers of the World

Tea, like most people, enjoys warm weather. However, unlike most people, it is an evergreen plant with glossy, dark green leaves. It grows best in sub - tropical or tropical regions, which is why it likes Asia so much. It grows abundantly in China, Ceylon, India and Japan, and also a little in eastern Africa. Here are the main tea - growing regions:
                                               

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=tea+growing+regions&um=1&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=583&tbm=isch&tbnid=41E5nPt0Z39HxM:&imgrefurl=http://alakef.com/tea_production_areas.html&docid=HZ4kpFf46LeHdM&imgurl=http://alakef.com/Images/tea-map-growing-regions.jpg&w=350&h=179&ei=_wzmTrf4K8qnhAfvp4m6DQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=954&vpy=321&dur=5055&hovh=143&hovw=280&tx=145&ty=119&sig=107709331846742899457&page=1&tbnh=88&tbnw=172&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:17,s:0

China, which has produced tea for over a millennium longer than the other tea - growing countries, used to produce about 700,000 tons of tea per year. This has grown substantially lately, surpassing one million tons in 2006. This is the number to beat if you are interested in going into the business yourself. They produce the highest amount of unusual teas, sixty percent of which are green teas. There are hundreds of different green teas.


India used to be the tea market leader, producing almost 900,000 tons per year. However China has caught up with them and surpassed them in more recent years. Most of India's tea production is black tea. Of the enormous amount of tea produced in India, only about half of this is exported, since the Indians like to drink a large amount of it themselves. Interestingly, India didn't actually think to drink their tea until the British introduced the idea to them while colonising their country.


Ceylon, or Sri Lanka, was once noted for its huge coffee production. However, the coffee plants were all killed by the 'coffee rust' disease (may they rest in peace) so the owners switched to tea. Ceylon produces about 300,000 tons of tea each year. Like India's tea, most of the tea produced in Ceylon is black tea.


And finally we come to Japan. Japan is one of the most noted nations of tea drinkers. Japan produces about 90,000 tons of tea per year, a large proportion of which does not leave the country. 97% of Japanese teas are green. Some of the varieties include sencha, ordinary green tea, sen-cha, unfermented green tea, and matsu-cha, for use in ceremonies. I will talk more about different teas and tea ceremonies later on.

Origins & History of Tea

There are many legends and myths surrounding the discovery of tea, including one which says the first tea plants grew from the severed eyelids of a religious leader. Unlikely as this sounds, we don't actually know how people discovered the drink. Tea plants are native to Asia, mainly the East and South, and it is believed that China was the first country to consume tea - with records of this back to the 10th Century BC. In 59 BC Wang Bao published the first ever book detailing how to prepare tea. Tea production in China was  labourious and lengthy process, and it was mostly done in poorer regions.

Tea was introduced to Japan around 600 BC by Buddhist monks. It became an important religious symbol and a tool in ceremonies. It also became a drink of royal class when the Japanese Emperor decided he liked it and encouraged its growth and production. Tea was revered in Japan and it was believed to have many medicinal properties. The oldest tea specialty book in Japan, written by Eisai, begins, "Tea is the ultimate mental and medical remedy and has the ability to make one’s life more full and complete." I would agree with this statement. My life would be much less without tea.  
Green tea became very important to Japanese culture. In the 15th century the Japanese Tea Ceremony was introduced from China. It was a semi - religious social custom, practiced mostly by the upper class. In 1738, Soen Nagatani produced sencha, literally roasted tea. This was a kind of unfermented green tea. It is still the most popular green tea in Japan to this day. At the start of the 20th century, manufactured tea started to become more popular, gradually replacing handmade tea.

When tea was first introduced in Europe by the Portuguese and Spanish explorers it was mainly used as a medicine, particularly in Germany, but as time went on people began to drink it more and more. Also in the United States coffee is far more popular than tea, but still some black tea is consumed. Iced Tea is also very popular, which is cooled sweetened tea served chilled. After the American Revolution tea consumption actually dropped considerably, since the Boston Tea Party was one of the main events which triggered the War of Independence.

Introduction

"Mrs Doyle: Sure didn't our Lord himself on the cross pause for a nice cup of tea before giving Himself up for the world!

Father Ted: No He didn't, Mrs Doyle!"

- Father Ted, 'Hell'.

Hello, I'm Niamh and this is my blog on tea. Over the next few weeks I will write about things like where tea comes from, how the plant is grown, where and when it was discovered, the different types of tea and where the different types of tea are popular. I chose to do my blog on tea because I like tea and I think it is very interesting.

Tea is a drink which can be served hot or cold. It is the second most widely drunk beverage in the whole world (after water). It is made from the leaves of the plant Camellia Sinensis which are cured and then steeped in hot water. There are many different kinds of tea, which can be made by preparing the leaves in various ways.