Tea is great! It's healthy and delicious

This is not what I'm searching for. Written on 31-08-2011 by jLETTERr

Every day people make cups of tea. Yet there is a great difference in preparation and in the use of tea-bags and loose tea leaves. Many types, many flavours lead to at least one question: are all these kinds of teas (e.g. herbal-infusion) really tea?

The origins of tea

There are several circulating versions of the story surrounding the origins of tea. One version, which later developed into legend, concerns the Chinese emperor Shen-Nung. The emperor was heating a pot filled with water when suddenly a gust of wind blew leaves into his pot. The emperor tasted and drank from the heated water and thus discovered tea. Later the emperor confined his finding to his medical encyclopia "Pen Ts'ao".

A second version tells the story of Dharma. At the end of his journey from India to China, Dharma decided to stay in China to meditate for nine years without sleep. Despite his resolve, he eventually falls asleep. Upon waking Dharma becomes enraged at his failure to stay awake and fervently vows never to fall asleep again. In order to succeed this time, Dharma cuts off his eyelids. The eyelids fall to the ground and instantly turn into tea seeds. From the seeds bushes begin grow. Legend has it that anyone drinking tea steeped from the leaves of these bushes will remain awake forever.

Obviously these are mere but interesting legends about the origins of tea. The real beginnings of tea and tea-making, however, are to be found amongst the inhabitants of South-Eastern Asia. Even today tea plants in this region can be found growing in the wild.

After approximately the 5th century A.D. there is evidence of tea cultivation in the central regions of China. In the decades following tea becomes the primary drink in China. As a consequence Chinese farmers reserve small portions of their land for the cultivation of tea. Today tea has become the primary beverage in countries all over the world serving not only as a tasty drink: many people also attribute great value to the healing powers of tea-herbs.

Green, white and black tea

There are many different sorts of tea. However, the basic ingredient to every kind of tea is made from the dried leaves of the tea-plant Camellia Sinensis. These tea-bushes grow in tropical climates. Green, white as well as black tea are all derived from the same plant. The differences result from the manner in which the leaves have been processed. In green tea the leaves are allowed to wither and are then dried or burned. For a white tea the leaves need to be steamed lightly and then dried. Black tea is made from leaves that have been exposed to air until fully dry.

Other beverages that are also considered tea

In addition to green, white and black tea there are other herbs used to steep in water that carry the name tea. These are in fact infusions. Examples of these kinds of 'teas' are: camomile, rooibos (literally South African for 'red-bush', thus named in the UK, Lat. Aspalthus linearis), peppermint, nettle (Lat. Urtica dioica), linden-blossom/flower (Lat. Tilia platyphyllos), coca, liquorice (Lat. Glycyrrhiza glabra), star anise (Lat. Illicium verum), fennel wood and mate/cimmarón.

Loose tea leaves or teabags?

In choosing for exclusive quality, loose tea leaves should be used to steep the tea. Not only is the taste more pure, the leaves have a much longer expiry date. However, nowadays the quality of teabags have improved immensely. The reservation most people have concerning the purchasing of tea leaves is the price. This reservation is unfounded. A stroll through any specialty tea store will evaporate possible reservations taking into consideration, however, that the selection of tea leaves will be slightly more limited than the varied choice of available teabags you will encounter in any large grocery store.