A cup of Camellia Sinensis by Cecilia Lindström

A cup of Camellia Sinensis

A cup of Camellia Sinensis by Cecilia Lindstrรถm

Introduction We all have tasted tea at some point in our life, it is the second most consumed drink in the world after all. But how much do you know about the drink in your cup? Where did it come from and how did we come up with putting it in hot water? Tea has a long history streching from ancient China to our cupboard shelves. It has been a trigger of war, item of luxury, equally loved by Tsars, Queens and commoners. Yet few of us tea drinkers, or even non tea drinkers, know much about it's origins and the way it is consumed in other cultures. But tea is not a serious thing! It is a calming warm drink to enjoy with friends... or with a book.

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” -C.S. Lewis

Camellia Sinensis is the plant whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea. White, green, oolong, pu-erh and black tea are all harvested from this species but are processed differently to attain different levels of oxidation. There are two major varieties used for tea, the Chinese tea (Camellia Sinensis) and Assam tea (Camellia sinensis Assamica). Tea has been used as a medicine to treat asthma, angina pectoris, peripheral vascular disease and coronary artery disease. It is also known to prevent diabetes and enhance fat oxidation. Tea has potential health maintainence benefits in cardiovascular disease and cancer prevention and it is a natural source of fluoride that can help protect against tooth decay, gum disease and it is great against bad breath. 7

China

Legend has it that in 2737 B.C. the Chinese Emperor Shan Nong discovered that boiling water helped to avoid getting ill. One day he was hiking in the mountains and had boiled a cup of water when a leaf fell into his cup. The Emperor, upon drinking this brew, discovered it to be a refreshing and enerigizing drink with a rich aroma. He immediately gave the order to plant tea bushes in the palace garden and so began the history of tea. Even today the tradition of brewing tea from fresh tealeaves is still kept in China. 10

Another legend says that a monk called Bodhidharma sailed from India to China where he prayed nine years facing a wall. During this meditation he drowsed off once and closed his eyes momentarely. In anger with himself the monk cut off his eyelids to make sure they wouldn't close again during his mediation. It is said that where the eyelids fell the first tea plants grew, giving monks a drink which would keep them awake to meditate longer. The first book on tea is called Ch'a Ching and was written by Lu Yu in China in 800 B.C. He produced the first work on the many methods of growing and preparing tea in ancient China. The book was applauded by the Chinese emperor and later was adopted by imperial Japan. 13

Japan

Tea was first introduced to Japan from China in the 700s. During the Nara Period (710-794), tea was a luxury product available in small amounts for priests and noblemen as a medicinal beverage. During the Muromachi Period (1333-1573) tea gained popularity of all social classes. During this time collecting and showing off prized tea utensils was popular among the rich since tea had become so common. At about the same time, a more refined version of tea parties, with Zen-inspired simplicity and a greater emphasis on etiquette and spirituality developed. These gatherings were attended by only a few people in a small room where the host served the guests tea, allowing greater intimacy. It is from these gatherings that the tea ceremony has its origins. The Japanese tea ceremony is called Chanoyu, Sado or simply Ocha in Japanese. It is a choreographic ritual of preparing and serving Japanese green tea, called Matcha, together with traditional Japanese sweets to balance with the bitter taste of the tea. 17

India

By the arrival of the East India trading company in 1820s to Assam, India a change in tea culture began. Before, tea was used as a medicinal drink but quickly became mass produced for the tea lovers in the west. By the turn of the century Assam became the leading tea producing region of the world. Although India is not the top tea producing country today it is one of the largest producers of tea in the world. Even though 70% of it is consumed within India. Teas such as Assam and Darjeeling grow exclusively in India and the Tea Board of India controls all tea trade. 21

Russia

Russia was introduced to tea in the mid-1600s by the Chinese ambassador to Moscow who made a gift of several chests of tea to Tsar Aleksey Mikhaylovich. During this period, Russia was attempting to establish trade with China and tea soon became one of the desired imports. The 11,000 miles long trade route between China and Russia was a treacherous one and took over 16 months to make. This made the price of tea extremely high thus making it a luxury available only to royalty and the wealthy of Russia. Only at the end of the 1700s the price of tea had gone down enough to make its way into Russian society. The overland trade caravans ceased to exist when the Trans-Siberian Railroad was completed in 1900. To this day, tea and vodka are the two primary beverages in a Russian society. The heart of the Russian tea culture was the Samovar, which allowed Russians to brew their tea longer still keeping the water piping hot. Similar to the British tea etiquette the lady of the house would serve the tea to her family and guests. The Russians enjoy their tea usually with honey and/or jam and the aroma of the brew symbolizes hospitality and security 24

England

In 1660 The East India Trading Company started the tea trading in Canton with a Chinese group called the Hongs. The Hongs got the tea leaves from a group called Tea-men from the provinces from the mountains in China. In Britain tea was promoted as a health drink available from apothecaries because the drink had benign and medicinal effects like helping keep you awake and making you less thirsty and hungry. It was then picked up by students because of its ability to help you stay awake and the first teashop opened in Oxford in 1750. At first tea was so expensive that only the wealthy of Britain could obtain it. Also to show off you wealth it was important to serve sugar to the guests and have expensive china to serve the tea from. In a British household the lady of the house served the tea and through it showed her importance and wealth of the family. Later when the import of tea grew it became affordable for the common people and it became so popular that even an allowance of tea was included in work contracts. 29

At the beginning 18th century the tea import was only 100 000pounds worth but in 1750s tea had gained a huge popularity and was imported for over 5million pounds worth. The tea trade wasn't always made peacefully, in 1839-1860 the East Indian Trading Company got into disputes with China for their method of buying the tea. Instead of silver the Trading Company paid the Chinese with opium and the amount of drug addicts in China grew. These disputes lead to the Opium Wars from which China had to suffer for a century afterwards. 30

Today around 165 million cups of tea are consumed in the UK every single day and it is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water. It is adviced to drink 4 cups of tea per day and it is even better if you drink it with milk like 98% of the British population to get the following nutrients: •approximately 17% of the recommended intake for calcium •5% for zinc •22% for Vitamin B2 •5% for folic acid •5% for Vitamins B1 and B6 A cup of tea also contains manganese, which is essential for general physical development, and potassium which helps to maintain your body's fluid balance. 33

So please, go and have another cup of Camellia Sinensis.

by Cecilia Lindstrรถm