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CHA – The World’s Love Affair with Tea
Cha
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The World’s Love Affair with Tea
BY NYNKE VAN DER VEN
Tea is inextricably linked with China and the China trade. Its history spans thousands of years and many countries, but it all starts with the tea shrub Camellia Sinensis. The cradle of tea, is to be found in the vast area comprising various South East Asian countries: southwest China, the Assam region of India and in the northern parts of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. The earliest tea drinking in China can be dated back to the Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 BC), when tea was probably taken for medicinal purposes. However, the earliest actual written Chinese record of tea drinking dates to c.200 AD - in a medical text written by physician Hua Tuo. The first European reference to tea was noted by Venetian Giambattista Ramusio (1485-1557), who had heard about the drink through contact with Persian merchants. The first actual tea was brought to the West in the 16th century by Portuguese Jesuits, but it was not until the 17th century, that it became commercially available in Europe. However, it was still so rare and costly it had had to be locked in tea caddies, of which only the mistress of the house had the key. During the 18th century, the Western tea culture really took hold and became fashionable practice in all of Europe’s elegant houses. Fully oxidized black tea was the most favoured tea in Europe, green tea the preferred choice in the American colonies. For a long time tea production was an extremely lucrative business for the Chinese and its production one of the country’s best kept secrets. Tea drinking was introduced into Japan by Buddhist monks in c.600 AD, who drank it to keep them focused and awake during meditation. They went on to cultivate tea themselves around 900AD, with seeds brought from China. The British developed commercial tea production in India in the 19th century - finally breaking the Chinese monopoly and replacing China as a main exporter of tea.
Tea is harvested from bushes, which have two main varieties: Camellia Sinensis Sinensis with small, tender leaves and Camellia Sinensis Assamica, with larger, thicker leaves. The first thrives well in mountainous areas, tolerates cold, even some frost and snow.
The altitude ensures a slower growth, allowing more flavour development. In contrast, the Assamica variety thrives well in tropical areas and does not survive in colder climes. It grows particularly fast and can be harvested every two or three weeks. White tea, yellow tea, green tea, oolong, dark tea (including pu-erh tea) and black tea are all harvested from these two major shrub varieties. However, the plucked leaves are processed differently to attain varying levels of oxidation, from fully oxidized black tea, through semi-oxidized white tea and oolong, to those with no oxidation at all in the case of green and yellow teas. Post-fermented tea, is green tea that undergoes an specific fermenting process that may take up to many years.
Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) records tell us, that at that time the tea leaves were steamed, pounded and dried into brick shapes. Later, during the Song Dynasty (9601279AD), production methods changed and loose-leaf styles of tea were generally preferred. The powdered teas forms travelled from China with the Buddhist monks to Japan, where it is called matcha, which means “powdered tea” - which is still used in the Japanese tea ceremony.
Mariëlla Erkens is a tea connoisseur and educator, and a food pairing specialist from Amsterdam. She was owner and head chef of Restaurant Eden, Brazil (2003–2008), after which she worked as a freelance chef and food stylist in Amsterdam until 2011. Her latest book Tea: Wine’s Sober Sibling, was published in Dutch in 2019 and in English in 2022. theesommelier.me | @me.theesommelier
How to Prepare Tea Best
Mariëlla Erkens tells us there are many ways to prepare tea, methods Depending on tea type and culture. To get the most out of your tea make sure that you: • Use soft, purified water with a neutral pH level (6-7) • Use the appropriate amount of dry tea • Use the water temperature that is best for each type of tea • Steep for sufficient time • Buy from an acknowledged tea shop • Store the tea in proper caddies, each tea its own tin
Steeping Tea Eastern Style
In East Asia, a relatively high amount of tea and little water is used, with a shorter steeping time. It is made in smaller pots and served in smaller cups to fully enjoy the specific tastes of each steep. New water is added for up to 10 steeps, the taste changing subtly different with each round.
Steeping Tea Western Style
The standard method uses about 10 -12 g per litre of water, but personal taste is leading. Start off with 10 g and adjust the weight to your taste. If you work with readymade teabags, 10g is roughly 5 teabags.
Book
In Tea: Wines Sober Sibling Mariëlla Erkens goes into great detail about tea types and their flavours, recommending tea and food pairings (including 70 recipes). Various methods of steeping tea are covered, with a myriad possibilities of tea for connoisseurs and beginners alike. It also contains lists of recommended tea shops, tea schools and interesting video links about tea.
