Tea Definition, Types, & History

The loose tea is individually measured for use, allowing for flexibility and flavour control at the expense of convenience. Strainers, tea balls, tea presses, filtered teapots, and infusion bags prevent loose leaves from floating in the tea and over-brewing. A traditional method uses a three-piece lidded teacup called a gaiwan, the lid of which is tilted to decant the tea into a different cup for consumption.

Matcha smoked chicken breast with green curry sauce

The Han dynasty work “The Contract for a Youth”, written by Wang Bao in 59 BC, contains the first known reference to boiling tea. Among the tasks listed to be undertaken by the youth, the contract states that “he shall boil tea and fill the utensils” and “he shall buy tea at Wuyang”. The first record of tea cultivation is dated to this period, during which tea was cultivated on Meng Mountain (蒙山) near Chengdu.

London Calling Afternoon Tea at Haymarket Hotel

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• The most important chemicals in tea are the tannins, or polyphenols, which are colourless, bitter-tasting substances that give the drink its astringency.

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• Western tastes, however, favoured the fully oxidized black tea, and the leaves were allowed to oxidize further.

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• Peter Mundy, a traveller and merchant who came across tea in Fujian in 1637, wrote, “chaa – only water with a kind of herb boyled in it”.

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• Certain volatile oils contribute to the aroma of tea, and also contributing to beverage quality are various sugars and amino acids.

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• The Chinese tea plants he brought back were introduced to the Himalayas, though most did not survive.

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• The Han dynasty work “The Contract for a Youth”, written by Wang Bao in 59 BC, contains the first known reference to boiling tea.

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The majority of black tea goes into blends such as English breakfast tea; commercial blends can contain up to 30 different teas. All tea is made from the processed leaves and buds of the evergreen ‘Camellia sinensis’ bush. There are a huge variety of teas, however, generally classified by the size of the leaves and the way in which they’re treated. Tea, beverage produced by steeping in freshly boiled water the young leaves and leaf buds of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. That said, some studies suggest milk makes no difference and that in fact it may instead be the infusion time that holds the key to enjoying these benefits.

London’s best afternoon teas at a glance:

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• In Britain and Ireland, tea was initially consumed as a luxury item on special occasions, such as religious festivals, wakes, and domestic work gatherings.

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• “Instant tea”, similar to freeze-dried instant coffee and an alternative to brewed tea, can be consumed either hot or cold.

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• Traders from other nations then sought to find another product, in this case opium, to sell to China to earn back the silver they were required to pay for tea and other commodities.

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• During the Tang dynasty, as described by Lu Yu, compressed tea was ground into a powder, combined with hot water, and ladled into bowls, resulting in a “frothy” mixture.

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• The short plants bear more new shoots which provide new and tender leaves and increase the quality of the tea.
• Polyphenols in tea include flavonoids, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and other catechins.

Tea blending is the combination of different teas together to achieve the final product. Such teas may combine others from the same cultivation area or several different ones. In 1567, Russian people came in contact with tea when the Cossack Atamans Petrov and Tea Spins Yalyshev visited China. The Mongolian Khan donated to Tsar Michael I four poods (65–70 kg) of tea in 1638. Starkov at first refused, seeing no use for a load of dead leaves, but the Khan insisted.

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• All tea is made from the processed leaves and buds of the evergreen ‘Camellia sinensis’ bush.

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• 80% of office workers say they find out more about what’s going on at work over a cup of tea than any other way.

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• These may be called tisanes or herbal infusions to prevent confusion with tea made from the tea plant.

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• In clinical research conducted in the early 21st century, it was found there is no scientific evidence to indicate that consuming tea affects any disease or improves health.
• If this is relevant to you, look to reduce your intake and aim to have your last caffeinated drink at about noon.
• Examples of additions added at the point of consumption include milk, sugar and lemon.

Compressed tea

More often than not, it is drunk in “doses” of small cups (referred to as “cutting” chai if sold at street tea vendors) rather than one large cup. Tea bricks or compressed tea are produced for convenience in transport, storage, and ageing. Compressed tea is prepared by loosening leaves from the cake using a small knife, and steeping the extracted pieces in water. During the Tang dynasty, as described by Lu Yu, compressed tea was ground into a powder, combined with hot water, and ladled into bowls, resulting in a “frothy” mixture. In the Song dynasty, the tea powder would instead be whisked with hot water in the bowl.