Next to water – tea is the most commonly consumed drink in the world. Tea was probably discovered when leaves fell into a pot of boiling drinking water 5,000 years ago. Emperor Wan Tu is credited with this discovery and introducing tea to the Chinese Courts on his return from exile. He is also credited with naming tea Tai, which means peace.

Tea was often compressed into bricks to make it easier to transport. The bricks also became a form of currency. Catherine De Braganza introduced tea to the English Court when she married Charles II.

One of the most famous historical events concerning tea was the Boston Tea Party, as it became known. As a protest to the high taxes imposed by the British Government on tea, the Americans tipped a whole shipment into Boston Harbour. This was one of the events that led to the American War of Independence.

In 1940, Thomas Sullivan decided to sell individual portions of tea in silk bags – confused consumers brewed the tea still in the bags and the tea bag was born.

Flavoured Chinese Teas such as Jasmine and Rose Petal were available and in the 1970’s these were seen as an opportunity to increase the tea market. New flavours such as Apple & Lemon, Strawberry and Kiwi etc are now available for an alternative to tea.

 Growth and Production

It takes 4 years for a tea plant to produce tea. Each healthy bush can produce 1000kg of tea per season. A tea bush can flourish for up to 80 years.

Tea passes through 6 processes:-

Plucking - Only the bud and the first two leaves are plucked, as this is where the fresh sap and therefore the best flavours are found.

Withering - This process softens the leaf and allows it to loose between 40% and 50 % of it’s moisture. This process usually takes between 18 and 20 hours to complete.

Fermenting - The leaf now undergoes a series of complex chemical reactions that cause it to blacken. The process involves exposing the leaf to a humid environment at a constant temperature, which allows it to be oxidised by enzymes. If it is fermented too much it looses its astringent character and the leaf looks burnt, if it not fermented enough it has a bitter taste and the leaf turns a greenish brown. Green tea is unfermented which is why it is not black.

Rolling – The leaves are then passed through machines that roll them lengthways, breaking the cells, realising their essential oils.

Drying – This is a delicate operation that stops the fermentation process at the required moment. The leaves are subjected to a dry atmosphere and high temperature. They will conserve only 2% - 3% of moisture.

Grading – In the final step the leaves are –placed on vibrating sieve trays that sort them by grade (whole, broken, fanning – the very small fragments of leaf remaining after processing whole and broken leaves and so on) and by size. The tea is then wrapped in paper bags or placed in wooden crates lined with aluminium foil.

The Health Benefits of Drinking Tea