Tea is a universal beverage. Wherever on earth, the human culture has blossomed, tea has been with them either as a medicinal drink or as a magical energiser. In the present time, the medicinal, as well as magical aspects of the tea, are all disputed. But, tea has been assimilated into the modern culture so well, that it is nowadays perceived as a kind of formality and necessity on every occasion.
It is curious to know that the genesis of such a universal drink is in China. Carmelia Sinensis, an evergreen shrub, which is known simply as the ‘tea leaf’ was first cultivated in Southwest China in the second millennium BC. During the Shang dynasty, it was used as a medicinal drink and later during the Tang dynasty (618-907), it gradually became a recreational drink in China.
A Chinese legend associates the invention of tea drink to a mythological deity called ‘Shennong’, whose name can be interpreted as ‘divine farmer’. According to the legend, Shennong, once with a pot of boiled water in hand, took a rest under a Carmelia Sinensis plant. Dried leaves from the tea plant fell down into his pot of boiling water, which in turn infused with water, by emitting the fragrance. That is the story of the first tea beverage.
Spreading from China, tea initially became popular in the Buddhist monasteries. The caffeine helped the monks to keep awake during long meditations. Green tea preparation was more popular until 1500AD since then black tea gained more popularity. Tea leaves oxidized for black tea can be preserved longer - keeping the flavour intact - is the reason why black tea became the choice among the traders and thus gaining more popularity among the tea lovers.
Classification of Tea
Tea gets its significant flavour and influential quality from three metabolites in ‘Carmelia Sinensis’ leaves. They are catechin, theanine and caffeine. Catechin is a flavonoid and a natural antioxidant. Different levels of oxidization of tea leaves make different types of teas. On the basis of preparation, teas are classified as given below:
Black Tea
Black tea is perhaps the most popular tea type. Even though it is called ‘black’ tea, the prepared tea drink has a reddish colour, and thus it is known in China as ‘hongcha’, which means ‘red tea’. Tea leaves are withered and oxidized more than other types of tea leaves, to make black tea.
To make black tea, fresh tea leaves are sun-dried and crushed which follows a process of oxidization and then shaping it into rolls and finally dried to make them fit for black tea.
Green Tea
Green tea is perhaps the oldest tea ever existed in China. To make green tea, ‘Carmelia Sinensis’ leaves do not need to go through the sophisticated oxidisation process. Instead, fresh tea leaves are steamed, and hand-rolled, which then are dried to make them suitable for brewing into green tea. Green tea is said to have several health advantages, like weight loss, prevention of cancer, although none of these has been scientifically proved. The only proven health benefit is that regular intake of green take can reduce the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease by 5%.
The culture of green tea is widespread in East Asian countries. In China, green tea leaves are shaped like curled up snails and are called ‘Biluochun’. Tea leaves shaped like gunpowder pellets are named ‘gunpowder tea’. Some other Chinese green tea varieties are Chun Mee, Maojian tea, Longjian, etc.
In Japanese and Korean languages, ‘cha’ is the simple term to denote tea. Bancha, Genmaicha, Hojicha, Matcha and Sencha are some of the popular Japanese green teas. In Korea, green tea is sometimes classified based on the time the leaves are plucked. Chenmul-cha, dumul-cha, semul-cha, and kkeunmul-cha are named to represent ‘first flush’, second flush’, ‘third flush’, and ‘final flush’ respectively.
Oolong Tea
The literal translation of ‘Oolong tea’ is ‘black dragon tea’. Oolong tea is the tea variety which undergoes the most complex procedure to prepare. It requires the sun drying of fresh tea leaves, followed by semi-oxidization, and then either panning or baking, and then rolling for shaping. The rolled tea leaves dried and fired further to make oolong tea variety.
In China, there are several styles of Oolong tea flavours based on regions, like Fujian, Guangdong, and Taiwan. Oolong tea can also be made into different grades of flavours, by changing the level of oxidization.
Yellow Tea
Yellow tea is called ‘huangcha’ in China. Yellow tea is made almost in the style of green tea, but with an added step of sweltering. This process includes encasing the leaves and steaming in extreme heat. This process attributes the tea with a mellow taste and a yellow colour. Yellow tea lacks the grassy smell that the green tea features, which is the main difference between both tea varieties.
White Tea
White tea is the tea variety which requires the least level of oxidizing of the tea leaves. Usually, tender tea leaves are withered under natural sunlight to make them fit for producing a beverage with a lighter flavour than other tea varieties. Although there are different versions of making white tea, generally the wilted and unoxidized tea leaves are used in the making of white tea.
Pu erh Tea
Pu erh (or Pu’er) tea is a different type of tea which is traditionally belonging to the Yunnan region of China. Pu erh tea is not prepared following the traditional tea processing method as in black tea, green tea, or oolong tea. Instead, Pu erh tea follows a traditional fermentation method of tea leaves. It is classified as a post-fermented tea variety, also called dark tea. Kombucha is another example of a post-fermented tea variety.
The lightly withered fresh Carmelia Sinensis leaves are dry roasted in a wok, in order to prevent them from oxidization. For example, a heavily oxidized, dark shaded oolong tea variety from the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian province is called ‘Da Hong Po’. Da Hong Po is one of the costliest tea varieties in the world.
Tea Cultures in Asia
In Chinese as well as Japanese cultures, tea ceremonies are usually conducted. Tea ceremonies are often conducted to celebrate weddings. The newlyweds serve their parents with tea in order to express their gratitude. Tea is also served to apologise and also as a sign of respect. Serving tea to the elders is a practise followed by the younger generation in China. Every Chinese house is usually equipped with a set of tea serving utensils, regardless of the size of the house, as tea serving ceremonies are extensively common. Tapping gently on the glass with middle and index fingers is customary in China to say thanks for serving the tea.
Likewise, in Japan, the ceremonial tea events mostly include the serving of matcha tea. In the Japanese tea ceremony, the most important aspect is the aesthetics. The placement of tea utensils, preparing the tea, the tea room, the gestures and movements involved in inviting the guests to the tea room, etc are all significant in Japanese tea ceremonies. Tea ceremonies are called ‘Chanoyu’, or ‘Sado’ in Japanese language, which means ‘Way of Tea’.
In India, tea is very popular, which is served alongside all meals including breakfast. Serving tea to guests is a norm in India. Masala Chai, which is a unique blend of tea with milk, sugar, and spices is considered as an auspicious drink in India. In Myanmar, tea is available in both forms, liquid and solid. The solid tea is called ‘Lahpet’ which is a kind of pickled tea. It is traditionally served on a shallow plate with all ingredients that make up the tea. The ingredients include pickled tea dressed with sesame, fried garlic, peanuts, crushed shrimp, preserved shredded ginger and fried shredded coconut.
Like Indian Masala tea, Thailand has a Thai tea, which is also a blend of black tea and spices, which contains anise, food colouring etc. Milk and sugar are also added to it for flavouring.
Other Tea Varieties (Herbal Teas)
Apart from regular tea, there are other beverages also known as tea which does not contain Carmelia Sinensis leaves. Herbal teas are prepared by the infusion of herbs, spices and flowers. Herbal teas are also known less commonly by the name ‘tisanes’. The word ‘tisane’ refers to medicinal drinks in English.
Some popular herbal drinks are chrysanthemum tea, jasmine tea, ginger tea, cinnamon tea, and so on. Chinese brand Wong Lo Kut is known for its instant herbal tea mix, which is touted to have medicinal benefits. Ginseng tea, Hibiscus tea, Lemon tea, Mint tea, Liquorice tea etc are some other herbal tea varieties.
In modern times, tea has more advanced avatars. For example, the bubble tea, which is very popular with people, is an enjoyable drink. Some versions of the bubble tea feature the true tea ingredients, whereas in some versions, no tea at all. Tea has already grown beyond its specific definitions, and now we might be marching towards an era, in which anything served for hospitality could be referred to as ‘tea’.
You can find a great range of tea varieties in our dedicated tea products section. Also, find a tea lover's gift collection which is good as a gift.
