Tea Tales

It would take gazillion cups of tea to read through tea’s history. Fortunately reading these tales will take as long as it takes for the kettle to boil. Do not watch that kettle boiling otherwise you will never get to the end. So sit back with a cuppa and read on.

It very quickly becomes apparent that this is a China story at least in the beginning when China turned over a new leaf many centuries ago. This leaf is the essence of all teas and is called the Cannabis (oops) Carmellia Sinensis. The touted medicinal benefits and spirit of the tea beverage is one of peace, comfort and refinement giving impetus to tea drinking. Tea is deeply woven into the history and culture of China. China sits on top of the tea world producing more than any other country, enough for it’s domestic needs and other countries as well. The many varieties of tea come from the way the tea is processed. Basically the amount of oxidation determines the flavour of each type of tea. Green tea is the most popular tea consumed in China (and it has taken off in the West).

The Chinese have a tea ceremony called Gong Fu. This should not be confused with Kung Fu, which will destroy all sense of peace and comfort. A tea master who is considered to be an artist prepares the tea for the group. Styles like arranging the teacups and preparation of the tea vary but the essence is to provide every guest with a cup of tea. This is an essential part of social etiquette and a sign of respect for the guests.

Another form of tea is Yak butter that is made from the milk of the domesticated Yak. It is part of the staple diet in the high altitudes of the Himalayas. Tea and salt are added to the butter. A Tibetan can consume 65 small cups of this tea in a day. It seems like there is no time to do anything else. Pity it cannot be on an outside patio.

Of note is the tea ceremony in Japan. The “Way of Tea” which has it’s roots in China’s Gong-Fu ceremony.

This small shrub like bush was implanted in India, Ceylon, now Sri Lanka and Kenya as Britain’s response to its growing dependence on China as a source for its tea. This evolved into different types of teas each with their own methods of production and resulting flavours. India is the second larget producer of tea after China. It is also the largest consumer of tea by volume. It’s medicinal benefits drive consumption in India. It is usually drunk with milk and sugar. The Darjeeling and Assam teas are the best known and grow exclusively in India. India is now the largest exporter of tea after China. Masala Chaiis is a favourite tea enjoyed around the world. It is a blend of Black tea, Indian spices and herbs such as cardamom, ginger, mint, liquorice, pepper and basil. Chaiwalas are small independents selling tea from small stalls on most streets and on trains.

In Kenya the first tea a little known family, the McDonnells, planted bushes in 1903 for ornamental purposes. It wasn’t until 1924 that the commercial viability of the Camellia Sinentis was recognised by a Scotsman. Kenya is now the third largest producer of tea in the world. Black tea is exported worldwide. The auctions in Mombasa are unique in that the traditions have remained unchanged since its inception. It is held once a week in an amphitheatre shaded by trees. Despite the heat participants wear crisp Oxford shirts with ties. Jackets are implied. The bid is raised with a “Yes Sir” and “Knock it Sir” accepts the bid and the auctioneer slams the hammer down with finality.

The number of different tea’s being produced worldwide reflects how much this beverage is enjoyed. Tea follows water as the most consumed drink. As a beverage tea is categorized based on how it is processed. The colours define most of teas so there is Black, White, Green, Yellow, Oolong, and Post-fermented. Basically it depends on the oxidation in the processing.

Black tea is wilted, sometimes crushed and fully oxidized (called red tea in China). White, Green and Yellow are un-oxidized and are unwilted. Oolong is partially oxidized. Post-fermented is Green tea that has been allowed to compost/ferment (Black tea for the Chinese).

After picking the leaves of they begin to wilt and oxidize unless they are immediately dried. Now an enzymatic oxidation chemical reaction occurs where the leaves turn progressively darker triggered by the plants intracellular enzymes. Cholorifil breaks down, releasing tannins. The darkening is stopped at a predetermined stage by heating. This deactivates the enzymes. Careful moisture and temperature control prevents moulds and bacteria forming in manufacturing and packaging stages.

Despite Turkey’s history of coffee drinking it is the largest consumer of tea per capita followed by Morocco, Ireland, Mauritania and the United Kingdom. They are the five largest consumers of tea.

Turkey tea drinkers go for a black tea drunk without milk. It is typically prepared using two stacked kettles. Water is brought to the boil in the larger lower kettle. Some of that water is used in the upper kettle to brew several leaves producing a very strong tea. The remaining water is used to dilute the tea giving each consumer the choice between strong and weak tea.

Believe it or not if I heard the name Tregothnan without knowing about it I would have images of a place in Shakespeare’s Macbeth where the three witches (tre) are prancing around, or the scary Goths eating nan bread, filling the gap after the Romans left. Even the hobbits are a possibility.

Tregothnan is an estate in Cornwall, England. It has been in the same family since 1330 AD. Farming and mining were the original sources of income. It is a vast estate covering over 20,000 acres, much of it devoted to horticulture. The weather in Cornwall is ideal for persuing the family’s passion for cultivating unusual plants. They introduced Camellias to England 200 years ago.

It was the Magnolia Campbellii plant that sparked the idea when Boscawen’s horticulturist, Jonathon Jones, noticed that it bloomed before those growing in North India. In 1999 they decided to experiment with growing this plant. It takes 5 years before the leaves can be used. Tregothnan Estate is now the only producer of tea in England. Whoever thought this could be done? It has gone from strength to strength. Earl Grey tea has been a huge part of this growth.

Evelyn Boscawen is the current Viscount of Falmouth. The Viscount of Howick was Charles Grey 2nd, or Earl Grey. Earl Grey tea is a result of this heritage. It has a distinctive citrus flavour derived from the oil of the bergamot orange. It was never trademarked and consequently is made by numerous tea companies with their variations. In a sense Earl Grey was let loose disrupting the relationship with Lady Grey. Lady Grey is a trademark of Twining’s and as such has a chaste existence in the tea world. However one can imagine lots of little Greys running around with names like Laddie or Pearl.

The sales of the Estates tea have gone from strength to strength. The quality of the tea is so good that China has an interest, importing £1 million worth per annum. Hah! What goes round comes around. The tea is not cheap and is compared to the finest malt whiskeys.

The Brits are prolific tea consumers taking in 165 million cups per day. Part of this is the tradition of Afternoon Tea or High Tea where tea with sanwidges and cake are enjoyed before a latish dinner. No pinkies please!

Tea leaves have an uncanny ability to predict your fortune. This reading of the leaves by fortune tellers is popular for some. Tregothnan’s fortune looks bright.

The Boston tea party, as we know, was not like the ceremonies described above. It was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty tossing all that tea into the harbor. Samuel Adams the organizer was instrumental in the operation (was the brand of beer named after him, promoting beer over tea?). It did spark the American Revolution. This is one occasion where tea destroyed all sense of peace and comfort.

The Brown Betty is a teapot made with a glaze called Rockingham Glaze. The original teapots came from red clay discovered in 1695 along the Thames. In the Victorian era when tea was at its peak of popularity, tea brewed in the Brown Betty was considered excellent. This was attributed to the design of the pot, which allowed the tea leaves more freedom to swirl around as the water was poured into the pot, releasing more flavor with less bitterness. A tea cozy covers the pot to keep it warm for that second cuppa.

Is that cuppa finished? Fill that kettle and prepare for the next Earl Grey or Green Tea. There should be a toast to enjoying a cuppa, something like “Steep” or “Cha”.