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Production Methods:Orthodox: by hand, the highest quality of productionCTC (Crush, Tear, and Curl): mechanized method used for lower quality leaves that end up in tea bagsTypes of Tea: (Click here for more on this topic.)White Tea: White tea does not undergo an oxidation (fermentation) process. When infused, white tea makes a pale yellow cup color and a delicate, fresh flavor.Green Tea: Green tea fermentation is stopped after a minimal amount of oxidation through heat. The Japanese method applies heat through steam, and the Chinese method uses dry cooking in hot pans.Oolong Tea: Mostly produced in China and Taiwan, oolong tea falls between green tea and black tea.Black Tea: Black tea is a fully-fermented tea. It is the most common form of tea in southern Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc.). Black tea is generally stronger in flavor and contains more caffeine.
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The Origin of Tea
According to Chinese mythology, in 2737 BC the Chinese Emperor,
Shen Nung, scholar and herbalist, was sitting beneath a tree while
his servant boiled drinking water. A leaf from the tree dropped
into the water, and Shen Nung decided to try the brew. The tree
was a wild tea tree.
From the earliest times tea was renowned for its properties as a
healthy, refreshing drink. By the third century AD many stories
were told and written about tea and the benefits of tea drinking,
but it was not until the Tang Dynasty (6818 - 906 BC) that tea
became China's national drink.
Later, tea drinking was spread throughout China and Japan. This
dispersion is largely accredited to the movement of Buddhist
priests throughout the region.
The first mention of tea outside China and Japan is said to be by the Arabs in 850 AD. They were reputed to
have brought it to Europe via the Venetians circa 1559. However, the Portuguese and Dutch claim the credit of
bringing tea to Europe. The Portuguese opened up the sea routes to China as early as 1515, and Jesuit priests
travelling on the ships are reputed to have brought the tea drinking habit back to Portugal. The Dutch sailors
manning the ships were said to have encouraged the Dutch merchants to enter the trade and had set up regular
shipments of tea to ports in France, Holland, and the Baltic coast in 1610.
England entered the trade via the East India Company, or the John Company as it was known, in the mid to late
17th Century. Thomas Garway was among the first to trade tea in Britain. He offered it in dry and liquid form at
his coffeehouse in Exchange Alley in the City of London, holding his first public sale in 1657. In 1660, Garway
issued a broadsheet selling tea as "wholesome, preserving perfect health until extreme old age, good for clearing
the sight," able to cure "gripping of the guts, cold, dropsies, scurveys" and claiming that "it could make the body
active and lusty." Also in 1660, Charles II, the Merry Monarch, brought tea into fashion. After he married
Portuguese Princess Catherine, who brought a large chest of tea as part of her dowry, tea because the rage at
court. During this time, tea was taken green, without milk or sugar, from Chinese bowls of blue and white
porcelain, and hot water poured onto the leaves in oriental style from red-brown stoneware pots.
By the middle of the 18th century, tea had replaced ale and gin as the drink of the masses and became Britain's
most popular beverage.
Along with the popularity of tea rose the popularity of the tea ceremony. Although the Chinese and Japanese tea
ceremonies long preceded the English teas. The Japanese Tea Ceremony transformed tea drinking into a complex
art form. The Irish-Greek journalist-historian Lafcadio Hearn wrote from personal observation, "The Tea ceremony
requires years of training and practice to graduate in art...yet the whole of this art, as to its detail, signifies no
more than the making and serving of a cup of tea. The supremely important matter is that the act be performed
in the most perfect, most polite, most graceful, most charming manner possible". The cultural/artistic hostesses of
Japan, the Geishi, began to specialize in the presentation of the tea ceremony. "Tea Tournaments" were held
among the wealthy; nobles competed among each other for rich prizes in naming various tea blends.
In England, tea ceremony, whether high or low, focuses on conversation. Conversation is accompanied with
proper tea paraphernalia, including a tea service of porcelain or silver and a tea caddy complete with
compartments for different varieties of tea, a crystal blending bowl, and, most importantly, a lock against
pilferers.
According to Chinese mythology, in 2737 BC the Chinese Emperor,
Shen Nung, scholar and herbalist, was sitting beneath a tree while
his servant boiled drinking water. A leaf from the tree dropped
into the water, and Shen Nung decided to try the brew. The tree
was a wild tea tree.
From the earliest times tea was renowned for its properties as a
healthy, refreshing drink. By the third century AD many stories
were told and written about tea and the benefits of tea drinking,
but it was not until the Tang Dynasty (6818 - 906 BC) that tea
became China's national drink.
Later, tea drinking was spread throughout China and Japan. This
dispersion is largely accredited to the movement of Buddhist
priests throughout the region.
The first mention of tea outside China and Japan is said to be by the Arabs in 850 AD. They were reputed to
have brought it to Europe via the Venetians circa 1559. However, the Portuguese and Dutch claim the credit of
bringing tea to Europe. The Portuguese opened up the sea routes to China as early as 1515, and Jesuit priests
travelling on the ships are reputed to have brought the tea drinking habit back to Portugal. The Dutch sailors
manning the ships were said to have encouraged the Dutch merchants to enter the trade and had set up regular
shipments of tea to ports in France, Holland, and the Baltic coast in 1610.
England entered the trade via the East India Company, or the John Company as it was known, in the mid to late
17th Century. Thomas Garway was among the first to trade tea in Britain. He offered it in dry and liquid form at
his coffeehouse in Exchange Alley in the City of London, holding his first public sale in 1657. In 1660, Garway
issued a broadsheet selling tea as "wholesome, preserving perfect health until extreme old age, good for clearing
the sight," able to cure "gripping of the guts, cold, dropsies, scurveys" and claiming that "it could make the body
active and lusty." Also in 1660, Charles II, the Merry Monarch, brought tea into fashion. After he married
Portuguese Princess Catherine, who brought a large chest of tea as part of her dowry, tea because the rage at
court. During this time, tea was taken green, without milk or sugar, from Chinese bowls of blue and white
porcelain, and hot water poured onto the leaves in oriental style from red-brown stoneware pots.
By the middle of the 18th century, tea had replaced ale and gin as the drink of the masses and became Britain's
most popular beverage.
Along with the popularity of tea rose the popularity of the tea ceremony. Although the Chinese and Japanese tea
ceremonies long preceded the English teas. The Japanese Tea Ceremony transformed tea drinking into a complex
art form. The Irish-Greek journalist-historian Lafcadio Hearn wrote from personal observation, "The Tea ceremony
requires years of training and practice to graduate in art...yet the whole of this art, as to its detail, signifies no
more than the making and serving of a cup of tea. The supremely important matter is that the act be performed
in the most perfect, most polite, most graceful, most charming manner possible". The cultural/artistic hostesses of
Japan, the Geishi, began to specialize in the presentation of the tea ceremony. "Tea Tournaments" were held
among the wealthy; nobles competed among each other for rich prizes in naming various tea blends.
In England, tea ceremony, whether high or low, focuses on conversation. Conversation is accompanied with
proper tea paraphernalia, including a tea service of porcelain or silver and a tea caddy complete with
compartments for different varieties of tea, a crystal blending bowl, and, most importantly, a lock against
pilferers.
