Today’s Spotlight is on Tea.

Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis, an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northern Myanmar. Tea is also made, but rarely, from the leaves of Camellia taliensis. It’s the second most popular beverage in the world, after water.

 

Tea is made by:

• Steaming or pan frying the leaves to neutralize enzymes and prevent oxidation
• Rolling the leaves in various ways and tightness
• Drying the leaves

The oxidation stage is responsible for differentiating tea into its various categories, including: White, Green, Oolong, Black.

Tea has been considered a health-promoting habit since ancient times. It contains antioxidants and less caffeine than coffee. It may also:

• Reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.
• Help with weight loss.
• Help protect your bones.
• Keep your smile bright.
• Boost the immune system.

The first recording of tea described it as a medicinal beverage in China in the 3rd century AD. The ancient Greeks and Romans, indigenous tribes in the Americas, and monks in Asia used tea as a medicinal herb.

 

History of Tea

According to legend, tea was discovered in China around 2700 BCE.  The Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting under a tree while his servant boiled water. Leaves from the tree blew into the water, and Shen Nung, a renowned herbalist, decided to try the infusion.

He was pleasantly surprised by the flavor and restorative properties of the brew. For millennia, tea was used as a medicinal beverage. The Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) used tea as medicine. The use of tea as a beverage drunk for pleasure on social occasions dates from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) or earlier.

Around the 3rd century CE, tea became a daily drink, and tea cultivation and processing began.  It appealed particularly to the aristocracy and the privileged classes. Later, it would become an elegant, refined beverage for upper middle-class ladies. The rest of the population considered tea “posh” or as a medicinal drink, so it was rarely consumed.

The oldest known tea remains are 2,400 years old and were found in a royal tomb in Zoucheng, Shandong province. The tea leaves date back to 453BC-410BC. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences found the tea buried in the Han Yangling Mausoleum, the tomb of Han Dynasty Emperor Jing Di. The find suggests that tea was a favored beverage among Chinese royalty at least 2,150 years ago.

The oldest form of tea is green tea from China. It’s been produced for millennia and remains one of the most popular teas today.

In Britain, tea became a common beverage for the upper and middle classes in the early part of the next century. The British government imposed a tax on tea after losing taxes from the sale of liquor.  Tastes changed after Charles II married the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza, who was a known tea lover. The Brits soon took to drinking tea and never looked back.

Tea was originally drunk for its medicinal properties. It was thought to be good for digestion, and was drunk after the midday meal. People also drank tea outdoors, which brought them closer to nature.

Tea was introduced to Europe in the 16th century. It was first introduced to France in 1635, Germany in 1650, and England in 1650. Tea took root in England because they invented adding sugar to tea, and it was first drunk by the royal families and nobility.

 

Here are some fun facts about tea:

• There are about 3,000 different types of tea.
• Mint tea is actually an infusion, not a tea.
• Green tea has 24–40 mg of caffeine per cup, and black tea has 14–61 mg per cup.
• Tea plants grow best in acidic soils and can be cultivated at different altitudes.
• Different regions produce teas with different flavors.
• Tea is a great social media in China.
• Tea is ranked 31st in the most valuable crop/livestock league table.
• It takes 2,000 tea leaves to make one pound of tea.
• In the 17th century, scientists thought that tea was bad for your health.

Here are some random facts about green tea:

• Green tea is sugar-free, even though it has a slightly sweet taste.
• Green tea is 99.9% water and can rehydrate the body.
• Green tea contains many nutrients, including manganese, zinc, chromium, selenium, and vitamins.
• Green tea can help detoxify the body and help with issues like stress and fatigue.
• Green tea increases insulin sensitivity and lowers blood sugar levels.
• Green tea contains fluoride, which can prevent bacteria from attacking teeth.
• Green tea is rich in tannins, a type of antioxidant that can boost the body’s immune system.

 

Consumption

In 2021, 297 billion liters of tea were consumed worldwide. This is the second most popular beverage in the world, after water. In 2022, global consumption of tea was about 6.7 billion kilograms. It’s estimated to reach 7.4 billion kilograms by 2025.

In the US, over 159 million people drink tea on any given day. In 2021, Americans consumed almost 85 billion servings of tea, or more than 3.9 billion gallons. Total tea sales in the US were estimated to amount to 13.47 billion U.S. dollars in 2021.

The tea market comprises four broad segments:

• Ready-to-drink tea (RTD)
• The traditional market
• The specialty segments.
• The foodservice segment

 

Celebrating Tea

There are several tea holidays, including:

• International Tea Day: Celebrated on May 21 and December 15.
• National Tea Day: Celebrated on April 21.
• National Iced Tea Day: Celebrated on June 10.
• National Hot Tea Day: Celebrated on January 12.

 

Other tea holidays include:

• Japanese Sweets Day on June 16
• National Cream Tea Day on the last Friday in June

The Tea Council of the USA created National Hot Tea Day in 2016 to raise awareness of the benefits of hot tea. Let us know in the comments what your favorite tea is.