reading

No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor transmitted, nor translated into a machine language, without the written permission of the publishers.

Condition of Sale
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Substantial discounts on bulk quantities of Summersdale books are available to corporations, professional associations and other organisations. For details contact Nicky Douglas by telephone: +44 (0) 1243 756902, fax: +44 (0) 1243 786300 or email: nicky@summersdale.com.

COME ALONG INSIDE… WE’LL SEE IF TEA AND BUNS CAN MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.

From its accidental discovery in China several thousands of years ago to its evolution into the global beverage of choice and one of the biggest industries in the world, it’s fair to say that tea has achieved rather a lot. Tea is a way of life for so many of us. Whether used in ceremony or through habit, whether via leaves or the humble teabag, how many of us find the day hasn’t started until we’re at least one tea down?

This book looks at the history of the wonder brew, from how it was discovered to how word of it spread across the globe and made its way to Europe, and how the industry has grown to offer a huge variety of teas. It also covers the health benefits of drinking tea, as well as the different rituals practised around the world, not to mention the sticklers for tea perfection who continue to debate the ultimate serve.

So kick off your shoes, put the kettle on, and let’s raise a toast to tea and all those who make it.

For me, starting the day without a pot of tea would be a day forever out of kilter.

The tea we generally consume consists of the dried leaves of the Camellia sinensis, commonly referred to as the tea plant. The plant can be found growing as an evergreen bush or tree, and produces small white flowers and bitter-tasting fruit among its sharp, thick and shiny leaves. The two main subspecies of tea plant are Camellia sinensis sinensis, the original Chinese variety, and Camellia sinensis assamica, which is native to India and is what you probably know as Assam. The first teas to go to market were of the green variety, and it was only through experimenting with the manufacturing process, by drying the leaves for longer, that tea producers came up with black tea.

THE REAL THING

Any kind of ‘tea’ which is not derived from the Camellia sinensis – i.e. peppermint, chamomile, rooibos, etc. – is not strictly tea. However, with many a tea drinker turning to herbal varieties and the health benefits seemingly plentiful, I have adopted a more liberal meaning and included some other ‘teas’ in this book (see A–Z of Tea).

The tea we know and love originated in China and was later introduced to India by the British. These days tea is mass-produced in some 30 countries across the globe, but the four biggest producers, in order, are China, India, Kenya and Sri Lanka. Of the best-known varieties, China produces green, white, black and oolong tea; India produces Assam and Darjeeling; Kenya produces black, green, yellow and white teas; and Sri Lanka produces Ceylon.

I am a hardened and shameless tea drinker, who for twenty years diluted his meals with only the infusion of the plant; who with tea amused the evening, with tea solaced the midnight and with tea welcomed the morning.

Tea plants are grown from seed or cuttings and can take up to three years before they are harvest-ready. It generally takes between four and 12 years for a tea plant to bear seed, so propagation from cutting is generally preferred. Plants are kept short for ease of harvesting, despite their ability to reach around 15 m in height. Pruned plants will also produce more new shoots, which means tender and better-quality leaves as well as, ultimately, a better-quality brew. Tea is harvested in seasons, referred to as ‘flushes’, from which derive descriptive terms such as ‘first-flush Darjeeling’, for example. Tea leaves are generally ‘plucked’ by hand, using a specific action, as this method delivers a higher-quality product. However, machine harvesting also takes place in areas where there aren’t the hands available to get the job done, or where the tea leaves are destined for blends (see The Hows and Wheres of Tea for more on tea-making processes).

Since the 1930s, the most widely employed method of production for black tea intended for use in teabags has been ‘crush, tear and curl’ or CTC. This stage takes place after the raw leaves have been left to wither, in order to reduce their water content, and involves a set of cylindrical serrated rollers through which the tea leaves are passed and, well, crushed, torn and curled. Leaves intended for other teas, such as green, tend to be hand-harvested to preserve quality and then rolled. After this stage, the leaves will be left to rest and oxidise for however long their intended tea style requires, before being dried in an oven.

Who doesn’t drink it? In the UK alone some 165 million cups of tea are consumed every day, and globally it is the second most-consumed liquid after water. That daily total equates to 60.2 billion cups a year, a quite startling figure. Perhaps surprisingly, the largest tea-drinking nation per capita is Turkey, with Ireland and the UK coming second and third respectively.

China is the largest consumer of tea, with 1.6 billion lb of it consumed a year, but a look at per-capita consumption globally paints a different picture:

THE PERFECT SERVE?

96 per cent of the tea drunk in Britain is brewed via a teabag and 98 per cent of us prefer milk in our brew.

According to the UK Tea & Infusions Association (formerly the UK Tea Council), there are around 1,500 varieties of tea. However, these all stem from six main types: black, green, oolong, white, yellow and fermented tea.

I SAY LET THE WORLD GO TO HELL,

BUT I SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE MY TEA.

Fyodor Dostoevsky,
Notes from Underground

Tea tempers the spirit and harmonises the mind, dispels lassitude and relieves fatigue, awakens thought and prevents drowsiness.

BC 2737 – According to legend, green tea is discovered by Chinese Emperor Shennong when some stray dry tea bush leaves fall into a pot of boiling water. Upon drinking the resulting liquid the emperor claims its properties ‘give joy to the body and sparkle to the eyes’.

Sixth century – Trade in tea starts between China and its neighbouring countries, with sacks of the sought-after leaves exchanged for horses.

c.780 – Lu Yu, widely recognised as the daddy of Chinese tea, writes a book dedicated to the beverage, Cha Jing (The Classic of Tea), focusing on the plant’s cultivation and preparation. It is soon considered essential reading for all Chinese tea farmers, merchants and drinkers.

Ninth century – Tea is introduced to Japan by Buddhist monks who bring it back from their pilgrimage to China. The Japanese go positively wild for the infusion and many will eventually build a way of life around it, but for many years it remains an expensive habit enjoyed only by the rich and privileged.

1368–1644 – During the Ming Dynasty, Chinese producers devise a method of manufacturing tea leaves that will ensure they last longer and travel better. The tea leaves are naturally oxidised for longer to create a darker dried end product. Black tea is born.

1420s – The Japanese tea ceremony is introduced by Zen priest Murata Jukō, elevating tea drinking to something of an art-form-cum-religion.

1599 – Queen Elizabeth I founds the East India Company in order to forge trade links with Asia. It will go on to hold a monopoly over the tea industry in the British colonies until the mid-nineteenth century.

As well as trading in tea, the East India Company, often informally known as ‘John Company’, traded in many other commodities, including cotton, silk, indigo dye, salt, saltpetre and opium. The company, which had its own private armies to control the territories it operated in, also had its own coat of arms and flag.

1610 – The first shipment of tea arrives in Europe, in Amsterdam, aboard a Dutch trading vessel. The Dutch market the tea as a medicinal beverage, but prices are so high that only the aristocracy can afford it.

I did send for a cup of tee,

a China drink, of which I

had never drunk before.

Samuel Pepys, 25 September 1660

1650s – The first shipment of tea arrives in London, making its way from Holland. Soon afterwards, tea drinking is taken up by Catherine of Braganza, wife of King Charles II, and the practice spreads like wildfire through the upper echelons of society. In fact, tea is so on-trend that consumption of alcohol declines.

1669 – After convincing the British government to enforce a ban on Dutch imports of tea, the East India Company takes control of the market.

1700s – Thanks to improved trade links, Chinese tea begins to arrive in Egypt, Iran, Russia and Turkey.

1700s – The Russians invent the samovar, which soon becomes integral to Russian tea-drinking culture. The receptacle is used to brew a highly concentrated liquid, allowing drinkers to add varying amounts of water as their taste buds require. Tea drinkers, it would appear, have always been quite particular.

1706 – Thomas Twining opens the first tearoom in Britain, in what used to be a coffee house, at 216 Strand, London. With its teas a mainstay on British supermarket shelves for centuries, Twinings’ original tearoom still sits happily on the Strand and operates as a museum and tea shop.

TEA TOLERANCE

In 1706 the book Wholesome Advice Against the Abuse of Hot Liquors