Passion For Tea still Strong After 5,000 Years Of Its Discovery

Although tea is the most popular drink around the globe, second only to water, Chinese people are particularly known for their love of tea-making. A Chinese popular proverb says, “Better to go without food for three days than without tea for a single day.” The Chinese are believed to have enjoyed drinking tea for about 5,000 years. According to legend, one day in the year 2737 B.C., a great Emperor of China named Shen Nung, who is believed to have tasted numerous kinds of medicinal herbs, was sitting under a Camellia tree while his servants boiled a pot of water. Suddenly leaves from the tree fell into the pot, resulting in a fragrant brown liquid.
T
he Emperor showed an interest in a new liquid and drank some, and found it very refreshing.
Before this discovery, Camellia leaves were only used in vegetable replenishes and medicines.

Tea as a drink prospered throughout China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and it became an important part of Chinese culture. In ancient China, where tea was regarded as one of the seven daily necessities - along with firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar - and, it was always offered immediately to a guest.

Making tea spread from China to Japan via a Buddhist priest, while Arabic merchants began exporting tea in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Today, some 3,000 different varieties of tea are cultivated around the world, but they all basically fall under four main types: white, green, oolong, and black teas. All of these originate from the Camellia sinensis tree in China. As a general rule, the darker the tea, the stronger the flavor and higher the caffeine.

White tea and green tea are normally made from the youngest leaves and have a very light gentle flavor. White tea is the least processed of all teas, and therefore is highest in antioxidants. Green tea keeps the original color of the tea leaves without fermentation during processing, and helps to calm nerves.

Oolong is usually made from the darker, richer leaves, and is semi-fermented and relatively thick in flavor. Black tea is fully fermented before baking, giving it a much darker color and stronger flavor.

Although green tea has been gradually increasing in popularity, black tea still accounts for over 90 percent of all tea sold in western countries.

Responding to the special interest in Chinese tea ceremony, one of the five-star hotels in Singapore offers regular tea seminars for guests. The seminar, given by prominent Chinese teamasters, includes a tasting session and study of the history of tea.

Alan Wong, a grandson of the founder of Koko tea, a major supplier of Chinese tea leaves to most of local restaurants and hotels, teaches the participants how to make Chinese tea in the Gongfu (great skill) way.

“Scented tea, or flower tea, like Jasmine is gaining popularity,” Wong told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). Made by mixing fragrant flowers with the tea leaves in the course of processing, the scented tea has a smooth fragrance.

Even though the Gongfu tea ceremony is much more relaxed than the Japanese one which emphasizes hand gestures rather than tea’s taste and smell, there are still many important processes.

According to Wong, a good Gongfu approach for preparing tea requires some basic teaware and a good quality tea of choice, such as purple clay or porcelain teapot and tiny cups. The clay absorbs the oils from the tea leaves and the teapots are much smaller than those used in the west.

Handling instruments, typically made of wood, including a tea tray for dispensing water and tea tweezers for washing cups are also prepared, as well as a tea warmer.
The Gongfu tea ceremony is recommended for experienced drinkers and is only suitable for high-quality tea. Using a bamboo teaspoon, the teapot is first about 1/3 full with tea leaves. Water is boiled then poured into the teapot.

Water is an important factor in good tea-making, and each type of Chinese tea has its own ideal water temperature. For example, water for green tea should never be brought to boiling, while Oolong or black tea can stand water at 90-100 Centigrade.

“In the case of fine and delicate green tea, over-heated water would destroy its flavors and good nutrients,” Wong warned. Fill hot water halfway in the teapot and immediately dispense the water from the teapot into the tea cups, he says. Then, using tweezers, pour away the water from the cups.

“This process can wash away the tea dust from the good quality tea leaves and warm the tea cups at the same time,” Wong explained. With this step, the tea cups are rousing with the strong aroma and ready to use.

Refill the teapot with boiling water to the top and pour hot water on the outside of the teapot as well, thus the same temperature is maintained inside and outside to bring out the essence of the tea. “Unlike the English tea style, the water in the pot should not be left for long, as the tea becomes bitter,” he said.

After 20 to 50 seconds, depending on the type and quantity of the tea used, the tea is poured into the cups by moving the teapot around in a continuous motion over the cups to fill them together. Each cup should taste exactly the same.

One of the highlights of Wong’s tea seminar is “morning blossom pearl tea,” a kind of handicraft tea. It is a perfect mixture of visual treat and the essence of traditional tea taste.
“Morning blossom pearl tea” consists of the green teas rolled into a visually pleasing ball-like figure with a nicely scented flower on top, such as carnation, lily, and marigold. When Wong infused in a clear glass, a red flower began to blossom out.

This article was taken from: Indian Muslims