In 1848, Robert Fortune was sent by the East India Company on a mission to China to bring the tea plant back to Great Britain. The Chinese tea plants he brought back were introduced to the Himalayas, though most did not survive. The British had discovered that a different variety of tea was endemic to Assam and the northeast region of India, which was then hybridized with Chinese small-leaf-type tea. Tea was originally consumed only by Anglo-Indians; however, it became widely popular in India in the 1950s because of a successful advertising campaign by the India Tea Board. Many types of Southern Yunnan Assam tea have been hybridized with the closely related species Camellia taliensis. Unlike Southern Yunnan Assam tea, Western Yunnan Assam tea shares many genetic similarities with Indian Assam-type tea (also C. sinensis var. assamica).

Secret and Spies Afternoon Tea at Raffles London

Polyphenols in tea include flavonoids, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and other catechins. The most important chemicals in tea are the tannins, or polyphenols, which are colourless, bitter-tasting substances that give the drink its astringency. When acted upon by an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, polyphenols acquire a reddish colour and form the flavouring compounds of the beverage. Certain volatile oils contribute to the aroma of tea, and also contributing to beverage quality are various sugars and amino acids. The first published account of methods of planting, processing, and drinking came in 350 ce.

Herbal tea

Examples of additions added at the point of consumption include milk, sugar and lemon. In the production of black teas, halting by heating is carried out simultaneously with drying. Without careful moisture and temperature control during manufacture and packaging, growth of undesired molds and bacteria may make tea unfit for consumption. Caffeine makes up about 3% of tea’s dry weight, which translates to between 30 and 90 milligrams per 250-millilitre (8+1⁄2 US fl oz) cup depending on the type, brand, and brewing method. Tea contains small amounts of theobromine and theophylline, which are xanthines and stimulants, similar to caffeine. Its characteristic colour and powerful flavour come from the fermentation or oxidation process by which it’s produced.

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• The need to address the issue of British trade deficit because of the trade in tea resulted in the Opium Wars.

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• The Mongolian Khan donated to Tsar Michael I four poods (65–70 kg) of tea in 1638.

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• Tea, however, was not widely consumed in the British Isles until the 18th century and remained expensive until the latter part of that period.

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• Western tastes, however, favoured the fully oxidized black tea, and the leaves were allowed to oxidize further.
• While some teas provide more benefits than others, there’s plenty of evidence that regularly drinking tea offers numerous advantages.

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• Turkish tea is an important part of that country’s cuisine and is the most commonly consumed hot drink, despite the country’s long history with coffee.

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However, the number of cups that might be considered optimum over a day will vary from person to person and be dependent on the type of tea you choose. Peter Mundy, a traveller and merchant who came across tea in Fujian in 1637, wrote, “chaa – only water with a kind of herb boyled in it”. Tea, however, was not widely consumed in the British Isles until the 18th century and remained expensive until the latter part of that period. English drinkers preferred to add sugar and milk to black tea, and black tea overtook green tea in popularity in the 1720s. Tea smuggling during the 18th century led to the general public being able to afford and consume tea. In Britain and Tea Spins Ireland, tea was initially consumed as a luxury item on special occasions, such as religious festivals, wakes, and domestic work gatherings.

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• Certain volatile oils contribute to the aroma of tea, and also contributing to beverage quality are various sugars and amino acids.

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• The most important chemicals in tea are the tannins, or polyphenols, which are colourless, bitter-tasting substances that give the drink its astringency.
• Peter Mundy, a traveller and merchant who came across tea in Fujian in 1637, wrote, “chaa – only water with a kind of herb boyled in it”.

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• The Chinese tea plants he brought back were introduced to the Himalayas, though most did not survive.

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• In Britain and Ireland, tea was initially consumed as a luxury item on special occasions, such as religious festivals, wakes, and domestic work gatherings.

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• The Han dynasty work “The Contract for a Youth”, written by Wang Bao in 59 BC, contains the first known reference to boiling tea.

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Honey cake and caramelised apples

The Han dynasty work “The Contract for a Youth”, written by Wang Bao in 59 BC, contains the first known reference to boiling tea. Among the tasks listed to be undertaken by the youth, the contract states that “he shall boil tea and fill the utensils” and “he shall buy tea at Wuyang”. The first record of tea cultivation is dated to this period, during which tea was cultivated on Meng Mountain (蒙山) near Chengdu.

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• During the Tang dynasty, as described by Lu Yu, compressed tea was ground into a powder, combined with hot water, and ladled into bowls, resulting in a “frothy” mixture.

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• “Instant tea”, similar to freeze-dried instant coffee and an alternative to brewed tea, can be consumed either hot or cold.

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• Traders from other nations then sought to find another product, in this case opium, to sell to China to earn back the silver they were required to pay for tea and other commodities.

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• The short plants bear more new shoots which provide new and tender leaves and increase the quality of the tea.

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• Polyphenols in tea include flavonoids, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and other catechins.
• 80% of office workers say they find out more about what’s going on at work over a cup of tea than any other way.

Does tea contain caffeine?

Only the top 25 to 50 millimetres (1 to 2 in) of the mature plant are picked. Assam second flush or “tippy” tea is considered superior to first flush, because of the gold tips that appear on the leaves. In clinical research conducted in the early 21st century, it was found there is no scientific evidence to indicate that consuming tea affects any disease or improves health. Chinese small-leaf-type tea was introduced into India in 1836 by the British in an attempt to break the Chinese monopoly on tea. In 1841, Archibald Campbell brought seeds of Chinese tea from the Kumaun region and experimented with planting tea in Darjeeling.
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Other hot drink

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What sets the different types of tea apart is the degree of fermentation they undergo – white tea receives the least, then green, oolong and, finally, black tea. In Pakistan, both black and green teas are popular and are known locally as sabz chai and kahwah, respectively. The popular green tea is often served after every meal in the Pashtun belt of Balochistan and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In the northern Pakistani regions of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan, a salty, buttered Tibetan-style tea is consumed.