The Ancient Roots of Tea
Tea has been consumed in China for centuries and only arrived in the West in the 16th century. Tea is said to have originated in East Asia. The first tea plant was found around 5,000 years ago and was used by Buddhist monks for their spiritual rituals. It also became a popular drink during many dynasties.
Tea became popular in the west during the 16th century when Dutch traders began importing it from China in 1610 or when Portuguese missionary and Jesuit priests brought it over from Japan after 1640, and later Saint Francis Xavier introduced it to Goa. After this introduction, tea leaves were imported into Europe from China. Tea was first introduced in England by Samuel Pepys and King Charles II’s wife Catherine of Braganza.
Why Tea is Important for you
Tea is one of the most popular drinks in the world and there are many different varieties to choose from. The caffeine content in tea varies depending on which type you drink. But tea is not just a beverage. It is also a popularly used medicine and has been for centuries. It has many health benefits such as relieving stress, lowering the risk for type 2 diabetes, improving memory and even stopping cancer cells from growing. Did you know that tea can also help with weight loss, help prevent cancer, and act as an antidepressant?
Different Kinds of Tea
In our previous article, A Guide to Understanding Pu Er Tea and Different Types of Tea, we talked about the different kinds of tea. Here we’ll go into detail about some of them.
Black Tea, the Most Consumed Tea in the World
Black tea is a type of traditionally fermented tea that has been oxidized and dried so that it has little caffeine. The technique of black tea production was developed in India in 1837 by British colonists trying to find an alternative to Chinese green teas because those were expensive and difficult to get during the First Opium War and Second Opium Wars. Black teas can be blended with other types of teas to produce different flavors or act as an accompaniment to food or dessert.
Black Tea is the most consumed type of tea in the world. It is known for its strong taste, which can be attributed to the fact that it is made from fermented leaves. Black tea originated in China and was first exported to Europe, and then around the world. It reached England in 1718 and became extremely popular. The British Empire spread black tea from India to Africa, America, and Australia.
Pu Er Tea from Yunnan Province
Pu Er Tea is a type of tea that is native to the Yunnan province in China. It is the most well-known black tea in the country. Pu Er tea has been around for centuries, but it was not until the 1990s that people outside of China really started to take notice. Today it is growing in popularity and becoming more readily available in America and many parts of the world like Singapore.
The way Pu Er tea leaves are processed can determine their quality and flavor, which usually means a higher price tag on those leaves. This process usually includes an air drying process, where they are spread out on bamboo mats for a few weeks before being heated at low temperatures to stop the oxidation process and to remove moisture from the leaves. This long-term air-drying results in a darker looking tea.