The first documented reference to tea came in 350 A.D. when Chinese scholar Kuo P’o wrote about “k’ut’u”, a medicinal beverage “made from the leaves by boiling”. By the fifth century A.D., tea became a major bartering tool for China.
It also became a popular social custom for China’s elite, with the Imperial House and Buddhist priests enjoying royal blends and coveting a special “white” tea, considered the rarest and most delicate of teas.
The original site of tea cultivation has been debated for years, but it’s generally agreed that the first tea garden was in the monsoon region of Southeast Asia, then unclaimed by any nation, and now lying in an area that includes both China and India.

The Chinese originally called it “Kia”. As far as is know it was during the course of the 6th century AD that the name evolved into “Cha”. On its arrival in the West it became Té which is still the name for tea in many countries.
Legend has it that tea was discovered by the Chinese Emperor, Shen Nung, in 2737 B.C.
The Emperor had a habit of boiling his drinking water. One day while he was in his garden a few tea leaves fell by chance into his boiling water which then gave off a rich, alluring aroma. The Emperor, upon drinking this brew, discovered it to be refreshing and energizing.
He immediately gave the command that tea bushes to be planted in the gardens of his palace. Thus the custom of brewing fresh tea leaves in hot water began and it quickly spread.
Since the discovery of tea and over the centuries the tradition of drinking tea brewed from fresh tea leaves in boiling water has been firmly entrenched in China.
Until the fifth century A.D., tea was primarily used as a remedy, due to the medicinal benefits attributed to it. From this time onwards, China’s upper class adopted the fashion of presenting packages of tea as highly esteemed gifts and of enjoying drinking tea at social events and in private homes. At around the same time the Chinese tea ceremony began to develop and the tidings of tea began to spread as it reached Japan.

Irish Breakfast tea is a strong, full bodied blend of black teas. The tea is heavily drunk in Ireland, which explains the name, and it is associated with breakfast in the rest of the world. Fans of Irish Breakfast tea say that the robust flavor helps to revitalize them in the morning, making for a more productive and enjoyable day. Many shops and tea stores carry Irish Breakfast, since the tea is quite popular in many nations.

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English Breakfast Tea was actually invented in Edinburgh, Scotland. Tea houses in London began adding “English” to the name, and the tea became and remains one of the most popular teas in England. It is a robust, full-bodied beverage with light floral undertones (sometimes referred to as “coppery”).
It is a blend for those who appreciate traditional teas. Taken in the morning during breakfast.

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Tea is the most prominent drink of India. Today India is the worlds largest producer, exporter and consumer of tea.
The word “Chai” literally means TEA and Masala is the world of mixture of various spices used among households in India are generally Cardamom, Cinnamon, Ginger and Cloves. Indian ‘Masala Chai’ produces a warming soothing effect and gives one a wonderful sense of well being. It is had by the people of India but it is very popular in Northern India. Masala tea is served in homes, cafes and roadside. It is taken in the morning and mainly around 4PM accompanied with samosas and pakoras.

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Tea leaves contain more than 700 chemicals, among which the compounds closely related to human health are flavanoides, amino acids, vitamins (C, E and K), caffeine and polysaccharides. Moreover, tea drinking has recently proven to be associated with cell-mediated immune function of the human body. Tea plays an important role in improving beneficial intestinal microflora, as well as providing immunity against intestinal disorders and in protecting cell membranes from oxidative damage. Tea also prevents dental caries due to the presence of fluorine. The role of tea is well established in normalizing bloodpressure, lipid depressing activity, prevention of coronary heart diseases and diabetes by reducing the blood-glucose activity. Tea also possesses germicidal and germistatic activities against various gram positive and gram negative human pathogenic bacteria. Both green and black tea infusions contain a number of antioxidants, mainly catechins that have anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic and anti-tumor properties.

At the Tearoom of the Ritz in London’s upper class Mayfair the watercress sandwiches must be water thin. Not because thickness has anything to do with improving gastronomic satisfaction levels but because it enhances the taste of Darjeeling finest – the outstanding orange pekoe. The service needless to say, is the best Wedge-wood can offer. Cut to a typical Sunday morning in steamy Kolkata. An overcrowded sidewalk café dishing out double-half cha to a motley group, busy in saving the universe. The – that wonder drink – has its own connectivity syndrome. The world of tea is seamless. It blends the booming canons in an 18th century Boston harbour with the quiet and elaborate ritual of an afternoon in Japan with effortless ease. It also has a resilience seldom talked about. In 1992, the redoubtable Coca-Cola came calling on the Indian shores. Pepsi Co had already found a toehold in the beverage market. With Coke’s calling card in place, the marketing experts were busy forecasting a shift in beverage habits of the common man. After all, the entire tea industry in the country was only a fragment of revenues earned by Coke and PepsiCo. The ad budget of Coca-Cola in India was more than the turnover of most medium tea companies. However, 10 years down the line, tea continues to be the beverage of the nation and per capita consumption of carbonated drinks continues to languish at three bottles per year. The new millennium has brought a new threat: coffee. With the Yankees firmly in command over the world, coffee is ready to rule the waves. Tea needs a new makeover. But let’s start the tea tale at the beginning.

BLACK TEA ICE CREAM
SERVINGS: 4

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The black teas produced in Ceylon, India and China are the preferred teas in Europe and America. The freshly picked leaves undergo a long process of transformation, for black  must be fermented. And the fermentation of tea requires as much care and close, scientifically controlled attention as does the fermentation of wine. This industrial art constitutes the modern, technological face of these exotic and apparently unchanging tea gardens, and merits the same detailed description as the colorful swirl of saris. But whereas it is pleasant to linger under a shade tree to watch the plucking, ears lightly humming with the music of wind in the leaves or the voices or the murdered songs of the tea pickers, once at the door of the factory it becomes impossible to tarry for long- much less day dream in the thundering din of machines.
Here, men do most of the work. Barefoot laborers and technicians in British styles shorts bustle among an indescribable clutter of machines, amid dim shade, heat and incessant noise.
Every where it is produced, black tea undergoes five successive stages. The leaves are first softened by a withering process that reduces their moisture content by half and enables them to be rolled without breaking. They are spread in thin layers on the wide screen stacked eight inches apart to allow a current of warm air to circulate for roughly twenty four hours. The most modern factories, however now accomplish the task in tunnels or vats, reducing withering time to six hours.
Withering is not followed by rolling (or maceration). The leaves are rolled to break down cell wall and release their essential oils. This was done in the palm of the hand, but has long since been performed by impressive rolling machines composed of heavy metal disks rotating in opposite direction.
The rolled leaves are then placed on long mats to be sorted according to size and condition- whole or broken. This sorting is still done entirely by hand I some gardens, enabling the leaves to be graded into various classes of black tea. In the finest gardens, whole leaves are classified according to the size and the way in which they are rolled, yielding Orange Pekoe, Flowery Orange Pekoe, Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe or Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, Tippy Golden Broken Orange Pekoe. Finally the so called crushed leaves which are infact small pieces are called dust and Fannings.

                                                         

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