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History of tea

Varieties of tea

Tea industry

Tea and your health

The language of tea

Tea – a drink consumed in households and workplaces throughout the world – was first discovered purely by accident. While many myths and legends surround the discovery of tea, one story stands out most accurately. According to the tale the history of tea originates in the year 2737 B.C. during the reign of the Chinese emperor Chen Nung. The Emperor was popularly known as the “Divine Healer” as he was responsible for identifying the medical properties of many herbs. One day while the Emperor was on a journey he stopped for a drink of water. While he boiled the water to purify it, a few leaves from a nearby tea tree fell into the imperial pot. The scent and flavour emanating from the tea leaves was to the Emperor’s liking – and with that first cup the humble tea leaf made its royal debut.

For many centuries however, the only tea that was consumed was dried green tea leaves, which originated in China. Black tea was yet to be discovered. Until 850 AD tea was also prepared by simply boiling the tea leaves in water, not through today’s process of brewing. Traditionally there were three methods through which tea was prepared:

Boiling Tea – Classical Period
Whisking Tea – Romantic Period
Brewing Tea – Naturalistic Period

The Classical Period
This period in the history of tea lasted till about 850 AD. The tea leaves were first steamed and then ground with a pestle and mortar, then mixed with rice, ginger, salt, orange peel, spice, milk and onions and eventually boiled. The resulting concoction was a syrupy mixture of leaves. This form of tea bares a resemblance to the tea served with yak butter in Tibet today. During this period tea was also simply boiled and served.

The Romantic Period
During the Romantic period, tea was “whisked” – a method made popular in the time of the Song dynasty (960-1279AD). The dried unfermented leaves were ground into a fine powder, after which it was added to boiling water and whisked into a thick sauce, with the aid of a bamboo brush. This form of tea preparation is carried out with much flair even today at the world renowned Japanese Tea Ceremonies.

The Naturalistic Period
Tea “whisking” was replaced by “brewing” during the Chinese “Ming Dynasty” – the method of preparation that is practiced throughout the world today. Black tea also surpassed green tea in popularity during the Naturalistic Period.

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The varieties of tea available that is produced from Camellia Sinensis can be largely categorized into Green Tea, Black Tea and Specialty White Teas.

Black Tea and Green Tea
Although it is commonly assumed that black and green tea are produced from two different trees, they in fact come from the same tree. The difference in the two types of teas arises from the process of fermentation. During the fermentation process tea turns red and then eventually black when dried. Green tea in contrast is not fermented, but is heat-treated to retain its colour.

No records are available on how and why the process of fermentation was started. It is however possible that the process was developed to store and preserve tea more easily and retain it for longer periods of time.

While both green and black tea have their own distinctive tastes, black tea grew in popularity throughout the world. The number of ways in which black tea can be consumed are varied and has therefore resulted in it being preferred over green tea.

Terms describing the grading of selected black teas
Pekoe – a whole leaf black tea produced by a medium plucking of the second leaf on the tea bush. The word Pekoe is derived from Chinese, meaning ‘white hair’ and was originally applied to early tea pluckings, due to the white down on the backs of the young tea leaf.

Broken Orange Pekoe – (BOP) black tea comprising smaller leaves and broken segments with an abundance of tips. Can be applied to both Orthodox and CTC teas.

Broken Pekoe – (BP) full boiled black tea comprising broken segments of somewhat coarse leaf, without tip. Can be applied to both Orthodox and CTC teas.

Fannings – small grainy particles of leaf (1-1.5mm) sifted out of better grade teas. Fannings will produce a liquor that is often as good as that of a whole leaf grade – it is a grade which applies to both orthodox and CTC teas. In the orthodox teas, fannings will include broken orange pekoe fannings (BOPF) and golden orange pekoe fannings (GOPF), which describe the amount of tips in a grade.

Flowery Orange Pekoe – can be either whole leaf or broken leaf orthodox black tea with a lot of tip, which gives its finer quality.

Flowery Pekoe – a whole leaf black tea with the leaf rolled lengthwise.

Orange Pekoe – black tea comprising leaf 8 to 15 millimeters long which has fewer tips than an FOP.

Dust – the smallest particle of leaf size in both orthodox and CTC teas, which is normally used for tea bags, as they infuse quickly with the full flavour and strength coming through the tea bag material.

Terms describing the grading of selected green teas
Chinese Type Gun Powder Special – tiny particles of tea representing pellets. Generally having a smokey character in the cup.

Young Hysen – large particles of tea, approximately three times the size of Gun Powder.

Green Tea Fannings – similar to BOP Fannings, this particular grade is suitable for tea bags.

Sencha – long leaf tea which produces a delicate brew.

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The tea industry in Sri Lanka consists of a number of players including manufacturers, exporters, and retailers of tea. The industry consists of three main groups - producers, brokers and exporters. The producers are in fact the ones who actually manufacture tea, and are made up of persons involved at plantation and factory level. Brokers are the middlemen who play a vital role in this industry, as they liase between the producers and buyers in the industry, and conduct marketing for the plantations and factories. The buyers/exporters consist of a large number of companies both local and international.

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While tea is best known as a refreshing drink, it has in fact numerous properties that prove beneficial to human health. Studies conducted on tea have found it to contain many compounds, including the amino acid-theanine, which is unique to the tea tree. Tea has also displayed anti-carcinogenic, anti-bacterial, cholesterol lowering, and anti-diabetic effects. In addition this invigorating drink has been found to reduce hypertension. Besides the tea leaves, the roots and seeds of this tree have also been found to contain compounds that could be used for diverse purposes such as the production of food dyes, cosmetics, and herbal shampoos.

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English is the common language used in the tea industry throughout the world. However, it is English with a difference. A grade of a leaf for example refers to the size of the leaf particle, while dust is the term used to desribe the smallest leaf particle. Large leaf, good quality China tea is called stringy, and made tea is the state of the tea at the end of production and not tea that has been brewed in a pot.

Our glossary os a comprehensive list of all the terms commonly used in the tea trade - read through it to find out how to speak the language of a true tea expert.

Source: International Tea Committee, London

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