All About Tea

1. All About Tea Tea 102

2. What’s the Fuss? "Thank god for tea! What would the world do without tea! How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea." -William Gladstone, British prime minister "The best quality tea must have creases like the leathern boot of tartar horsemen, curl like the dewlap of a mighty bullock, unfold like a mist rising out of a ravine, gleam like a lake touched by a zephyr, and be wet and soft like a fine earth newly" Lu Yu, patron saint of tea Tea is the 2nd most consumed beverage in the world second only to water !! it’s no. 8 in the USA.

3. What Is Tea? • Camellia sinensis Vars. Sinensis and assamicus • Everything else is a Herbal • Tisane versus Herbal

4. Camellia sinensis Classification • Kingdom: Plantae • Division: Magnoliophyta • Class: Magnoliopsida • Order: Ericales • Family: Theaceae • Genus: Camellia • Species: C. sinensis • Subspecies: C.sinensis sinensis or assamicus • Varieties: 380 and counting

5. Parts of the Tea Plant • Bud - unopened new leaf • Orange Pekoe Leaf (OP) Top two whole leafs • Souchong Leaf 4th and 5th leaf down on a stalk Usually called a rough pick that will include stems.

6. Tea Types

7. 380 varieties 4 groups 5000 types White, Green, Oolong, or Black Teas can also be Classified by: • Nation of Origin • Province Grown in • Estate (Plantation) Tea grown in • Garden within the Estate • Year the Tea was Picked • Flush or Season of Picking • Lot or specific day and Garden Location

8. Tea Grades • OP ~ orange pekoe • FOP ~ flowery orange pekoe • GFOP ~ golden flowery orange pekoe • TGFOP ~ tippy golden flowery orange pekoe • FTGFOP ~ finest tippy golden flowery orangepekoe • SFTGFOP ~ special finest tippy golden floweryorange pekoe • BOP~ Broken Orange Pekoe • CTC ~ cut tear and curl • Dust and Fannings ~ tea bag cut

9. Common Tea Names Based on Location

10. Tea Quality • Tea Grade vs. Quality • Broken Leaf vs. Whole Leaf • Dust & Fannings (Teabag Cut) • Cut Tear Curl

11. Tea and Health • Green Tea vs. Black • Polyphenols called Flavinoids & Tannins • Antioxidant Activation

12. Tea & Caffeine • Abundant in tea • One of 20 varieties of caffeine, teaeine, appears to enter the system slower and stays longer than coffee caffeine • Caffeine content depends on steep time

13. Tea and History Tea has an amazing story to tell through its discovery and travels around the world. Let’s take a look at just a few stories.

14. Tea Originsand Emperor Shen Nung • 2,742 BC in Yunnan • 1066 BC Yunnan tea delivered as tribute • Yunnan has 260 of 380 varieties of C. Sinensis • 794 – 221 BC Tu 1st recorded • 725 AD cha first recorded

15. Tea in the Orient • Lu Yu and the “Cha Ching” in 780 AD • 1191 Zen Buddhist Monk Myoan re-introduces tea to Japan • Powdered tea of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) • Japanese Tea Tournaments • Mongol Dynasty (1162-1368) and Marco Polo (1275) • 1368 Ming Dynasty replaces Mongol Dynasty

16. Mongolian Empire Wait a few seconds for animation Wikicommons image file

17. Europe Enters Scene • 1498 Portugal opens the gates • Dutch are not far behind • England enters late with Queen Elizabeth I forming the East India Trading Company December 31, 1600

18. CaravanTea"Ecstasy Is a Glass Full of Tea and a Piece of Sugar in the Mouth" -Alexander Puskin • Usk Kayakhta & Mai-mai-cheng 1689, a few hundred camels in 18 months • Over 10,000 camels per caravan in 1830 • 1907 last camel left Usk-Kayakhta – the trans-Siberian RR took over

19. Tea Hits England • 1652 Cromwell dies - Charles II returns with Catherine • 1658 Garway’s Advertisement • Colonial Era Tea Tax and Free Traders • Anna Duchess of Bedford

20. Grog • Navy life • Sailor’s ration of rum • Ship’s duty Admiral Edward Vernon

21. Tea and Empire • 1842 - 1849 The Opium Wars • Clipper ships • Assam, India & the John Company • Robert Fortune and Robert Bruce • Industrial Assam beats Chinese peasant framers

22. Margaret’s Hope • John Company Blues • Victoria, Empress of India • Tea Committee • New Life in India

23. High Tea • The evolution of meal times • Incorporating tea • Socialization of tea • Social distinction through tea

24. Tea in America • First arrived at same time as Europe • Taxation • Tea act of 1773 • Iced tea 1904?

25. Tea and Society • Sober Sovereigns • Safe water • Tea breaks • Advertising

26. How to Make a Great Cup of Tea • Tea grades & quality (selection & purchase) • Teapots • Steeping the tea • Take the time

27. Steeping the Tea Perfect cup of tea  *Use one teaspoon of tealeaves per cup of tea *Steep for appropriate time and temperature *After steeping, remove leaves from water *Add milk, sugar, honey, or lemon to taste

28. The one you’ve got Yi Xing, Tetsubin, Brown Betty pots Steeping accoutrements Warm pots in cold weather Washing the pot What Pot to Use?

29. Tea Storage • Air-tight inert container • Cool dry location • Do not refrigerate or freeze • Away from direct sunlight • 6 months to 1 year storage time

30. Why Loose Teas? More Loose Tea to Package = Lower Carbon Imprint Better Quality than Most Tea Bag Teas Nylon Tea Bags = Nylon Infusions Better Control of Tea Strength & Flavor with Loose Tea

31. Tea Facts • Tea Currency • Marketing Began with Tea • World Health • Modern Uses • The Irish and Iraqis Drink Most Tea • England Does Not Grow Tea!