History

The popular belief is that tea (camellia sinensis) was discovered in China around 2737BC when the Emperor Shennong is supposed to have become aware of the tea plant’s refreshing qualities. Apparently a few leaves of a tea bush fell from a branch into a pan of water the Emperor was boiling.

Whatever the veracity of the legend, the important thing is that tea was discovered and over the ensuing centuries has become the most consumed drink after water, spreading first to Japan and India and then to the rest of the world.

Most tea is grown between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn and grows best in high mountain areas where the mists provide the plants with humidity. The bushes are pruned every four to five years for rejuvenation and to keep them at a convenient height for picking. The pickers must learn the most desirable time to pick the leaves to create the finest teas.

The most common tea is black tea, but in reality there are four main varieties of tea which all emanate from the camellia sinensis bush. These are black, green, oolong and white tea.

Black tea – undergoes four basic stages of manufacture, namely, withering, rolling, oxidation and drying.

Green tea – undergoes withering and drying/steaming, but not oxidation.

Oolong tea – which falls between black and green tea is subjected to withering, rolling, careful drying and only a short period of oxidation.

White tea – is very rare and is seldom found outside China. The young buds are covered in silvery hairs and these give them a white appearance. They are picked carefully by hand, gently dried in the sun or steamed.

For further information regarding the history of tea, see www.tea.co.uk