TEA

Tea is an aromatic beverage commonly prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis, an evergreen shrub (bush) native to East Asia. After water, it is the most widely consumed drink in the world. There are many different types of tea; some, like Darjeeling and Chinese greens, have a cooling, slightly bitter, and astringent flavour, while others have vastly different profiles that include sweet, nutty, floral or grassy notes.

Tea originated in Southwest China, where it was used as a medicinal drink. It was popularized as a recreational drink during the Chinese Tang dynasty, and tea drinking spread to other East Asian countries. Portuguese priests and merchants introduced it to Europe during the 16th century. During the 17th century, drinking tea became fashionable among Britons, who started large-scale production and commercialization of the plant in India. Combined, China and India supplied 62% of the world's tea in 2016.

The term herbal tea refers to drinks not made from Camellia sinensis: infusions of fruit, leaves, or other parts of the plant, such as steeps of rosehip, chamomile, or rooibos. These are sometimes called tisanes or herbal infusions to prevent confusion with tea made from the tea plant.

Culinary Uses

• The fresh young, light greens leaves contain about 4% caffeine and are harvested for tea production.
• The leaves are steamed and dried for green tea, or fermented and dried for black tea.
• For ordinary home use the leaves are infused in hot water and used as the drink that is commonly known as tea.
• Cold tea can be used as a soaking liquid to flavour dried fruit and ham.
• Leaf extracts are fermented to make kombucha.
• The seeds of Camellia sinensis can be pressed to yield tea oil, a sweetish seasoning and cooking oil.

Parts Used

• The shoot tip and the first two to three leaves are handpicked every second week throughout the growing season from plants over three years old - to be dried for later use.
• The seeds are pressed for oil.