Tea and Opium
In the late 18th century Britain's tea consumption was costing the country dearly. China would only accept payment for tea, seriously draining the British Treasury. To counter this they began cultivating opium in Bengal to sell to the Chinese. It is instructive to reflect that the beverage John Wesley, the Methodist evangelist, was urging on his flock in the name of temperance in England was purchased at the price of drug addiction on the other side of the world. This arrangement was great for the British, but disastrous for the Chinese, as millions became opium addicts. In 1839 a Chinese official Lin Zexu burned 20,000 chests of opium on a Canton beach, a year later Britain started the first opium war. The Chinese settled for peace, making the opium trade legal again and ceded a barren rocky island off Canton to the British. This island became the centre of European/Chinese trade and was called Hong Kong.
Tea and Milk
The British custom of drinking tea with milk has its roots not in taste but economics. The long journey from the Orient made tea prohibitively expensive. Milk, on the other hand, was cheap and became the condiment of choice among the lower classes. The amount of milk added became a telltale of one's social standing. The wealthy took their tea undiluted. The middle class poured the expensive tea and then diluted it with milk. The lower class filled the cup with cheap milk and then added a splash of the costly tea.
To Insure Prompt Service (TIPS)
Tipping as a response to prompt service was born in the tea gardens of England. A small wooden box was placed on each table in the garden. The box was inscribed "To Insure Prompt Service" or TIPS for short. A coin dropped in the box usually assured prompt tea service. And thus the custom of tipping was born.
The Dutch invent Orange Pekoe
Pekoe is a corruption of Bai Hao, the Chinese words for white tip, in reference to the unfurled leaf bud covered with white down, an infallible sign of the leaf's infancy and thus of the superior delicacy of the tea. The first teas of this quality brought to Holland must have been presented to the royal family, the House of Orange, and by a stroke of marketing genius; tea of the Bai Hao type was promoted to the Dutch public as Orange Pekoe to suggest a royal warrant. So Orange Pekoe has nothing to do with flavour or colour, but simply leaf size – something to remember when some manufacturers try to sell it as a type of tea!
Tea in Sri Lanka
n 1823, Robert Bruce and his brother Charles came across Indians drinking tea made from a different variety of the plant than the one already known in China. Despite a determination on the part of the East India company that only Chinese plants were good enough for commercial production, the Bruce brothers managed, 1n 1835 to convince them that the Camellia assamica would thrive where the Camellia sinensis would not. Plantations were established and the first consignment of 8 chests of tea arrived in London in 1838. The Assam Tea Company was established in 1840 and soon expanded to other regions of India with production growing from 183 tons in 1853 to 6700 tones in 1870. Today, India is one of the world’s largest producers of tea with over 13,000 gardens, and a total workforce of over 2 million people.
Tea Gathering
n 1823, Robert Bruce and his brother Charles came across Indians drinking tea made from a different variety of the plant than the one already known in China. Despite a determination on the part of the East India company that only Chinese plants were good enough for commercial production, the Bruce brothers managed, 1n 1835 to convince them that the Camellia assamica would thrive where the Camellia sinensis would not. Plantations were established and the first consignment of 8 chests of tea arrived in London in 1838. The Assam Tea Company was established in 1840 and soon expanded to other regions of India with production growing from 183 tons in 1853 to 6700 tones in 1870. Today, India is one of the world’s largest producers of tea with over 13,000 gardens, and a total workforce of over 2 million people.
Tea in India
n 1823, Robert Bruce and his brother Charles came across Indians drinking tea made from a different variety of the plant than the one already known in China. Despite a determination on the part of the East India company that only Chinese plants were good enough for commercial production, the Bruce brothers managed, 1n 1835 to convince them that the Camellia assamica would thrive where the Camellia sinensis would not. Plantations were established and the first consignment of 8 chests of tea arrived in London in 1838. The Assam Tea Company was established in 1840 and soon expanded to other regions of India with production growing from 183 tons in 1853 to 6700 tones in 1870. Today, India is one of the world’s largest producers of tea with over 13,000 gardens, and a total workforce of over 2 million people.
White tea
We get many requests from people asking us what white tea is as it has a high profile at the moment because of its reputed superior health qualities. White Tea is produced on a very limited scale in China (originally in the Fujian province) and Sri Lanka. The new buds are plucked before they are opened, are withered to allow the natural moisture to evaporate, and then dried. The curled up buds have a silvery appearance (and are sometimes referred to as Silver Tip) and give a very pale, straw-coloured liquor. Chai does not sell this type of tea as we have found it prohibitively expensive and its health properties are not noticeably superior to our black and green teas. Also we don’t really like the taste!
Tea Tasting
Tea tasting is an essential part in the process that ensures Chai supplies only the best quality tea for Kiwis!
Firstly the dry leaves are laid in containers on the tasting bench, then a specific weight is placed in a special lidded brewing mug, boiling water added, and then left to brew for 5 minutes. The brew is then poured into specially designed tasting bowls and the infused leaf tipped on the lid of the brewing mug. For our English Breakfast brews we also add a small amount of milk. We then go through and taste all the teas in much the same way as a wine taster, sip the tea sharply in the mouth to hit the taste buds and then rolling the liquid around to get its full flavour.
As you can imagine this is a most pleasurable job when you are tasting teas for the Chai range but it can become a little tedious when you have to test what our competitors are offering!
Who are the biggest tea drinkers?
The bigest tea drinkers in the world are the Irish (3kg per capita consumption), the British (2.5kg), the Kuwaitis (2.2kg) and the Turkish (2.1kg). New Zealanders love their tea as well and consume on average 1.3kg - far greater than the Aussies (0.9kg) and Americans (0.3kgs).
The big difference though is the quality of the tea drunk - taking the tea export figures from Sri Lanka (Ceylon), New Zealand takes some of the lowest grades available from that country. Of course Chai is working on changing that, using only the finest quality tea!
Iced Tea
In 1904, an English tea dealer named Richard Blechynden set up a stand at the Saint Louis World's fair in order to acquaint Americans with black tea from India.
In the sweltering summer heat, nobody was lining up to sample the scalding drink. Struck with the inspiration, Blechyden put some ice cubes in a glass and poured his tea over them. Pleased with his invention he served it to an eager public. Iced tea was born and went on to win over the United States and then the world.
Most of the Chai range is great iced but our favourites over summer are Tropical Sunrise, Moroccan Mint and Monsoon.
Camellia Senensis
Camellia sinensis is the sole species of tea grown today. It consists of two main varieties, China and Assam, and a number of hybrids. In the wild the hardy Chinese plant stands six to nine feet high and lives for over a hundred years. Assam plants can reach up to sixty feet, but have a life span of under fifty years.
To facilitate the gathering, plants are pruned to between three and four and a half feet. They are grown from cuttings in nurseries with branch-covered roofs. The shrubs are evergreen with tapered and dentate leaves, which are deep-coloured and shiny on the top and a matte texture on the underside.
Robert Fortune
All people who love good tea (i.e. people who drink Chai) should thank this English botanist who solved the secrets of tea making jealously guarded by the Chinese. Having spent 1833-45 researching rare tea plants in China, Fortune was enlisted by the British Tea Committee to return on an undercover mission in 1848.
Fortune landed in Shanghai disguised as a Chinese merchant and, accompanied by Chinese co-conspirators, set out to the different tea regions throughout China. He visited tea gardens, taking notes of soils, tea gathering and processing, as well as taking many samples.
At the end of his journey he travelled to Calcutta, then in British India, where his expertise proved invaluable in setting up Britain's tea industry. So the moral of the story, when all else fails copy – and that’s why you see other tea brands in New Zealand now introducing new teas to try and match the Chai flavour!
Tea in Britain in the 18th Century
Tea was so popular, and so expensive, in the UK during the 18th century that tea taxes accounted for over 10% of the entire taxation revenue of Britain. In fact a pound of tea (450g) cost a working mans monthly wages. As a result smuggling became commonplace, and adulteration with nettle leaves and other plants of the hedgerow was commonly complained about. With the development of tea estates in India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) the price came down and it became possible for the whole nation to enjoy freshly brewed tea.
Reading the Tea Leaves
Professional “tasseographers” as tea-leaf readers like to be known, work by swirling the tea around in a shallow teacup anti-clockwise three times, finishing with the handle finishing towards the enquirer. The tealeaves then fall in various patterns that are ascribed certain properties according to where they are in the cup. For example, a pattern of leaves in the shape of a knife in the “home” position of the cup near the handle suggests divorce. At the far side it suggest treachery at work. Some of the interpretations are fairly obvious – a ball, for instance, suggests the ability to bounce back from problems – whilst others are downright obscure – a chestnut tree suggests justice. Of course if the tealeaves are in a bag – it means you have poor taste, are old fashioned and yet to taste the superb range of Chai teas.
Cha-No-Yu Japanese tea ceremony
The tea ceremony is a celebration of the beauty of life, harmony and Zen sensibility. The ritual is held in a sukiya (teahouse), a stand alone building located in a garden and led to by a winding path. Entry is through a one metre high doorway - forcing you to bow- emphasising humility and your insignificance compared to the Cha-no-yu. The room is a statement of simplicity with only a tea urn and a traditional scroll on the wall; the tea is made, served and drunk according to a carefully choreographed 500-year-old ritual. The tea is Matcha, powder green tea, and is made in a small bowl using a bamboo whisk producing a thick frothy "liquid jade"
Teaism
Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence. It indicates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of the social order. It is essentially a worship of the imperfect, as it is a tender attempt to accomplish something possible in this impossible thing we know as life. The book of tea, Kazuko Okakura (1906)
Tea Trivia
Experienced tea pickers collect up to 30 kgs of tea a day by hand.
One tea bush will produce tea for at least 50 years.
It takes years for tea to grow on land where lightning has struck or humans have lived.
Until the Sixth Century, tea was consumed primarily as a remedy for headaches, kidney trouble, poor digestion, ulcers, and to guard against "the noxious gasses of the body and lethargy".
Afternoon Tea
Credit for this British institution goes to Anna, Seventh duchess of Bedford. She reported a sinking feeling' around 5pm and summoned her maid to bring her a pot of tea and some refreshments. She found this habit so satisfying she began inviting friends to join her. The institution of afternoon tea became popular throughout fashionable London.
Boston Tea Party
In 1773 King George III was feeling a bit skint after spending up large on the Indian and French wars. to come up with some readies he raised the duty on tea. 'cor blimey, strike a light it's the Tea Act innit?' he said. 'like that's totally unfair dude' the American settlers yelled. on December 16 1773 men dressed up as bleedin' Mohicans, boarded 3 of 'is Majesty's ships in Boston 'arbour and 'eaved 340 chests of tea overboard [what a waste - at least it wasn't Chai!] this was the start of the War of Independence. [note: it has never been proven that King George III had a cockney accent.
Opium Wars
in the late 18th century Britain's tea consumption was costing the country dearly. China would only accept payment in silver which was a serious drain on the British Treasury. to counter this they began cultivating opium in Bengal to sell to the Chinese. this arrangement was great for the British, but disastrous for the Chinese as millions became opium addicts. in 1839 a Chinese official Lin Zexu burned 20,000 chests of opium on a Canton beach, a year later Britain started the first opium war. the Chinese settled for peace, making the opium trade legal again and ceded a barren rocky island off Canton to the British. this island became the centre of European/Chinese trade and was called Hong Kong
Origins Of Tea
according to Chinese legend tea was discovered in 2737BC by Emperor Shen Nung when a leaf of wild tea tree fell into his cup of boiling water. until the third century BC tea was prepared as a medicine using leaves from wild tea trees. eventually farmers cultivated the crop and a system for growing and processing tea was developed. tea was drunk for pleasure for the first time during the T'ang Dynasty [618AD-906AD]. it was probably the Dutch or Portuguese who introduced tea to Europe in the 17th century.
Tea Names
tea was initially exported to Europe from the Fujian Province of China where the local word is tay. this became thee in Dutch and German, te in Italian, Spanish and Danish, the in French and tea in English. the Mandarin word for tea is cha which is also used in other parts of Asia such as Japan - and of course Chai is Indian for tea, Kiwi for great tea.
The Tea Plant
the tea plant Camellia senensis is a relative of the well known Camellia plant. all varieties of tea come from this plant - black, oolong and green, the difference in flavour and appearance is due to the way the leaves are processed. herbal infusions are not strictly regarded as tea as they do not come from this plant
Production of Orthodox Black tea
Withering is the first step in the orthodox process of making black tea . Freshly picked leaves are places in trays and warm air blown through them to reduce the moisture content - this can take up to 14 hours. Next, the leaves are rolled and slightly crushed by machines (rotovane) to start the fermentation. The leaves are then left to ferment for up to 4 hours turning coppery red from green - the aroma is intoxicating! Finally the leaves are fired (100c) to arrest the fermentation and the particles turn black and acquire their recognisable tea smell. The leaves are then graded and packed to seal in the freshness.
Production of Green Tea
The leaves for geen tea are plucked in exactly the same manner as black tea. They are then manufactured in three stages completed in a single day:
Panfiring (or steaming) occurs immediately after the leaves are plucked. The leaves are placed in a metal pan over a hot flame to render them soft and pliable. The sudden exposure to heat destroys enzymes that would otherwise lead to oxidation.
Rolling the leaves on heated trays to reduce their moisture content is the next step. The process is done with the fingers and palms, and sometimes with the entire forearm up to the elbow.
Firing in large mechanical dryers is the final stage of drying. Fired green tea retains only two percent of its moisture. Some green teas produced for export are rolled and fired several times; although this increases their shelf life, it may also impair their taste and character. Green tea is then sorted by leaf size and packed.
Production of Oolong Tea
This process, whose name in Chinese means "black dragon", was developed in the Wuyi Mountains in the Fujian province. It combines elements of both fermented and unfermented processes. The leaves are picked just as they reach their peak and processed immediately.
Withering and a brief fermentation are combined, for a total of four to five hours in direct sunlight. The leaves are spread three or four inches deep in large bamboo baskets and shaken frequently to bruise the leaf edges, making them oxidize faster than the centers. This stage is halted when the leaves give off a characteristic fragrance, often compared to apples, orchids, or peaches.
Firing halts fermentation when it is about half complete. Baskets full of leaves are moved in and out of the flames of a charcoal fire. Finally, the tea is sorted for size and color and packed into foil lined wooden chests for transport.
