Tea

Legend has it that the Chinese emperor Shen Nung discovered tea nearly 5000 years ago, when a leaf from a tea bush fell into his bowl of boiled drinking water. The pleasures of tea were known only in Eastern lands until the early 1600s, when European traders began bringing it back from Far Eastern ports. At first, tea was rare and fabulously expensive, and was drunk only by the wealthy. But by the 1800s, it had become the inexpensive, refreshing and popular drink it is today. In fact, tea is second only to water as the world's most popular beverage.

The tea plant is an evergreen that belongs to the camellia family; it's cultivated on plantations in tropical and subtropical climates. At one time, nearly all the tea used in the world came from China. But today, most of tea we drink is produced in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania.

Of the over 3000 varieties of tea, most take their names from the area where they are grown. Darjeeling, for example, comes from a region of the Himalayas of India: Assam is grown in northeastern India. Many brands of tea are actually blends - the average tea bag may contain 20 to 30 different teas, all carefully selected by a master tea blender. The variations in flavor among types of tea don't come from differences in the actual tea plant, which is much the same in all parts of the world. Flavor differences result from different growing condition - variations in soil acidity and altitude, for example - and from the processing method used after harvesting.

When tea is harvested, the top two leaves and a bud are pinched from the tips of the branches. The fresh green leaves are spread on racks in a withering loft for 12 to 24 hours, while currents of warm, dry air remove much of their moisture. Then they're rolled through special machines and sent to cool, humid oxidizing rooms, where they remain for 20 minutes to an hour (the oxidizing step is omitted for green tea and shortened for oolong tea). After that, the leaves are dried, graded and packed for shipment.

Black tea is made from leaves that have been fully oxidized (hence the dark color); it makes a hearty, rich-colored brew. Green tea is not oxidized, so the leaves stay green. This type of tea is delicate-flavored and light in color. Oolong tea most popular in China, is only partially oxidized. It has a greenish-brown color and makes a fairly light brew.

Collections of Tea Recipes:

1. Indian Ginger-Spiced Tea

2. Spiced Indian Tea (Masala Chai)

3. Cardamom Tea

4. Spicy Orange Tea