Fascinating Facts About Tea
In The Beginning… There Was Tea
From old trading records and writings, we know that tea has been consumed for over three thousand years. The oldest record of tea comes from China so its reasonable to speculate that tea originally came from China. China is still known today to have some of the best varieties of tea. Japan is known to have some of the best green tea and Taiwan is famous for its oolong tea.
After the British took up tea drinking, they began cultivating the plants native to India in order to have more control over the trade. India, Sri Lanka, and other South Asian countries produce a large portion of the world harvest.
What Really Is Tea?
Tea is a drink made by infusing leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis, or Thea sinensis) in hot water. The name ‘tea’ is also used to refer to the leaves themselves; and it is also the name of a mid- to late-afternoon meal in the British Isles and associated countries, at which tea (the drink) is served along with various foods.
There are 3 main types of tea: black, green, and oolong. What most people may not realize is that these 3 types are all made from the same Camellia sinensis plant. What makes them different are how the leaves are processed. With green tea, the leaves are not oxidized. Black tea is oxidized for several hours and oolong tea receives a little less oxidation.
Many different types of tea varieties are available within these 3 categories.
What Is Herbal Tea
Different types of herbs with health benefits have been added to tea. These are called herbal teas. Tea professionals sometimes will only use the word “tea” to mean pure tea. For these professionals, you will see them use the following names to mean herbal tea:
1. Herbal infusion which is a drink made by steeping an herb in water that is hot.
2. Tisane which is the French word for every type of herbal drink.
Tisane usually has the following herbs: lemon verbena, peppermint, rose hips, and chamomile. Some companies specialize exclusively in herbal blends.
Some exaggerated claims have been made for the medicinal properties of herbal infusions. Even so, some herbs do have generally recognized benefits. For instance, rose hips contain vitamin C; chamomile helps many people relax; and peppermint has a noticeable soothing effect on the stomach. Herbs can also cause problems. Chamomile, for example, can cause allergic reactions in people who are allergic to ragweed.
Find the best specials on your favorite type of tea like Bentley’s Tea visit bentley’s tea and for the cheapest prices on thousands of teas visit buy tea online
Tags: alternative health, Alternative Medicine, health
November 15 2009 05:20 am | Alternative Medicine
Jason Witt on 16 Nov 2009 at 2:23 am #
You forgot to mention Puerh tea. It’s a whole other category of true Camellia Sinensis tea. Puerh has more antioxidants than green tea plus has probiotics, like yogurt.
Fascinating Facts About Tea Tea on 18 Nov 2009 at 12:13 am #
[...] original here: Fascinating Facts About Tea By admin | category: herbal tea | tags: are-called, blend-the-ingredients, cure-process, [...]