Tea is such a popular drink all over the world that it's easy to forget, or never even think about, where it comes from. Before tea drinking developed into a British stereotype and before the green tea loving Japanese invented green tea ice cream, tea was essentially Chinese. It's believed that tea-shrubs have been growing in China for some five or six thousand years, though people have only been cultivating them for two thousand (1). Export of the drink was first made to Japan in the 6th century, and by the 17th and 18th centuries tea had made its way all the way to Europe. But despite its worldwide popularity, the largest variety of tea and the highest quality can still only be found in China. Today it's cultivated all over southeast Asia, inside and outside of China.

Tea Culture

One thing foreigners find surprising is how unfamiliar such a familiar beverage can be. In China tea comes in a bewildering array of varieties and types, none of which involve such a thing as a tea bag. Tea is always brewed with loose leaves, and the leaves are not usually strained out before it's poured, so you inevitably drink a few small bits of tea leaf with your tea.

Chinese tea comes in five basic varieties, based on the method by which it's processed. Green tea keeps the original color of the tea leaves and has a very light flavor; oolong tea is partially fermented before it's baked; black tea is fully fermented before it's baked; compressed tea is hardened, usually into bricks, which makes it good for transport and storage; scented tea, of which jasmine is probably the most popular type, is made by mixing flowers in with the tea leaves during the processing. For each variety of tea, there's huge variation in flavor according to what brand the tea is and how high its quality.

Foreigners often make the mistake of thinking that brewing tea is so simple it would be almost impossible to get it wrong. In fact, it's incredibly easy to make truly awful tea. Since tea is always loose in China it's easy to add too many or too few leaves. In addition, water temperature makes quite a difference in the flavor of tea. Most people make the mistake of adding water that's much too hot. Green tea in particular is so light in flavor that water hotter than 80 degrees Celsius ruins it.

Plus, foreigners often don't recognize the apparatus of the brewing infrastructure when they see it. The familiar teapot is far from the only type of vessel people brew tea in. Another common way tea is brewed is with a gaiwan. Literally "lidded bowl", a gaiwan is a essentially a large, handleless cup into which hot water is poured over loose tea leaves. The lid is then used to strain most of the leaves out. Tea is usually brewed this way when you're tasting it to buy.

Tea tasting is no casual activity. Searching for the highest quality tea requires a certain amount of knowledge about tea and how it's grown and processed as well as the ability to determine quality by smelling and looking at the leaves. True connoisseur-ship requires a refined pallet, a good idea for the amount of tea leaves necessary, knowledge of what water temperature is best for which kind of tea, and no small expense. The most expensive, high-quality tea can run to hundreds of RMB an ounce.

The potential complexity of the beverage is in line with the potential complexity of its cultural implications. Though tea is most often drunk informally with meals, tea drinking and pouring can be a complex, nuanced affair. Pouring tea for others is a sign of respect, or it can be a sign of apology in the right circumstances. In traditional Chinese wedding ceremony the bride and groom kneel before their parents and serve them tea as an expression of gratitude. Tea is then served to the entire extended family, and a refusal to drink it might be construed as disapproval of the marriage (2).

Health

Tea has a number of widely recognized health benefits. It contains large amounts of tannic acid, a chemical known for its anti-inflammatory and germicidal properties. It also contains caffeine, a stimulant for the nervous center and for the metabolism. Tea with aromatics in it may help in the digestion of fats and proteins, and some of its vitamins can help smokers discharge nicotine from their systems.

On the other hand, it's never good to overdo things and too much tea can cause health problems. Large amounts of tannic acid irritate the stomach lining and can cause constipation. To much caffeine can cause insomnia, and even heart problems if over-drinking is prolonged. Finally, tea can and will stain your teeth brown.

Reference:
1) chinavista.com
2) wikipedia.org

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