Tea: Difference between revisions
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| style="background:#eee;"| Korean | | style="background:#eee;"| Korean | ||
|차 ''cha'' <small><sub>(1)</sub></small> | |차 ''cha'' <small><sub>(1)</sub></small> | ||
|style="background:#eee;" | | |style="background:#eee;" | Kurdish | ||
|''ça'' | |''ça'' | ||
| style="background:#eee;"| Lao | | style="background:#eee;"| Lao | ||
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| style="background:#eee;"| Malayalam | | style="background:#eee;"| Malayalam | ||
| ''chāyā'' | | ''chāyā'' | ||
| style="background:#eee;"| | | style="background:#eee;"| Marathi | ||
|चहा ''chahā'' | |चहा ''chahā'' | ||
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===Etymological observations=== | ===Etymological observations=== | ||
The different words for tea fall into two main groups: "''te''-derived" | The different words for tea fall into two main groups: "''te''-derived" Min and "''cha''-derived" (Cantonese and Mandarin). The words that various languages use for "tea" reveal where those nations first acquired their tea and tea culture. | ||
* Portuguese traders were the first Europeans to import the herb in large amounts. The Portuguese borrowed their word for tea (''cha'') from Cantonese in the 1550s via their trading posts in the south of China, especially | * Portuguese traders were the first Europeans to import the herb in large amounts. The Portuguese borrowed their word for tea (''cha'') from Cantonese in the 1550s via their trading posts in the south of China, especially Macau. | ||
* In Central Asia, Mandarin ''cha'' developed into Persian ''chay'', and this form spread with Persian trade and cultural influence. | * In Central Asia, Mandarin ''cha'' developed into Persian ''chay'', and this form spread with Persian trade and cultural influence. | ||
* Russia (''chai'') encountered tea in Central Asia. | * Russia (''chai'') encountered tea in Central Asia. | ||
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===Additives=== | ===Additives=== | ||
The addition of milk to tea in Europe was first mentioned in 1680 by the epistolist Madame de Sévigné. Many teas are traditionally drunk with milk in cultures where dairy products are consumed. These include Indian [[masala chai]] and British tea blends. These teas tend to be very hearty varieties of black tea which can be tasted through the milk, such as Assams, or the East Friesian blend. Milk is thought to neutralize remaining tannins and reduce acidity. The Han Chinese do not usually drink milk with tea (or indeed use milk at all) but the Manchus do, and the elite of the Qing Dynasty of the Chinese Empire continued to do so. Hong Kong-style milk tea is based on British colonial habits. Tibetans and other Himalayan peoples traditionally drink tea with milk or yak butter and salt. In Eastern European countries (Russia, Poland and Hungary) and in Italy, tea is commonly served with lemon juice. In Poland, tea with milk is called a ''bawarka'' ("Bavarian style"), and is often drunk by pregnant and nursing women. | |||
The order of steps in preparing a cup of tea is a much-debated topic, and can vary widely between cultures or even individuals. Some say it is preferable to add the milk before the tea, as the high temperature of freshly brewed tea can denature the proteins found in fresh milk, similar to the change in taste of UHT milk, resulting in an inferior-tasting beverage. Others insist it is better to add the milk after brewing the tea, as most teas need to be brewed as close to boiling as possible. The addition of milk chills the beverage during the crucial brewing phase, if brewing in a cup rather than using a pot, meaning the delicate flavor of a good tea cannot be fully appreciated. By adding the milk afterwards, it is easier to dissolve sugar in the tea and also to ensure the desired amount of milk is added, as the color of the tea can be observed. Historically, the order of steps was taken as an indication of class: only those wealthy enough to afford good-quality porcelain would be confident of its being able to cope with being exposed to boiling water unadulterated with milk. | The order of steps in preparing a cup of tea is a much-debated topic, and can vary widely between cultures or even individuals. Some say it is preferable to add the milk before the tea, as the high temperature of freshly brewed tea can denature the proteins found in fresh milk, similar to the change in taste of UHT milk, resulting in an inferior-tasting beverage. Others insist it is better to add the milk after brewing the tea, as most teas need to be brewed as close to boiling as possible. The addition of milk chills the beverage during the crucial brewing phase, if brewing in a cup rather than using a pot, meaning the delicate flavor of a good tea cannot be fully appreciated. By adding the milk afterwards, it is easier to dissolve sugar in the tea and also to ensure the desired amount of milk is added, as the color of the tea can be observed. Historically, the order of steps was taken as an indication of class: only those wealthy enough to afford good-quality porcelain would be confident of its being able to cope with being exposed to boiling water unadulterated with milk. | ||
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==Economics== | ==Economics== | ||
Tea is the most popular manufactured drink in the world in terms of consumption. Its consumption equals all other manufactured drinks in the world – including coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, and alcohol – put together. Most tea consumed outside East Asia is produced on large plantations in the hilly regions of India and Sri Lanka, and is destined to be sold to large businesses. Opposite this large-scale industrial production are many small "gardens," sometimes minuscule plantations, that produce highly sought-after teas prized by gourmets. These teas are both rare and expensive, and can be compared to some of the most expensive wines in this respect. | Tea is the most popular manufactured drink in the world in terms of consumption. Its consumption equals all other manufactured drinks in the world – including coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, and alcohol – put together. Most tea consumed outside East Asia is produced on large plantations in the hilly regions of India and Sri Lanka, and is destined to be sold to large businesses. Opposite this large-scale industrial production are many small "gardens," sometimes minuscule plantations, that produce highly sought-after teas prized by gourmets. These teas are both rare and expensive, and can be compared to some of the most expensive wines in this respect. | ||
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==Packaging== | ==Packaging== | ||
===Tea bags=== | ===Tea bags=== | ||
In 1907, American tea merchant Thomas Sullivan began distributing samples of his tea in small bags of Chinese silk with a drawstring. Consumers noticed they could simply leave the tea in the bag and reuse it with fresh tea. However, the potential of this distribution/packaging method would not be fully realized until later on. During World War II, tea was rationed in the United Kingdom. In 1953 (after Rationing in the United Kingdom during and after World War II|rationing in the UK ended), Tetley launched the tea bag to the UK and it was an immediate success. | In 1907, American tea merchant Thomas Sullivan began distributing samples of his tea in small bags of Chinese silk with a drawstring. Consumers noticed they could simply leave the tea in the bag and reuse it with fresh tea. However, the potential of this distribution/packaging method would not be fully realized until later on. During World War II, tea was rationed in the United Kingdom. In 1953 (after Rationing in the United Kingdom during and after World War II|rationing in the UK ended), Tetley launched the tea bag to the UK and it was an immediate success. | ||
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Additional reasons why bag tea is considered less well-flavored include: | Additional reasons why bag tea is considered less well-flavored include: | ||
* Dried tea loses its flavor quickly on exposure to air. Most bag teas (although not all) contain leaves broken into small pieces; the great | * Dried tea loses its flavor quickly on exposure to air. Most bag teas (although not all) contain leaves broken into small pieces; the great surface area to volume ratio of the leaves in tea bags exposes them to more air, and therefore causes them to go stale faster. Loose tea leaves are likely to be in larger pieces, or to be entirely intact. | ||
* Breaking up the leaves for bags extracts flavored oils. | * Breaking up the leaves for bags extracts flavored oils. | ||
* The small size of the bag does not allow leaves to diffuse and steep properly. | * The small size of the bag does not allow leaves to diffuse and steep properly. | ||
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==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
<gallery> | <gallery> | ||
Image: | Image:Formosa Tieguanyin.webp|[[Tie Guan Yin]], an oolong tea | ||
Image:Baihao-Yinzhen. | Image:Baihao-Yinzhen.jpg|Fuding [[Baihao Yinzhen]], a white tea | ||
Image:pu-erh.webp| raw pu-erh | Image:pu-erh.webp| raw pu-erh | ||
Image:Huoshan-Huangya.webp|[[Huoshan Huangya]], a yellow tea | Image:Huoshan-Huangya.webp|[[Huoshan Huangya]], a yellow tea | ||
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===Bibliography=== | ===Bibliography=== | ||
*Claud Bald: Indian Tea. ''A Textbook on the Culture and Manufacture of Tea''. Fifth Edition. Thoroughly Revised and Partly Rewritten by C.J. Harrison. Thacker, Spink & Co., Calcutta 1940 (first edition, 1933). | * Claud Bald: Indian Tea. ''A Textbook on the Culture and Manufacture of Tea''. Fifth Edition. Thoroughly Revised and Partly Rewritten by C.J. Harrison. Thacker, Spink & Co., Calcutta 1940 (first edition, 1933). | ||
* Kit Chow, Ione Kramer (1990): ''All the Tea in China'', China Books & Periodicals Inc. ISBN 0-8351-2194-1. | * Kit Chow, Ione Kramer (1990): ''All the Tea in China'', China Books & Periodicals Inc. ISBN 0-8351-2194-1. | ||
* John C. Evans (1992): ''Tea in China: The History of China's National Drink'', Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-28049-5 | * John C. Evans (1992): ''Tea in China: The History of China's National Drink'', Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-28049-5 | ||
* Forbes, Andrew ; Henley, David (2011). ''China's Ancient Tea Horse Road''. Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. ASIN: B005DQV7Q2 | * Forbes, Andrew ; Henley, David (2011). ''China's Ancient Tea Horse Road''. Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. ASIN: B005DQV7Q2 | ||
*Harler, C.R., ''The Culture and Marketing of Tea''. Second edition. Oxford University Press, New York and Bombay, Reprinted 1958 (First edition 1933, second edition 1956). | * Harler, C.R., ''The Culture and Marketing of Tea''. Second edition. Oxford University Press, New York and Bombay, Reprinted 1958 (First edition 1933, second edition 1956). | ||
*Eelco Hesse (1982), ''Tea: The eyelids of Bodhidharma'', Prism Press. | * Eelco Hesse (1982), ''Tea: The eyelids of Bodhidharma'', Prism Press. | ||
* Lu Yu (陆羽): ''Cha Jing'' (茶经) Translated and Introduced by Francis Ross. ''The Classic of Tea''. Boston: Little, 1974. x, 177p. ISBN 0-316-53450-1; Reprinted: Ecco Press, 1997. ISBN 0880014164. | * Lu Yu (陆羽): ''Cha Jing'' (茶经) Translated and Introduced by Francis Ross. ''The Classic of Tea''. Boston: Little, 1974. x, 177p. ISBN 0-316-53450-1; Reprinted: Ecco Press, 1997. ISBN 0880014164. | ||
* Lysaght, Patricia. "When I makes Tea, I makes Tea: the case of Tea in Ireland". ''Ulster Folklife'', Vol. 33, 1987 | * Lysaght, Patricia. "When I makes Tea, I makes Tea: the case of Tea in Ireland". ''Ulster Folklife'', Vol. 33, 1987 | ||