That Other Drink!
The majority of Kendal residents usually begin their morning battles with the existential exigencies of life with a jolt of caffeine contained in their beloved mugs of coffee. It is likely that this is true of morning risers throughout the west, but, unexpectedly, statistics show that the volume of coffee consumed around the world each year is exceeded by that of another drink—tea (which contains about half the concentration of caffeine). Tea is second in the quantity drunk around the world only to water.
Here are some facts about tea that I find especially interesting:
Tea is made from the leaves of a tropical shrub, Camellia sinenesis, first described in Chinese writings around 200 BCE. It is now widely grown in China, India and Ceylon, as well as a few other equatorial countries. In the spring, buds and tender leaves from these plants are harvested by hand plucking and processed immediately. The method of processing determines the color of the tea. Tea leaves spread out under the sun oxidize rapidly, turning the color of the leave to dark brown; these are the basis of black tea (which actually is mostly amber). If the freshly plucked leaves are immediately steamed, they preserve their natural color and are the source of green tea.
The differing tastes of tea are derived from different forms of Camellia, but many of the most unique flavors are introduced by add-ons during processing and by blending the leaved with introduced compounds. One of most widely admired Chinese tea, for example, lapsang souchong, is made by smoking its leaves over burning pine wood. One of the few varieties of tea available our bistro, Earl Gray (an 18th century British politician) gets it flavor from added bergamot.
After being processed, tea leaves are macerated. On the old days, they were then pressed into “bricks” for shipping.
Around the turn of the 20th century an entrepreneur named Thomas Sullivan invented the tea bag.
Tea drinking has spawned a great variety of utensils, from ornate samovars to the most finely decorated china teapots, cups and saucers.
Tea has influenced history in varying ways. Securing a stable source of tea may have been one of the motivations for the British occupation and rule over India during much of the 19th century. All Americans are familiar with the dumping of a load of tea from a British ship in Boson harbor as one of the preludes to the American Revolution.
Over the years, tea drinking has given rise to rituals. Here are brief descriptions of two of the most notable of these:
Japanese tea drinking was formalized to the smallest detail centuries ago. It takes place in a small tea house called a sukia. Participants must pass through a garden on their way to the sukia. The room is decorated by scrolls and paintings.
A small meal is served followed by three rounds of Macha, a green tea that is brewed in a kettle on a charcoal stove sunk into the ground. The tea must be drunk holding a handleless cup with both hands. The tea drinking is followed by a period of contemplation of the beauty ad fragility of life, Tea masters had to train for years before they could lead these ceremonies. Needless to say, modern life with its demands on time and work has drastically reduced the frequency and attendance at these ceremonies.
Another notable ritual for drinking tea is the British Afternoon Tea (what Americans call “High Tea”). Begun in the 17th century it became not just a tradition but a way of life: a sign of good taste and conviviality. Queen Victoria’s afternoon teas helped codify it. Traditionally afternoon tea is accompanied by small cucumber, tomato, egg or watercress sandwiches.
Throughout World War II, King George VI took tea with his family every day, an important contributor to the British spirit of resistance during the siege of Nazi bombing.
Norman J. Sissman