There are only a few things in this world that don’t operate with time. A cup of tea is one such thing.
In India at least, no morning or evening starts without a cup of our favourite piping-hot beverage. In fact, any given time of the day is perfect for a tea. It seems tea has quietly emerged as the solution to some most complex problems.
Do you feel tense? Let’s have tea.
Do you feel bored? a cup of tea.
Do you feel sick and cold? We will go to the doctor, but first let’s have tea; it might just cure it.
Do you feel cold? Tea!
Is the summer bothering you? Tea!
Do you feel down? Tea!
Do you want to introduce your boyfriend to your parents but don’t know how? Invite him over for a cup of tea.
Hold a discussion? Let’s talk over tea!
Guests at home? Tea must be served.
Are you fasting and can’t eat anything? That’s all fine, we can just have tea.
The second most widely consumed beverage in the world after water, it is also one of the oldest.
The tea plant is native to East Asia and the Indian subcontinent, but the origins and history of tea are not precise. Many of the origin myths for tea are found in Chinese mythology, and the first verifiable records for tea consumption also point towards China.
If folk tales are to be believed, it was Shen Nung, a Chinese ruler and renowned herbalist, who first discovered tea by accident in 2732 BC. when the leaves from a wild tree fell into his pot of boiling water. He sipped the intriguing brew out of curiosity and was instantly enchanted by its delicate flavour and refreshing effect. Shen Nung described a warm feeling as he drank the intriguing brew, as if the liquid was investigating every part of his body. He named the brew “ch’a”, the Chinese character meaning to check or investigate.
Whatever the truth, tea has a long, interesting history, and its popularity continues to grow with each passing day.
Tea cultivation in India has rather vague origins. Although the extent of the popularity of tea in ancient India is indeterminate, it is known that the tea plant was a wild plant in India that was indeed brewed by local inhabitants of different regions. But no substantiation of the history of tea drinking on the Indian subcontinent in the pre-colonial period is found. One can only surmise that tea leaves were widely used in ancient India since the plant is native to some parts of India.
It is also possible that tea was a prevalent drink but under a different name. Frederick R. Dannaway suggests in his essay “Tea As Soma” that tea was perhaps better known as “Soma” in ancient India.
Another recorded reference to tea in India dates to 1598, when a Dutch traveler, Jan Huyghen van Linschoten, noted in a book that the leaves of the Assam tea plant were used by Indians as a vegetable, eaten with garlic and oil, and as a drink.
Given the magnitude of love tea enjoys in our country, it should come as no surprise that India is the world’s largest consumer of tea, consuming nearly 30% of global output, and also the second-largest exporter of tea after China.
It is not just the largest tea producer in the world, but over 70% of domestic tea is consumed within the country itself!
The Indian tea industry has grown to own many global tea brands and has evolved into one of the most technologically equipped tea industries in the world.
As per the Tea Board under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, the tea varieties found in India are Darjeeling, Assam, Nilgiri, Kangra, Munnar, Dooars-Terai, Masala Tea, and Sikkim tea. Most of the teas have been named after the regions they are produced in, and they are also statutorily protected as “Geographical Indicators”.
According to National Sample Survey Organization data, India consumes 15 times more tea than coffee.
Typically, tea in India is consumed with both milk and sugar.
But true to the tradition of “unity in diversity,” Indians drink tea in all different variations depending on their regional and cultural affiliations.
Northern India’s most popular way to drink tea is masala chai, served with biscuits; kadak chai (a very strongly brewed tea, almost to the point of bitterness); or “malai mar ke chai,” a tea with a creamy preparation.
In South India, although coffee is a much-loved drink, tea brewed with milk and sugar is equally loved.
In Assam, popular tea brews are Sah, Ronga Sah (red tea without milk), and Gakhir Sah (milk tea). In West Bengal, it is called Cha.
Butter tea, or “gur gur” in the Ladakhi language, is served in a bowl and prepared with tea leaves, yak butter, and water. It is popular in Himalayan regions of India, particularly in Ladakh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Then there are the delicate variations from Kashmir Valley: the Kashmiri kahwa brewed with green tea spiced with almonds, pistachios, and saffron, and noon chai, aka sheer chai, made with green tea leaves, salt, baking soda, and milk.
The wonderful Nilgiri tea or Blue Mountain tea with floral and citrus notes, the mildly refreshing Darjeeling tea, the white tea, the partially oxidised oolong tea that is popular in India but loved in China and Hong Kong.
There’s black tea, yellow tea, lemongrass tea, irani chai, tandoori chai, kangra chai, blooming tea, mate tea, and honey-flavored flavoured chamomile tea, to name a few.
In India, tea is not just a beverage but a lifestyle that is enjoyed in different ways.
But that’s not all there is to tea; beyond its taste, it is packed with several health benefits. For centuries, people across the globe have testified to the relaxing and invigorating qualities of tea. The traditional calming effects of the plant Camellia sinensis have elevated the drink, which is produced from its leaves, to a role beyond quenching thirst—it helps to soothe the nerves or simply to unwind. But although the mental-health benefits of C. sinensis are common knowledge among tea drinkers, scientists are only now beginning to examine how tea exerts its effects on mood and cognition.
It is found in research, for instance, that drinking tea lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol. And evidence of long-term health benefits is emerging, too: drinking at least half a cup of green tea a day seems to lower the risk of developing depression and dementia.
Scientists are also trying to identify the major active compounds that give tea its mental-health benefits, and whether they work alone or in combination with other compounds present in the drink. Tea catechins — antioxidants such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)—account for up to 42% of the dry weight of brewed green tea, and the amino acid L-theanine makes up around 3%. EGCG is thought to make people feel calmer and improve memory and attention when consumed on its own. L-theanine is found to have a similar effect when consumed in combination with caffeine. Up to 5% of the dry weight of green tea is caffeine, which is known to improve mood, alertness, and cognition.
There are more than 1,500 types of tea in the world. Around the world, people drink it to relax, reinvigorate, and soothe, and it’s something we need now more than ever.
Specifically, they’re investigating whether the relaxing and alerting effects are a direct biological outcome of the compounds in tea or whether they come from the context in which the drink is consumed—preparing your brew, choosing your favourite cup, and sitting down for a brief respite from the world. Or both.
Drinking tea is less likely to produce a “caffeine crash” than drinking coffee. The high levels of antioxidants in tea slow the absorption of caffeine, which results in a gentler increase in caffeine in your system and a longer period of alertness with no crash at the end.
Tea also contains polyphenols, which are antioxidants that repair cells and may help our bodies fend off cardiovascular diseases, cancers, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, and other maladies.
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just green tea that’s good for you. Black, white, and red tea also have health-giving flavonoids and polyphenols.
The next time you drink a cup of tea, don’t forget to take a moment to reflect on tea’s long history and its benefits.
By Ajita Sharma
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