May 21 is considered to be the international day of tea to celebrate the cultural and economic significance of tea.History brings its story back to the Chinese era, where tea was first drunk and gained significance and popularity all over the world. Ever since, the popularity of different types of tea leaves has skyrocketed.Some of the common types of tea are pu-erh, oolong, white, black and green, all with their distinct taste. All tea leaves are withered to reduce the moisture content present in tea and stop the oxidation process. Tea is said to find its roots in southwest China, in the Yunnan province. The legend tells the story of the Chinese emperor and herbalist, Shen Nung, who was the first to discover tea in China in 2737 BCE, almost 5,000 years ago. The history of tea from China tells that when the Chinese emperor, Shen Nung was boiling his drinking water sitting under a tree, a leaf from the tree accidentally fell into the water. When the emperor of China tasted it, the fusion of the taste got a hang in him, and thus the water prepared with the tea leaves in it came to be known as the ancient tea. This might be just one tale of the discovery of tea, as it is known that a lot of stories are there telling the story of the discovery of tea in their own versions. Some stories even include the Lord Buddha’s eyelids considered to be tea leaves. The most popular modern-day variant of black tea came into existence roughly 350 years ago.After you are done reading about this beverage originating from the Camellia sinensis plant, you might also want to know where sugar comes from and where sausage comes from.What plant is tea made from?Let it be any tea, such as black, green, oolong, butter, masala, white tea or Pu-erh, they all come from the same plant of Camellia sinensis; albeit different varieties of them exist. Tea production, cultivation, and all are usually done in individual private or government-based commercial tea plantations. All the tea plantations that we see on the way to our hill stations like Munnar, Nelliyampathy, are of the same tea plants of the species or family of Camellia sinensis.The evergreen plant of Camellia sinensis is very much valued for its young leaves and leaf buds. The species of the plant is considered as shrubs or small trees in the flowering plant family Theaceae, whose buds and leaves are normally used for the production of tea. It is from these tea leaves that the beverage tea is produced. A debate is still on for where native tea plants are to be considered, in the group of spices, or in the group of herbs. Well, this is actually more often considered as an herb than a spice. But still, that doesn’t make green tea a herbal tea.The natural habitat for the growth of the tastiest teas is cold or chill climates and high-altitude areas. An infinite number of hybrids of the tea plants can be seen in many of the tea fields and plantations across the world. Climate, rainfall, soil acidity, and availability of labor are considered for the cultivation of tea.What is chai tea and where does chai tea come from?‘Chai’ is quite a famous word in India. There would not be a single day that Indians spend without drinking their chai. More than a beverage, it has become an emotion for them. Indian tea is what is known as chai. The word ‘chai’ comes from the Hindi word meaning ’tea’. Chai owes its origin to South Asia. Beginning in the Assam region of India, this black tea with milk was first used in ancient times as herbal medicine, rather than as a recreational beverage.With appropriate masalas and spices in them, a ginger tea, or an elaichi tea (cardamom tea) could do wonders to a human being boosting his or her mood, activating energy into them. British colonization developed the culture of chai in India. It was the British who discovered tea in India and utilized the supply of tea imported by the Chinese, to stimulate the East India Company for making it a huge business establishment for growing tea in India. India has always been a central hub for British company’s operations. The traditional chai teas evolved from Assam’s black tea, with a spin of boiled milk, sugar, and other chai spices like cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, cloves, fennel, ginger, and peppercorn and gave rise to the modern-day chai tea.What is black tea and where does black tea come from?Did you know that the tea plantation projects in the United States were successful only by the end of the 19th century? Black tea, which is also widely known as red tea in China is a type of tea where no milk is used in the process of making it. Black tea is known for its rich reddish infusion and the hybrid variety of tea plants, named Camellia sinensis assamica used to make it. As for Camellia sinensis assamica, tea leaves are larger and they are more often used in the countries of India and Sri Lanka.The Chinese consumed only green tea and oolong tea back in the mid 17th century. The tale of black teas originating goes back to the story related to Fujian provinces. Drying the leaves, making them oxidized and then smoking them, created lapsang souchong, which was the first tasted black teas. The term ‘black tea‘ was coined by the Dutch and British traders who identified Chinese red teas as black teas, because of the dark color leaves of the tea plant. Even today, Chinese red teas are referred to as black teas in the western world. A wide variety of black teas are the Chinese black teas: congou, Keemum Mao Fang, lapsang souchong, Indian black teas: Assam and Darjeeling black teas, Sri Lankan black tea: Ceylon.Black tea is widely considered a weight loss drink to reduce belly fat. Black tea is made just using water and not with milk. Just like any other tea, black tea is also made with the leaves and leaf buds of the same plant species of Camellia sinensis. To trigger the oxidation process, black tea is rolled and then exposed to air. This is what gives the leaves a dark brown color and makes the tea more intense and of the high flavor of caffeine.What is bubble tea and where does bubble tea come from?Bubble tea is a different type of tea that originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s. Liu Han-Chieh, in 1983, introduced tapioca pearls to Taiwanese citizens. The tapioca pearls were added on the bottom of the tea, which looked like bubbles, and hence the name ‘bubble tea’ was coined out.This version of tea called bubble tea was served as a cool, refreshing, and sweet drink with all the tapioca pearls covering the bottom of the glass. Bubble tea was a totally different trend from the normal tea, as other teas are served hot, but bubble teas are cool refreshing healthy milkshakes, with fresh fruits and crushed ice added to them.Different tea varieties of today’s time include black tea, green tea, white tea, herbal tea, rooibos tea, oolong tea, masala tea, Indian chai, Pu-erh tea, and more.Is tea healthier than coffee?Tea and coffee are always a topic of competition when it comes to their consumers. A lot of people prefer tea in e South Asian countries, while the western and European countries give more importance to coffee. The main reason that the US people prefer coffee would be that, they only have two main commercial tea gardens, and coffee is more cultivated in those lands than tea.Tea needs a warmer atmosphere to grow. That’s why the US has its tea gardens and plantations in Charleston, South Carolina, and in Burlington, Washington.Green tea and black tea may differ in the oxidation process, but they both are rich in protective antioxidants called polyphenols. Green tea smells fresh and grassy while black tea is earthy and sweet. They also contain a subgroup of polyphenols, called flavonoids that can protect your heart. Also, other shared benefits of green and black tea include brain-boosting stimulants of caffeine. Also, green tea is rich in powerful antioxidant EGCG, which can fight against cancer cells and bacterial cells and protect your brain and liver.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for where does tea come from? Interesting history facts on type of tea, then why not take a look at why do cats puke or where does cork come from? What is a cork oak tree?
May 21 is considered to be the international day of tea to celebrate the cultural and economic significance of tea.
