TeaAll about Tea

Tea is over 5000 years old Legend has it that it was discovered by a

Chinese emperor when some tea leaves accidently blew into a boiling pot of water

History of Tea

Tea consumption spread throughout ever aspect of the society

First definitive book on tea introduced “Ch’a Ching”

Authored in 800 A.D. by Lu Yu who was raised by Buddhist monks

Chinese influence

First brought to Japan by Buddhist priest Thought to enhance religious meditation Tea has always been associated with Zen

Buddhism

Japanese Influence

Word filtered to Europe in 1560 Trade developed Very fashionable with a high cost ($100 a

pound) Argued positive and negative affects of tea Became a way of life

Tea in Europe

From 1699 to 1708 tea imports rose from 40,000 pounds to 240,000.

Prior to intro of tea, English had 2 main meals◦ Breakfast- ale, bread and beef◦ Dinner-long massive meal at the end of the day

Afternoon Tea in England

First to have a tea party Adopted the European tea service

◦ Small cakes◦ Bread and butter sandwiches◦ Assorted sweets◦ Tea

Around 5 in the afternoon

Anna-Duchess of Bedford

Expanded to include:◦ crust-less sandwiches ◦ shrimp or fish pates◦ Toasted breads with jams◦ Scones◦ Crumpets

Tea cuisine

“Low tea” (served in the low part of the afternoon) Wealthy folks, tidbits and high level conversation

“high tea” (high or main meal of the day) middle and lower class and consisted of full dinner-roast beef, potatoes, and tea.

Low tea-high tea-afternoon tea

Invented by the Dutch Outside Music Allowed women to enter mixed public

places Mixed freely without class consideration

Tea gardens

Boxes where coins could be deposited Helped ensure proper service

Tips

English colonist became aware of tea in 1670 in Boston

In 1720 tea was a general staple among colonists

Tea trade was centered in Boston, New York and Philadelphia

Smuggled because of tax and rebellion

Tea comes to America

To rebel colonists began to openly purchase imported Dutch tea

The Boston Tea Party happened because the colonist got mad about the British imposed Tea Tax and threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor

Tea and the American Revolution

Black-fermented (open air aging process) and has a strong flavor

Green tea-skips the oxidizing step, delicate in taste, thought to improve health, reduce cancer risk

Oolong- popular in China-cross between black and green◦ Herbal Tea has no tea leaves it is made up of

flowers, berries, peels, seeds and roots

Three primary types of tea

Infuser- small container with holes in it to let water in and contain tea

Steep- brew water just below boiling point Stir

Making Tea

Iced tea was served 1904 at the St. Louis World’s Fair by Richard Blechynden

No one wanted hot tea because of a heat wave

To save his investment he dumped ice into his brewed tea

Hit of the fair 1908 Thomas Sullivan developed the

marketing concept of “bagging tea” gave away as free samples

Iced tea and tea bags

Began in 1880’s at fine hotels as a hallmark of elegance◦ Ritz Carlton in Boston◦ Plaza Hotel in New York

First happy hour happened in 1910 because folks wanted to dance and

Afternoon Tea

The safety of caffeine has been debated for thousands of years

American Medical Association, American Cancer Society and FDA agree that moderate use is safe

Moderate use is usually defined as 300 milligrams per day.

Caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant Helps people feel alert Side effects may include sleeplessness and

temporary rise in blood pressure Concern over young teen not getting

enough calcium because they substitute sodas for milk

Pros and Cons of Caffeine

People in the US average about 200 mg per day

For adults coffee is the main source For teens it is soft drinks

Sources of Caffeine

Product Serving Size Caffeine (mg)

Coffee, brewed 8 oz 60-180

Coffee, instant 8 oz 30-120

Coffee, decaf 8 oz 1-5

Tea, brewed, US 8 oz 20-90

Tea, brewed, import 8 oz 25-110

Tea, iced 12 oz 14-75

Chocolate milk 8 oz 2-7

Cocoa beverage 8 oz 3-32

Soft drinks 12 oz 20-60

Milk chocolate 1 oz 1-15

Dark chocolate, semi 1 oz 5-35

Caffeine Content

Hard to know how much you are getting When it occurs naturally, doesn’t need to be

listed on the label If added it must be listed on the label Products are not required to list the amount

of caffeine in the product

Caffeine and Food labels

Cut back gradually Eliminating all at once can cause side

effects such as: Headaches Fatigue Drowsiness Restlessness Irritability

Usually last a couple of days

Eliminating caffeine from your diet