TeaCreated by Maya Lycett

Contents What is tea? Page 3 Where is tea from? Page 4 How tea leaves are grown. Page 5 How tea is harvested. Page 6 How tea is processed. Pages 7 & 8 Types of tea.Page 9 How to make a cup of tea. Page 10 & 11 How to enjoy a tea.Page 12 Tea crossword Page 13 & 14 Glossary Page 15 References. Page 16

What is Tea?Tea is a type of drink made from leaves of other plants like chamomile tea.

Fact: In 2737 B.C. The second emperor of China, Shen Nung, discovers tea when tea leaves blow into his cup of hot water.

Where is tea from?

Tea is from all over the world, but most tea originates from China and India. Together they produce 50% of the world’s tea.

How tea leaves grow. Tea is grown on a plantation. It takes

five to seven years for a sapling to grow until it produces tea leaves that can be harvested.

The weather can affect the growth of the tea bushes, such as the drought, in 1999 or El Nino.

The type of tea is influenced by the climate, soil and the altitude.

How tea is harvested. Tea can be hand plucked and then

carefully taken to the factory to be weighed.

Tea can also be cut by a mechanical harvester, which is similar to a hedge cutter.

How is tea is processed. At the factory the leaves are dried out,

this can take up to 10 to 16 hours. The dried leaf is cut up and it oxidizes

with the air, then laid on trays for up to two hours. This is called fermentation.

The leaves are dried again or fired by sending the tea through hot air chambers.

How is tea is processed cont. The leaves are then crushed and cut up

again which will release the flavors. They are sorted for size.

Types of tea Black tea e.g. English Breakfast has been

completely oxidized. White tea is very rare; it is made from the

youngest leaves. Green tea has only gone through a very

small level of oxidation so the leaves stay green.

Fruit tea e.g. strawberry, apple, grape, lemon.

How to make a cup of tea. First, you need fresh water. Pour some fresh

water into the kettle While the water is boiling, prepare the rest

of the gear - a cup, a strainer, a teaspoon Some people like to use teabags instead. Next, you need to warm up your teapot.  You

want to make sure that the hot water used to brew your tea stays hot. 

Now you need to put one to two teaspoons of tea leaves or the teabag in the pot. Then add the boiling water.

How to make tea. Part 2 The tea is now steeping in the pot.

I let mine steep for about a minute. Some people enjoy their tea with the

leaves in the cup. Instead use a small strainer to catch the tea leaves before they enter your cup.

Add milk and sugar if you would like it and stir it. You have successfully made a cup of tea.

How to enjoy a cup of tea. Depending on when you drink your tea

you may wish to have it with your breakfast in the morning whilst reading the newspaper.

Lots of people enjoy their tea with cake in the afternoon.

Some people like to drink it ice cold. Some like it by its self. Many others like

to drink there tea with lemon or honey.

All About Tea Crossword

Crossword CluesAcross 2. A chemical reaction with air when the plant is dried. 4. The height above sea level. 6. When the tea soaks in hot water. 8. A type of fruit tea.

Down 1. Nung Who discovered tea? 3. A type of weather that can affect the growth of tea. 5. A hot drink. 7. A country near to the equator that produces a quarter of the world's tea.

Glossary Plantation - a large area of land where tea is

planted. Steeping - when some thing is soaking. El Nino - is a climate pattern that occurs across

the tropics. Altitude - the height of some thing above sea

level. Drought - a very long period of dry weather. Sapling - a young tree. Fermentation – when the tea changes chemically. Oxidation – a chemical reaction with air when the

plant is dried.

References

http://www.itea.com.au/Content_Common/pg-Plantation-t-Cup-How-is-Tea-Grown.seo

http://www.chevroncars.com/learn/food-recipes/tea-facts http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/CrissCrossSetupForm.asp http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/strawberries-with-jellified-matcha/article1154367/ http://kaleidoscope.cultural-china.com/en/131K5768K11681.html Oxford School Dictionary