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Derived from the Chinese, the word tea occurs in almost all languages of the world. This is the name by which the beverage came to be known in the countries it initially arrived via sea (the in French, tee in Germany, te in Italian). Meanwhile, the countries it reached by land adopted a derivative of the more common Chinese pronunciation cha. Thus, at home (India), the Arab nations and the Slavonic world, chai is the identity for tea. Interestingly, infusions made from other plants are often also referred to as "tea;" the correct term for a fruit or herbal tea is tisane.
For those of you wondering at my keenness to know more about chaw (as northerners refer to it) , it would suffice to say that my fancy for the same in its varied avatars demanded a deeper query into its antecedents. Hence, the endeavour. After all, tea is much more than just a hot or cold infusion, particularly if one were to ponder over mythical Chinese emperor and scholar Shen Nung’s wise words : "Tea arouses the intellect and arouses wise thoughts.It refreshes the body and calms the soul. When you are despondent, it raises the spirit." Tea resonates of culture and enjoys a long eventful occasionally turbulent journey in the annals of history. Strange as it may sound but tea has stirred conflicts and created chaos. The destinies of innumerable individuals and even the world itself have been decided, rulers overthrown, peace treaties signed and declarations of war made over cups of tea. Probably, mankind’s oldest cultivated plant, the origins of tea, can be traced to China where it is known to have been grown for 2,500 years. Even today, visitors and guests alike are greeted with a bowl of tea as a symbol of friendship, a tradition that we Indians carry as well rather proudly. The oldest reliable records mention dates from 221 B.C. when scrolls document the introduction of a tea tax. There are countless stories regarding the discovery of tea. The Chinese one narrates that it was emperor Shen Nung (2737-2697 B.C) who was the first taster of tea! It is said that as Nung drank water only after it was boiled. One day the wind blew three leaves from a tea bush into his bowl and turned its contents brown. The liquid tasted invigorating and refreshing to the emperor, who from that day onwards, partook the drink for the remaining years of his life. Closer home, in India the tale on tea revolves around a missionary named Dharma. He had vowed to meditate rather than sleep at night during his seven-year yatra to China in order to achieve heavenly support for his missionary work. When after five years exhaustion overcame him, he got up and went for a walk among the tea bushes. While chewing the leaves, he realised that fatigue departed from his body and he was able to pass the final two years of his pilgrimage without sleeping. Whether one believes these legends or not, the fact remains China is tea’s place of birth. China’s monopoly over tea was broken by Buddhist monks who, under their robes, smuggled, tea out to Japan between A.D. 520 and 800. This precious commodity was initially reserved for the Japanese imperial family and upper echelons of society and only became more widely available during the 12th century. In the 16th century, Christian missionaries and sailors carried the knowledge of the cultivation and advantages of tea to the land of the colonisers, Europe. It began in 1610, with the Dutch seafarers shipping tea to Amsterdam. Perhaps, this would then explain the use of the word, "orange" in orange pekoe tea (orange being the colour associated with the royalty of The Netherlands). The trade in tea soon meandered from Holland to Italy, France, Germany, Portugal. Initially, the trade was focussed on import of green tea. In Russia tea was called cha and was transported by caravan of traders along the silk route, travelling from Peking through the Gobi desert and Siberia to Volga. It was in the middle of the 17th century that 200 packets of tea were sent to Czar Michael I as a birthday present. Interestingly, along with tea, precious Chinese porcelain was imported into European markets. The original teacups had no handles, as is still used in Japan and China even today. Commonly believed even today is that green tea and black tea originate from different plants. The real difference, however, is that black tea is fermented and green tea is not. Though there are different varieties of tea, basically it is classified into five main types — Green tea, Black tea, White tea, Oolong tea and Pu-erh tea. For instance, gunpowder tea made in China and Taiwan is a variety of the Green tea. Curiously, it takes its name from the appearance of the leaves that are rolled into tight pellets and unfold like tiny flowers when infused. The tea emits a yellow-green infusion with a fresh, tart taste.
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