In China, tea has a very special place. It is estimated that more than twenty Chinese provinces cultivate tea plants. The tea bushes are small shrubs that provide leaves that will be dried and brewed in boiling water many months later.
Which country invented tea?
Legend has it that tea was invented in China. In fact, Chinese mythology contains texts about the emperor Shen Nong. This emperor who reigned under the dynasty known as the Three Augustans and the Five Emperors would have invented this drink.
The legend of tea is a story that dates back to 2737 BC. The Chinese emperor Shen Nong would have stopped at the foot of a tree to take shelter from the sun and boil some water in order to quench his thirst. But by chance and with the help of a light gust of wind, some leaves fell into a container that was boiling. The water became slightly colored and the emperor could not give in to his curiosity. He tasted this mysterious drink. The hot water mixed with the leaves had a very particular smell. He liked the taste more and Emperor Shen Nong decided to repeat the experience. It is at this precise moment that tea entered the history of humanity. The tree under which Shen Nong had just taken shelter was in fact a wild tea tree. And the combination of leaves and boiling water had just given birth to tea.
The spread of tea in Chinese culture
Although the invention of tea is attributed to Emperor Shen Nong of the Three Augusta and Five Emperors Dynasty, it was not until the Tang Dynasty that tea became a national drink. Indeed, Shen Nong was above all a man concerned with medicinal plants. He could not see the leaves of this tree as anything other than a plant with medicinal properties.
It should be noted that the Chinese regularly drink warm water instead of tea. They also call this drink “tcha’ā” which can be translated as tea.
Why do Chinese people drink tea?
If tea is an omnipresent drink in China and more generally in Asia, it is mainly because the taste of this hot drink is particularly subtle and relatively complex. Indeed, the taste of tea varies significantly depending on the time of harvest, the type of soil, and the way the leaves are processed. It is in this way that the manufacture of tea is similar to the culture of the vine and wine.
Tea is therefore an invitation to travel. It allows travel through the Chinese provinces and it is also a way to create links between people. Tea in China is both a social and cultural phenomenon. It allows one to combine the sharing of a drink with a small group of friends and to celebrate Chinese culture with a certain aestheticism in the search of taste.
Because if the Chinese like tea as some Scottish like whiskey, it is above all the challenge of a search for a sensory experience. A moment of tasting that is nothing other than the discovery of the complexity of aromas and the discovery of terroir.
What is the difference between black and green tea?
Another unavoidable question about tea is its color. Even if tea has several names, we must first recognize that black tea and green tea come from the same plant which is none other than the tea plant (tea tree). Green tea is obtained by a relatively short drying process that allows the leaves to keep a greenish tint. From the moment when the roasting of the tea will be more advanced, the tea obtained will be “black”.
The secrets of black tea making
The black tea’s secret is to reduce the moisture content of the leaves as much as possible before starting to process it. Black tea is said to be an oxidized tea. It all starts with withering (1), the tea is left to air in a room where the temperature varies between 20 and 24 degrees with a light draft (or forced air via a fan). This first step usually lasts between one and two days. Then we move on to rolling (2), the second step that allows us to “start” the oxidation process. This second step lasts a little less than an hour. This depends on the level of oxidation we are looking for. Note that the more the tea has been rolled (in time and vigor) the more full-bodied it will be.
After rolling, we go to the oxidation phase (3), we generally leave the tea in a room where the humidity is over 90%. The temperature is 20-22 degrees and the process can last from one-hour minimum to three hours maximum. This depends on the taste result that the manufacturer wants.
The penultimate step is called drying (4). We could call this fourth step drying or roasting. The aim here is to dry the leaves as quickly as possible. The ovens are heated to a maximum of 90 degrees so as not to burn the leaves. The drying stage will last between ten and fifteen minutes.
The last step is sorting or sieving (5) a step that allows sorting to separate the small branches or twigs from the whole leaves and the broken leaves (second choice). The sorting is done as fast as possible and the tea is packed at the same time. Why this need for speed? Well, it is simply to avoid the leaves get soaked again with the ambient humidity.
Other types of tea
Apart from green and black teas, there are other types of teas. For example, white tea or Wulong tea.
Wulong or Oolong tea is obtained by adding a sweating step. We will simply put the tea at room temperature (23 – 25 degrees). At this temperature, will be coupled a very high level of humidity (the rate can approach 90%).
White tea is obtained by harvesting in early spring. This type of tea is characterized by its manufacture which is composed of only two stages against five for black tea. For the processing of white tea, it is left to wither (dry naturally) in the open air, and then it is desiccated.