Tea - The Beverage of the World
Tea has been around since 2737 BC refreshing, inspiring and intriguing men, monarchs and scientists alike. The legend has it that The Shennong, emperor of China who invented agriculture and Chinese medicine discovered the amazing restorative properties of tea accidentally while drinking boiling water from a bowl.
From ancient times, tea has played a major role in the culture of the world as a whole and Asia in particular. It is seen as a staple beverage and a curative drink with restorative and medical properties.
Tea has always had been associated with intellectuals and rebellious thought. Right from the communist thinkers who evolved their philosophy over endless cups of tea to the Boston tea party when a few men forcefully boarded the East India Companies ships and threw cargo loads of tea into the ocean in a daring act of defiance.
The restorative properties of tea are not misplaced at all. Tea contains antioxidants in the form of catechins. A dry tea leaf can contain up to one third its weight of catechins. It is found in higher concentration in white and green teas. The very popular black tea has a significantly lesser amount of antioxidants because of the oxidative processing it undergoes. Caffeine and Thiamine are also contained in tea; both stimulants that help refresh the drinker.
The medical properties of tea are undisputed and obvious. Green tea is known to protect against an array of diseases including cancer. It has been shown to protect drinkers from lung, breast and prostate cancer due to the presence of EGCG, an antioxidant. The presence of catechins has shown to protect cells from oxidation damage. White tea is found to be a better antioxidant based on hands on research.
It is also known that tea increases rate of metabolism thus increasing the rate of fat consumption. This finding brings in an ancient weapon like tea into a very contemporary fight against obesity.
The medical properties apart, the flavor and taste of tea makes it a versatile drink that is consumed in a variety of forms. The most popular form of tea is of course black tea which is more oxidized than any other variety. Black tea is usually the stronger flavored variety and has higher caffeine levels than other teas. Black tea also retains its flavor more than the other teas, typically for a few years. Black tea is so popular that it amounts to over 90% of all tea sales in the west.
The Oolong tea is another variety that is midway between the black and the green. It is prepared by oxidizing the tea leaf to about 70% of the oxidization done to make black tea. The word Oolong stands for \"Black Dragon\" in Chinese.
Premium tea brews like Grey and Seddon tea, sometimes referred to as delicate tea, are prepared by steeping for a relatively short time duration. The altitude and season of harvesting also alters the taste profile of the tea. Pure teas are infused in boiling water and then steeped for anywhere between a minute to five.
Tea has always had been associated with intellectuals and rebellious thought. Right from the communist thinkers who evolved their philosophy over endless cups of tea to the Boston tea party when a few men forcefully boarded the East India Companies ships and threw cargo loads of tea into the ocean in a daring act of defiance.
In the days of Imperial China, tea was far more than just a beverage. It was a sign of status, an excuse to sit down together and spark off a discussion or a debate, even a popular cloth dye. Today, tea is more popular then ever before being consumed so much the world over that only water tops it. The popularity shows absolutely no sign of slowing down.
Saman Rashid is an experienced writer.She has been writing articles and web copies since 3 years.To contact her,kindy visit http://www.mscopywriters.com
The Evolution of Chinese Tea
What many of us know about Chinese tea fits in the small teapot served to us at our nearby Chinese restaurant. But, as many of us can surmise, this ha...
Enjoying Chai Tea The World Over
Tea is one of the common threads that unite a myriad of cultures; what is a morning jolt of caffeine or a ritual afternoon respite for some, may be a ...
Long Island Ice Tea - Amazing Assortment Of Ingredients
Iced tea is a beverage that is very common, and has been with society since the ancient times. Yet there is another type of iced tea that has been ris...
Why Drink Green Tea - Three Reasons To Enjoy A Popular Beverage
After water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world and there are good reasons for this popularity. One of the most popular forms of tea is gr...
Beer Stein Collecting
A beer stein can be made of many different materials including pewter, silver, wood, porcelain, earthenware, stoneware or glass. You can usually tell ...
What Other Uses Are There To Use My Wine With (Food Pairing?)
If you thought that wine is only for drinking, you need to think again. There are many more uses to wine than this.Drinking wine - Of course, the...
Explore a Whole New World of Tea By Experiencing a Tea Ceremony
If you consider yourself a connoisseur of fine teas, then you should really think that description over if you have yet to visit a Japanese tea ceremo...
An Introduction to Wine Classifications
Wine. Wine is probably the most widespread and historically significant beverage other than water, and has been for thousands of years. Wine is the dr...
Wine, Considered One Of The Many Pleasures Of The World!
Wine is considered one of the many pleasures of the world that can be enjoyed by anyone. There is something for everyone in the world of wine, making ...
A Taste of India with Chai Tea
Chai is what tea is called in India. Chai tea, often also called massala chai, is what every Indian in India will tell you tea is about. Brewed in a v...
About Chinese Tea
Today, tea is produced in over 40 countries and consumed in scores more. Yet, the flavors of this exquisite drink was unknown to the majority of the w...
Green Tea - Why Buy Tea Online?
Why buy green tea online? This is a question that bothered me for a long time. Being a tea lover buying tea from a supermarket in India was a pleasure...
The Power Of The Tea Kettle
Whats a kitchen without a tea kettle; that most traditional of appliances that has been loyally brewing our tea for generations? While the tea kettle ...
Basic Wine Knowledge
It is true that Wine is a beverage that is well known all over the world. You will come across lot of wine lovers, throughout the world. The consumpti...
Drink in the Benefits of Green Tea
A lot of people these days are trying to maintain their good health. Medical experts always tell us that we should take better care of ourselves if we...
What Do You Find in a Tea Shop?
What is sold in a tea shop? The logical and most straightforward answer would be, plainly speaking, tea. While this in fact true, the tea shop is not ...
The Minimal Green Tea Extract Side Effects
A major factor in the growing popularity of green tea is its ability to provide beneficial effects to the body. Drinking green tea offers so many adva...
White Tea - Who Else Wants A Spellbinding Silver Needle?
What is so fantastic about white tea? What is it, what are its characteristics, and how is it made?Tea has been a popular beverage in both the east an...
Tea By Parts Of The World
A couple of centuries back, tea originated from China and became a worldwide famous tea. The credit for the discovery of tea goes to a Chinese emperor...
What is a Quality Black Tea Garden?
Black tea has helped to revolutionize the beverage market. Over the years, the exotic drink had become the worlds most popular tea. In fact, 80 per...