TEA

DIPS IMT, Department of Hotel ManagementTea

Tea is the worlds most popular beverage. It is drunk widely as a breakfast beverage and is well known for its stimulating character.

Origin and history of teaThe origin of tea is believed to be in China about 5000 years ago, when emperor Sheng Nung discovered the brew by accident. He used to boil all water before drinking and it is said that one day a few tea leaves fell into the pot accidentally. The emperor tried the brew and liked the taste.

Another legend says that a monk fell asleep in the course of his meditation and was annoyed with himself that he cut off his eyelids. The place where the eyelids fell, a plant arose which would keep sleep away.

Though tea originated in China it reached its apotheosis in Japan under the Buddhist influence. The tea ceremony originated around 11-12 AD, which is followed to date. The earliest mention of tea in the west is in 1559 in Venice. The Dutch traders brought tea to Europe.

Soon tea was challenging the sales of coffee in Britain and it had become the drink of the lower classes. Until Charles II passed a law forbidding its sale in the private houses and introduced a new license for the operators to be able to sell in the 17th century.

In 1702 Queen Ann reintroduced tea as a beverage for breakfast. In 1840 Anna the Duchess of Bedford started the practice of serving tea in the afternoon at 5 pm to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner and to this day it remains the regular tea timings.

Cultivation of teaTea is an evergreen plant, the botanical name of which was Thea Sinensis later changed to Camellia Sinensis. The plant grows to a height of 26 feet but is pruned to about 4 feet. It thrives on tropical climate and loamy soil. It requires a rainfall of 100 inches and temperature of about 32o C. It grows best at altitudes of 4000 feet above sea level. The growth of the plant takes place slowly and it produces leaves with complex compounds.

The British introduced tea cultivation to India and Ceylon in the early 19th century as the same time as the Dutch introduced it to Indonesia. The seeds from the Assam tea plantations were used to propagate tea plantations in Java as the Chinese varieties proved to be very delicate. Tea in India is grown in the Nilgiris, Darjeeling, Dehradun and Brahmaputra valley.Tealeaves are 1-12 inches long. The flowers are creamish and never used to make tea. The terminal and auxiliary buds and the two leaves enveloping them are the parts used to make tea and are referred to as pekoe in Chinese.

Tea manufacturing process

*If plucking is proper, sorting and cleaning is not requiredPluck green leaves

Sorting and cleaning*

Withering

Steaming, pan frying or firingShaking or rolling gently for 6-8 hours to bruise leaf edges

Rolling for china blacks and orthodox blacks, cutting for CTC teas

Hand rolledRolling and drying

Short fermentation

Full fermentation

DryingFinal firing or drying

Pan firing or drying

Firing

White teaGreen tea

Oolongs and PouchongsBlack teas

Drying

Chemistry and pharmacology of teaA freshly plucked tea shoot consisting of 2 tea leaves and a bud contains 77% of water and 23% of solid matter. Half the solid matter is insoluble in water and is made up of crude fibre, cellulose, starch and proteins. The remaining soluble matter contains 20 amino acids, 30 polyphonic acids, 12 sugars and 6 organic acids.

The Assam variety is richer in caffeine (Though the stimulant in tea is theine it is widely referred to as caffeine as found in the coffee bean) than the China plant. Per cup of tea infusion provides only 4 calories. However, with the addition of milk and a lump of sugar the 4 calories may shoot up to 40 calories.

Tea is very rich in Vitamin B complex and 6 cups of tea would meet an adults daily requirement of vitamin B. One pound of tea is sufficient to make 200 cups of the beverage.

Manufacture of tea Plucking Two leaves and a bud is plucked from every shoot. A bush may be plucked 25 - 30 times in a year. Drying It is removal of excess moisture, using cool air. Leaves are dried out on racks. There is up to 50% loss of moisture, which leads to withering.Rolling The withered leaves are machine rolled to break cellular structure and release fermenting enzymes giving the leaves a red hue. Prior to the use of machines in 1887 the leaves were hand rolled in Assam.Fermentation This is done at about 82oF for about 3-4 hrs. This is essentially done for black tea, and is what gives it its strength, taste and coppery hue. Firing This is done to check fermentation by passing hot air through leaves at a carefully regulated temperature.Sorting The leaves are sorted out as (a) broken or small leaves and as (b) Grades of the leaf.Grading The leaves are graded for green tea as per quality and for black tea by size of leaf and leaf particle.Polishing and dyeing This process is practiced only in China. The tealeaves are polished using chalk and dyed using indigo.

Classification of teaAll classes of tea come from the same plant. The different classes of tea (e.g. Black tea, Green tea, Pouchong tea, Oolong tea) are the result of differences in the tea manufacturing process, and not due to different types of tea plants.

One of the key steps in the tea manufacturing process, that determines the type of tea that is produced, is the degree of fermentation the tea leaves are allowed to undergo. Teas are generally classified based on the degree of fermentation:a) Non-fermented,b) Semi-fermented, c) Fully-fermented. Black The tea which has been fully oxidized or fermented and yields a hearty-flavored, amber brew. The Chinese call this "red tea" (hung - ch'a). English Breakfast Tea The prototype of this most popular of all teas was developed over a hundred years ago by the Scottish Tea Master Drysdale in Edinburgh. It was marketed simply as "Breakfast Tea". It became popular in England due to the craze Queen Victoria created for things Scottish. Tea shops in London, however, changed the name and marketed it as "English Breakfast Tea". It is a blend of fine black teas from India and Ceylon, often including some Keemun tea.

Earl Grey Earl Grey (1764-1845) was an actual person who, though he was prime minister of England under William IV , is better remembered for the tea named after him. Tea legends say the blend was given to him by a Chinese Mandarin seeking to influence trade relations. A smoky tea with a hint of sweetness to it, it is served plain and is the second most popular tea in the world today. It is generally a blend of black teas and bergamot oil, the Chinese bitter orange. For generations, the tea firms of Twinings and Jacksons have been arguing over which firm was used by the Earl to blend his tea. In a way, the question became superfluous when Twinings bought out Jacksons in 1990. Darjeeling Refers to tea grown in this mountain area of India. The mountain altitude and gentle misting rains of the region, produce a unique full bodied but light with a subtly lingering aroma. Reserved for afternoon use, it is traditionally offered to guests plain. One might take a lemon with it, if the Darjeeling were of the highest grade, but never milk. (Milk would "bury" the very qualities that make it unique.) Keemun It is the most famous of China's black teas. Because of its subtle and complex nature, it is considered the "burgundy of teas". It is a mellow tea that will stand alone as well as support sugar and/or milk. Because of its "wine-like" quality, lemon should not be offered as the combined tastes are too tart.

Green Green tea skips the oxidizing step. Most green teas like Dragon Well stop the fermentation process through pan frying while a few will stop the fermentation process through steaming. Tea brewed from unfermented tea leaves have a green to slightly yellow hue, mild aroma, and natural taste. The japanise tea service uses the green tea. White Tea White tea is considered among, if not the rarest types of tea available, because of its limited availability. What separates white tea from black, oolong, and green teas is the way it is processed: like green tea, white tea is unfermented and has a light, delicate flavor, but rather than being rolled like green tea, the leaves are plucked and dried for a perhaps "fresher" or more natural state. This happens only a few times a year, from a rare strain of the Chinese tea plant. White tea is produced primarily in the province of Fukien in China. India now produces some excellent tea.

Oolong (wulong) Oolong tea (Oolong - a Chinese word meaning "black dragon" ) is partly oxidized(10% to 80% fermentation) and is a cross between black and green tea in color and taste. The elegant tea is sometimes known as the "champagne of teas".

Pouchong tea The oxidizing step is reduced to about one-quarter of the full length. Oolongs (which are more popular), ferment longer, about half as long as a black tea. Predictably, the flavor of a semi-fermented tea is somewhere in between black tea and green tea..

Grades of TeaLeaf Grades This refers to the larger leaves left after the broken grades have been sifted out. In brewing, flavor and color come out more slowly from leaf grades versus broken grades. Leaf grades are popular in continental Europe and in South America. Orange Pekoe The word "pekoe," which is used in grading black teas, is a corruption of the Chinese word meaning "silver-haired." This refers to the silvery down found on especially young tea leaves. "Orange" probably comes from the Dutch royal family,Long, thin, wiry leaves which sometimes contain bud leaf; light-or pale-colored liquid. Orange pekoe is simply a size; the term does not indicate flavor or quality.Pekoe Shorter leaves than orange pekoe and not as wiry; the liquid generally has more color. Souchong Round leaf, with pale liquid. Broken Grades Smaller, broken leaves; comprise about 80 percent of the total crop. They make a darker, stronger tea than the leaf grades; only kind used in tea bags. Broken Orange Pekoe Much smaller than the leaf grades; usually contains bud leaf; the mainstay of a blend. Broken Pekoe Slightly larger than broken orange pekoe, with somewhat less color; useful as a filler in a blendBroken Pekoe Souchong A little larger than broken pekoe; also used as a filler. Fannings Much smaller than broken pekoe Souchong; main virtues are quick brewing and good color. Dust The smallest grade; useful for a quick-brewing, strong cup of tea;only used in blends of similar-sized leaf, generally for catering purposes.

Black tea grades are - Suchong Pekoe, Orange Pekoe and Flowery orange PekoeThe particles are graded as Broken Pekoe Suchong, Broken Pekoe and Broken orange Pekoe. The fanning and dust are used as tea dust.

Green tea grades are - Fine young Hyson, Young Hyson, Hyson no: 1, Twankay and Jowmee

Service of teaTea may be consumed with milk or lemon and service would differ as per guest requirement. Milk if served with tea should be homogenized ie all cream removed and preferably cold. Cold milk brings out the best flavours in tea and lowers the temperature of tea so that it can be drunk. Water used to make tea must be soft and if sugar substitutes are used they should not have any off flavours.

Tea may be served from a salver or from a bar tray .The salver is set up with teapot, hot water pot, creamer, tea strainer and drip bowl, sugar basin with sugar sachets and teacup and saucer.

Approach from the right and place the teacup in the centre of the cover. Place the sugar basin on the table. Bring salver down to the level of the cup and place the tea strainer on the cup. Pour tea onto the cup. If it is too strong for the guest, add hot water. Ask milk to be served or not and do the needful. The teapot, hot water pot, milk creamer and the tea strainer with drip bowl are left on the table for second helping.

Lemon tea Service is the same as for tea service but honey is served instead of milk. A B&B plate with 4 lemon wedges with a fork inserted into one wedge is placed on the table.

Iced tea Fresh tea infusion is made. Fill a Collins glass with ice and pour over it 15 ml of limejuice. The clear infusion is poured over the ice and served garnished with a sprig of mint. Sugar syrup and limejuice is served separately as well.

Five golden rules for making tea1. Fill kettle with right amount of fresh cold water. Bring it to a roaring boil.2. Heat pot with fresh hot water and wash teacup with hot water.3. To the pot add 1 level teaspoon per cup or 1-heaped teaspoon per portion. When making 6 or more cups, add an extra teaspoon as required for the pot.4. Add hot water and allow the tea to infuse for 3 minutes.5. Serve with separate pot of hot water and milk.

Storage of teaTea should be kept away from air, moisture and warmth. It should be stored in airtight containers in a cool place away from strong odours.

Tea used in Oberoi hotels1. Darjeeling Orange Pekoe is considered as the champagne among tea, and is light aromatic and has a strong flavour.2. Oberoi Blend is a blend of 50% Assam tea and 50% Darjeeling tea.3. Young Hyson is commonly called Chinese tea and is served in all Oberoi Chinese restaurants. This is light green tea and is scented with jasmine and drunk without addition of milk.4. Hyson no 1 is a green tea from the Kangra region and is ideal to make Kahwa in the speciality Indian restaurants. It is served with saffron and touch of sugar and spices. F102 (A) Food and beverage operations Workshop 1(A)Manikant Sah6