Post on 02-Jan-2016
TeaAll about Tea
Tea is over 5000 years old Legend has it that it was discovered by a
Chinese emperor when some tea leaves accidently blew into a boiling pot of water
History of Tea
Tea consumption spread throughout ever aspect of the society
First definitive book on tea introduced “Ch’a Ching”
Authored in 800 A.D. by Lu Yu who was raised by Buddhist monks
Chinese influence
First brought to Japan by Buddhist priest Thought to enhance religious meditation Tea has always been associated with Zen
Buddhism
Japanese Influence
Word filtered to Europe in 1560 Trade developed Very fashionable with a high cost ($100 a
pound) Argued positive and negative affects of tea Became a way of life
Tea in Europe
From 1699 to 1708 tea imports rose from 40,000 pounds to 240,000.
Prior to intro of tea, English had 2 main meals◦ Breakfast- ale, bread and beef◦ Dinner-long massive meal at the end of the day
Afternoon Tea in England
First to have a tea party Adopted the European tea service
◦ Small cakes◦ Bread and butter sandwiches◦ Assorted sweets◦ Tea
Around 5 in the afternoon
Anna-Duchess of Bedford
Expanded to include:◦ crust-less sandwiches ◦ shrimp or fish pates◦ Toasted breads with jams◦ Scones◦ Crumpets
Tea cuisine
“Low tea” (served in the low part of the afternoon) Wealthy folks, tidbits and high level conversation
“high tea” (high or main meal of the day) middle and lower class and consisted of full dinner-roast beef, potatoes, and tea.
Low tea-high tea-afternoon tea
Invented by the Dutch Outside Music Allowed women to enter mixed public
places Mixed freely without class consideration
Tea gardens
Boxes where coins could be deposited Helped ensure proper service
Tips
English colonist became aware of tea in 1670 in Boston
In 1720 tea was a general staple among colonists
Tea trade was centered in Boston, New York and Philadelphia
Smuggled because of tax and rebellion
Tea comes to America
To rebel colonists began to openly purchase imported Dutch tea
The Boston Tea Party happened because the colonist got mad about the British imposed Tea Tax and threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor
Tea and the American Revolution
Black-fermented (open air aging process) and has a strong flavor
Green tea-skips the oxidizing step, delicate in taste, thought to improve health, reduce cancer risk
Oolong- popular in China-cross between black and green◦ Herbal Tea has no tea leaves it is made up of
flowers, berries, peels, seeds and roots
Three primary types of tea
Infuser- small container with holes in it to let water in and contain tea
Steep- brew water just below boiling point Stir
Making Tea
Iced tea was served 1904 at the St. Louis World’s Fair by Richard Blechynden
No one wanted hot tea because of a heat wave
To save his investment he dumped ice into his brewed tea
Hit of the fair 1908 Thomas Sullivan developed the
marketing concept of “bagging tea” gave away as free samples
Iced tea and tea bags
Began in 1880’s at fine hotels as a hallmark of elegance◦ Ritz Carlton in Boston◦ Plaza Hotel in New York
First happy hour happened in 1910 because folks wanted to dance and
Afternoon Tea
The safety of caffeine has been debated for thousands of years
American Medical Association, American Cancer Society and FDA agree that moderate use is safe
Moderate use is usually defined as 300 milligrams per day.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant Helps people feel alert Side effects may include sleeplessness and
temporary rise in blood pressure Concern over young teen not getting
enough calcium because they substitute sodas for milk
Pros and Cons of Caffeine
People in the US average about 200 mg per day
For adults coffee is the main source For teens it is soft drinks
Sources of Caffeine
Product Serving Size Caffeine (mg)
Coffee, brewed 8 oz 60-180
Coffee, instant 8 oz 30-120
Coffee, decaf 8 oz 1-5
Tea, brewed, US 8 oz 20-90
Tea, brewed, import 8 oz 25-110
Tea, iced 12 oz 14-75
Chocolate milk 8 oz 2-7
Cocoa beverage 8 oz 3-32
Soft drinks 12 oz 20-60
Milk chocolate 1 oz 1-15
Dark chocolate, semi 1 oz 5-35
Caffeine Content
Hard to know how much you are getting When it occurs naturally, doesn’t need to be
listed on the label If added it must be listed on the label Products are not required to list the amount
of caffeine in the product
Caffeine and Food labels
Cut back gradually Eliminating all at once can cause side
effects such as: Headaches Fatigue Drowsiness Restlessness Irritability
Usually last a couple of days
Eliminating caffeine from your diet