Tea – a journey from accidental discovery to world-famous beverage.
Paving the way to a healthy life, one cup of black tea at a time.
It’s hard to believe that tea has been around for centuries, even after being a much-loved beverage still, after all this time. Tea, with all its quirkiness and benefits, come in different types, such as green tea, milk tea and black tea. Black tea was discovered in the mid-17th century because of a fortunate accident. Before this tea came into being, the primary teas consumed were green tea and oolong tea.
How the Tea came into existence?
The story behind this tea’s discovery goes that a passing Chinese army once stopped at a tea factory after entering the Fujian province. This caused a delay in the schedule of the factory, forcing the tea leaves to stay in the sun for a longer time than usual. This caused the leaves to turn dark red, almost black, thanks to the prolonged oxidization. A farmer, noticing this, put these leaves over a fire, to finish the drying process. The tea made from these leaves was smoky in flavour and was known as Lapsang Souchong, i.e. the original black tea. It then made its way all over the world, clad in different flavours without negating its original one.
The flavour of black tea, due to the fermentation process, can be preserved for a long time, its appeal only increasing day by day. When the British traders came to know about this fascinating tea, they took over the tea market, before the Dutch started controlling it. This forced the British to acquire black tea through different means, leading them to discover the Camellia Sinensis plant in India. The harvest of the tea here was on a large scale, its flavour being even stronger. Slowly, it shifted from being aristocracy-only-beverage to something that everyone can afford and consume all the time.
Ways to have Black Tea
Black tea comes in many types, depending on the way it is brewed and which country it is brewed in. The process of brewing is the same though, viz. steeping your tea in hot water for a couple of minutes. The longer you steep, the stronger and more caffeinated would be the flavour. Yet, most people consume this tea in a variety of blends, the popular of them being Masala chai and Earl Grey. The former, made in the Indian sub-continent, combines the smoky flavour of black tea with the sweetness of milk, topping it with some sugar or milk. Whereas, the British Earl Grey results from mixing black tea with bergamot oil. Both of these blends are very popular all over the world.
The many benefits of Black Tea
Black Tea is well-known for having many health benefits. Some of these include improving heart and gut health, decreasing bad cholesterol and blood sugar levels along drastically reducing the risk of stroke and cancer. Black Tea is also known to contain caffeine, which is also helpful in increasing your focus and lending you some much-needed energy. It also contains polyphenols and tannins which stops the skin from premature ageing, making you look younger and beautiful. Yet, most people, like me, are drawn to black tea because of its strong and raw flavour and the fact that it helps you start your day with vigour and happiness!
