Tea: Origins, Flavors and Health Benefits
Perhaps a better question might be: "What's your favorite type of tea?"
When it comes to the world of tea, no two are the same. The origins of each differ and every tea has its unique flavor that brings its own unique benefits. There is so much more to this ancient drink than meets the eye! But how did it all begin? What is our relationship with this drink? And what health benefits do we gain from drinking it? Let's find out!
Tea isn't just a hot beverage; it's an integral part of culture and history around the world. From China to Japan and everywhere in between, tea is a drink that has been enjoyed for centuries. Since its origins in Asia, tea has spread to all corners of the world and many cultures have embraced it as part of their daily ritual.
Some historians believe that tea was first discovered by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung. They believe he was an imperial court doctor during the Zhou Dynasty (1045-221 B.C.) In 2737 B.C., Shen Nung traveled throughout his kingdom testing the purity of water sources, plants and herbs for medicinal purposes. One day he came upon a particular bush with leaves that after boiling imparted a fragrant aroma and a soothing, calming effect on its tasters. He named the bush "ch'a" and declared it to be a miracle cure for many illnesses. Then, in honor of the emperor's discovery, it was named "tea." In Chinese culture, ch'a is pronounced tay.
After this discovery Shen Nung warned that too much of this tea would result in drowsiness so he advised drinking no more than ch'a for every meal.
The method of growing tea then became an art form as the Chinese began cultivating their own varieties and perfecting their tea-making methods. Soon, tea became a part of Chinese daily life and a symbol of hospitality. By 500 A.D. tea was largely grown in China and Japan.
Tea was also becoming a part of daily life in India. Tea had originated there as well, but it wasn't as popular until the 16th century. By then Indian tea was highly valued for its medicinal benefits. You see, tea is unique because it contains antioxidants, which are thought to help prevent free radical damage that can lead to the development of diseases like cancer and heart disease (1) .
The British were probably the first to grow tea in the Americas, though it's not clear when exactly this occurred. It was mostly used as a medicinal herb at first, but the English and the Dutch were amongword's first to begin drinking it as a beverage.
The number of tea plantations in India declined in the 1900s because of British colonization, but Indian tea continues to be produced to this day. Today India is one of the world's leading producers of green tea.
Americans have also been drinking tea for hundreds of years, especially in the South. Here it was often paired with sweetened coffee and served at special occasions like weddings and picnics.
Tea has become an important part of the American culture as well. In 1840, Thomas Lipton introduced Earl Grey tea, named after his royal patron. Today our national drink is more popular than ever. In fact, in the United States, tea is second only to coffee as the most popular hot beverage! Tea has been used to flavor various foods like cakes and cakes as well as chocolate and candy (2) .
Tea has continued to gain popularity among Americans in the 21st century. In the 1800s, tea was a poor man's drink and for a time it even became illegal for residents of Boston's North End neighborhood to brew it themselves because they received their water from public wells that were unclean. Despite the popularity of coffee, tea slowly regained its place in the American diet. Now, you can find several varieties of tea in most grocery store aisles. There's even iced tea, which was invented by enterprising Americans in the mid-1800s to keep on hand for social gatherings during hot summer days (3) .
Today there are hundreds of different types of tea from all over the world. Asian teas like black and green teas are very well known. They were discovered by Chinese and Japanese people centuries ago and spread westward until they became popular throughout the world.
Green tea is often thought to be the healthiest of all teas. It's been used in China for medicinal purposes for thousands of years and people continue to drink it today because they believe it can prevent diseases like cancer, heart disease and stroke (4) .
How does this ancient beverage have such a powerful effect on our health? Researchers have found that green tea contains antioxidants called catechin polyphenols, which are responsible for its beneficial health effects. These antioxidants help protect against cell damage, which could lead to many types of illnesses.
And, as we all know, antioxidants counter free radical damage which can lead to cancer and heart disease. Also, scientists have found that people who drink tea have a lower risk of developing certain types of cancers.
While green tea is definitely an important part of the Chinese diet (5) , it's not the only type of tea or teas that are used worldwide.
Black teas are also very popular (6) . Black teas contain more health benefits than any other type of tea and for a time it even surpassed coffee as a popular beverage in Britain during the 19th century (7) . They're grown in some pretty exotic places like Sri Lanka, India and Kenya.
In North America, black tea is most popular in Canada, the U.S. and Australia. The Chinese prefer to drink red tea because they believe it tastes better. Tea made from the Camellia sinensis plant was first discovered in China during the seventh century A.D. Red tea has plenty of antioxidants and it's often used as a health drink or beverage because of its health benefits (8) .
In the United States, green tea is the most popular type of tea, but black teas are catching up quickly due to their high antioxidant content (9) .
Americans are also drinking more tea than ever before. In 2011, tea became the second most popular hot drink in the U.S. behind coffee (10) . Last year Americans drank 3.2 billion cups of tea (11) , which is an increase of 22% from 2007 (12) .
The good news is that nearly all black and green teas are pretty healthy, so you can enjoy them guilt free and improve your health at the same time!
Drink Your Teas
Not only do many cultures enjoy the health benefits of tea but they also find it to be a delicacy.
Conclusion:
Green Tea
Sources:
(1) Mithen, Reynold. Green Tea and Postmenopausal Breast Cancer: Evidence for a Significant Relationship. International Journal of Food Sciences & Nutrition 61.8 (2010): 752-760. ProQuest . Web. 15 Nov. 2014..
Black Tea
(5) Hartwell, L., and M. Afton. 100% Naturally Healthy Foods . Canada: Firefly Books Ltd, 2009.. Print..
(6) Gisolfi C., Jouldjian P., Lee K., Hart J., and Marwick G..