An amazing informative tool to enjoy everything from its origin, culture, interesting facts & right way to make or serve this awesome potent drink. So, sip in or dunk in to savour important knowledge about "Tea"

1. TEA

2. HISTORY OF TEA
• Tea is nearly 5,000 years old and was discovered, as legend has it, in 2737 B.C. by a
Chinese Emperor when some tealeaves accidentally blew into a pot of boiling water.
• In the 1600s, tea became popular throughout Europe and the American colonies.
Since colonial days, tea has played a role in American culture and customs. Today
American schoolchildren learn about the famous Boston Tea Party protesting the
British tea tax -- one of the acts leading to the Revolutionary War. During this century,
two major American contributions to the tea industry occurred.
• In 1904, iced tea was created at the World's Fair in St. Louis, and in 1908, Thomas
Sullivan of New York developed the concept of tea in a bag.
• Tea breaks down into three basic types: Black, Green, and Oolong. In the U.S., over
90 percent of the tea consumed is black tea, which has been fully oxidized or
fermented and yields a hearty-flavored, amber brew.
• Some of the popular black teas include English Breakfast (good breakfast choice
since its hearty flavor mixes well with milk), Darjeeling (a blend of Himalayan teas
with a flowery bouquet suited for lunch) and Orange Pekoe (a blend of Ceylon teas
that is the most widely used of the tea blends).

3. • Green tea skips the oxidizing step. It has a more delicate taste and is light
green/golden in color.
• Green tea, a staple in the Orient, is gaining popularity in the U.S. due in, part to
recent, scientific studies linking green tea drinking with reduced cancer risk.
• Oolong tea, popular in China, is partly oxidized and is a cross between black and
green tea in color and taste. While flavored teas evolve from these three basic teas,
herbal teas contain no true tealeaves.
• Herbal and "medicinal" teas are created from the flowers, berries, peels, seeds,
leaves, and roots of many different plants.

4. STORY OF TEA began in ancient China over 5,000 years ago. According to
legend, the Shen Nong, an early emperor was a skilled ruler, creative scientist,
and patron of the arts. His far-sighted edicts required, among other things, that all
drinking water be boiled as a hygienic precaution. One summer day while visiting
a distant region of his realm, he and the court stopped to rest. In accordance with
his ruling, the servants began to boil water for the court to drink. Dried leaves from
the near by bush fell into the boiling water, and a brown liquid was infused into the
water. As a scientist, the Emperor was interested in the new liquid, drank some,
and found it very refreshing. Therefore, according to legend, tea was created.
(This myth maintains such a practical narrative, that many mythologists believe it
may relate closely to the actual events, now lost in ancient history.)

5. CHINA: Tea consumption spread throughout the Chinese culture reaching into
every aspect of the society. In 800 A.D., Lu Yu wrote the first definitive book on
tea, the Ch'a Ching. This amazing man was orphaned as a child and raised by
scholarly Buddhist monks in one of China's finest monasteries. However, as a
young man, he rebelled against the discipline of priestly training, which had
made him a skilled observer. His fame as a performer increased with each year,
but he felt his life lacked meaning. Finally, in mid-life, he retired for five years into
seclusion. Drawing from his vast memory of observed events and places, he
codified the various methods of tea cultivation and preparation in ancient China.
The vast definitive nature of his work, projected him into near sainthood within
his own lifetime. Patronized by the Emperor himself, his work clearly showed the
Zen Buddhist philosophy to which he was exposed as a child. It was this form of
tea service that Zen Buddhist missionaries would later introduce to imperial
Japan.

6. JAPAN: The returning Buddhist priest brought the first tea seeds to Japan.
Yeisei, who had seen the value of tea in China in enhancing religious mediation.
As a result, he is known as the "Father of Tea" in Japan. Because of this early
association, tea in Japan has always been associated with Zen Buddhism. Tea
received almost instant imperial sponsorship and spread rapidly from the royal
court and monasteries to the other sections of Japanese society.

7. JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY: Tea was elevated to an art form resulting in the
creation of the Japanese Tea Ceremony ("Cha-no-yu" or "the hot water for
tea"). The best description of this The Irish-Greek journalist-historian probably
wrote complex art form Lafcadio Hearn, one of the few foreigners ever to be
granted Japanese citizenship during this era. He wrote from personal
observation, "The Tea ceremony requires years of training and practice to
graduate in art...yet the whole of this art, as to its detail, signifies no more than
the making and serving of a cup of tea. The supremely important matter is that
the act be performed in the most perfect, most polite, most graceful, most
charming manner possible”. Such a purity of form, of expression prompted the
creation of supportive arts and services.
A special form of architecture (chaseki) developed for "tea houses", based on
the duplication of the simplicity of a forest cottage. The cultural/artistic
hostesses of Japan, the Geishi, began to specialize in the presentation of the
tea ceremony. As more and more people became involved in the excitement
surrounding tea, the purity of the original Zen concept was lost. The tea
ceremony became corrupted, boisterous, and highly embellished. "Tea
Tournaments" were held among the wealthy where nobles competed among
each other for rich prizes in naming various tea blends. Rewarding winners
with gifts of silk, armor, and jewelry was totally alien to the original Zen attitude
of the ceremony.

8. Three great Zen priests restored tea to its original place in Japanese society:
Ikkyu (1394-1481)-a prince who became a priest and was successful in guiding
the nobles away from their corruption of the tea ceremony. Murata Shuko (1422-
1502)-the student of Ikkyu and very influential in re-introducing the Tea ceremony
into Japanese society. Sen-no Rikkyu (1521-1591)-priest who set the rigid
standards for the ceremony, largely used intact today.
Rikyo was successful in influencing the Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who
became Japan's greatest patron of the "art of tea". A brilliant general, strategist,
poet, and artist this unique leader facilitated the final and complete integration of
tea into the pattern of Japanese life. So complete was this acceptance that tea
was viewed as the ultimate gift, and warlords paused for tea before battles.

9. EUROPE: While tea was at this high level of development in both Japan
and China, information concerning this then unknown beverage began to
filter back to Europe. Earlier caravan leaders had mentioned it, but were
unclear as to its service format or appearance. (One reference suggests
the leaves be boiled, salted, buttered, and eaten!) The first European to
personally encounter tea and write about it was the Portuguese Jesuit
Father Jasper de Cruz in 1560. Portugal, with her technologically
advanced navy, had been successful in gaining the first right of trade with
China. It was as a missionary on that first commercial mission that Father
de Cruz had tasted tea four years before.
The Portuguese developed a trade route by which they shipped their tea
to Lisbon, and then Dutch ships transported it to France, Holland, and
the Baltic countries. (At that time Holland was politically affiliated with
Portugal. When this alliance was altered in 1602, Holland, with her
excellent navy, entered into full Pacific trade in her own right.) When tea
finally arrived in Europe, Elizabeth I had more years to live, and
Rembrandt was only six years old. Because of the success of the Dutch
navy in the Pacific, tea became very fashionable in the Dutch capital, The
Hague.

10. This was due in part to the high cost of the tea (over $100 per pound), which
immediately made it the domain of the wealthy. Slowly, as the amount of tea
imported increased, the price fell as the volume of sale expanded. Initially
available to the public in apothecaries along with such rare and new spices as
ginger and sugar, by 1675 it was available in common food shops throughout
Holland.
As the consumption of tea increased dramatically in Dutch society, doctors and
university authorities argued back and forth as to the negative and/or positive
benefits of tea. Known as "Tea Heretics", the public largely ignored the
scholarly debate and continued to enjoy their new beverage though the
controversy lasted from 1635 to roughly 1657. Throughout this period France
and Holland led Europe in the use of tea. As the craze for things oriental swept
Europe, tea became part of the way of life. The social critic Marie de Rabutin-
Chantal, the Marquise de Seven makes the first mention in 1680 of adding milk
to tea. During the same period, Dutch inns provided the first restaurant service
of tea. Tavern owners would furnish guests with a portable tea set complete
with a heating unit. The independent Dutchman would then prepare tea for
himself and his friends outside in the tavern's garden. Tea remained popular in
France for only about fifty years, being replaced by a stronger preference for
wine, chocolate, and exotic coffees.

11. AMERICAS: By 1650, the Dutch were actively involved in trade throughout the
Western world. Peter Stuyvesant brought the first tea to America to the
colonists in the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam (later re-named New York
by the English). Settlers here were confirmed tea drinkers. In addition, indeed,
on acquiring the colony, the English found that the small settlement consumed
more tea at that time then all of England put together.

12. ENGLAND: Great Britain was the last of the three great sea-faring nations to
break into the Chinese and East Indian trade routes. This was due in part to the
unsteady ascension to the throne of the Stuarts and the Cromwellian Civil War.
The first samples of tea reached England between 1652 and 1654. Tea quickly
proved popular enough to replace Ale as the national drink of England. As in
Holland, it was the nobility that provided the necessary stamp of approval and so
insured its acceptance. King Charles II had married, while in exile, the
Portuguese Infanta Catherine de Braganza (1662). Charles himself had grown
up in the Dutch capital. As a result, both he and his Portuguese bride were
confirmed tea drinkers.
When the monarchy was re-established, the two rulers brought this foreign tea
tradition to England with them. As early as 1600, Elizabeth I had founded The
John Company for the purpose of promoting Asian trade. When Catherine de
Braganza married Charles, she brought as part of her dowry the territories of
Tangier and Bombay. Suddenly, the John Company had a base of operations.

13. The John Company was granted the unbelievably wide monopoly of all trade
east of the Cape of Good Hope and west of Cape Horn. Its powers were almost
without limit and included among others the right to: Legally acquire territory and
govern it. Coin money. Raise arms and build forts. Form foreign alliances.
Declare war. Conclude peace. Pass laws. Try and punish lawbreakers. It was the
single largest, most powerful monopoly to ever exist in the world. In addition, its
power was based on the importation of tea.
At the same time, the newer East India Company floundered against such
competition. Appealing to Parliament for relief, the decision was made to merge
the John Company and the East India Company (1773). Their re-drafted charts
gave the new East India Company a complete and total trade monopoly on all
commerce in China and India. As a result, the price of tea was kept artificially
high, leading to later global difficulties for the British crown.
Tea mania swept across England as it had earlier spread throughout France and
Holland. Tea importation rose from 40,000 pounds in 1699 to an annual average
of 240,000 pounds by 1708.

14. POPULARI(TEA): Prior to the introduction of tea into Britain, the English had two
main meals-breakfast and dinner. Breakfast was Ale, bread, and beef. Dinner was
a long, massive meal at the end of the day. It was no wonder that Anna, the
Duchess of Bedford (1788-1861) experienced a "sinking feeling" in the late
afternoon. Adopting the European tea service format, she invited friends to join her
for an additional afternoon meal at five o'clock in her rooms at Belvoir Castle. The
menu centered on small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, assorted sweets,
and, of course, tea. This summer practice proved so popular, the Duchess
continued it when she returned to London, sending cards to her friends asking
them to join her for "tea and walking in the fields”. (London at that time still
contained large open meadows within the city.)
The practice of other quickly picked up inviting friends to come for tea in the
afternoon social hostesses. A common pattern of service soon merged. The first
pot of tea was made in the kitchen and carried to the lady of the house who waited
with her invited guests, surrounded by fine porcelain from China. The hostess
warmed the first pot from a second pot (usually silver) that was kept heated over a
small flame. Food and tea was then passed among the guests, the main purpose
of the visiting being conversation.

15. TEA CUISINE: Tea cuisine quickly expanded in range to quickly include wafer
thin crust less sandwiches, shrimp, or fish pates, toasted breads with jams, and
regional British pastries such as scones (Scottish) and crumpets (English). At this
time two distinct forms of tea services evolved: "High" and "Low".
"Low Tea” (served in the low part of the afternoon) was served in aristocratic
homes of the wealthy and featured gourmet tidbits rather than solid meals. The
emphasis was on presentation and conversation.
"High Tea” or "Meat Tea" was the main or "High" meal of the day. It was the
major meal of the middle and lower classes and consisted of mostly full dinner
items such as roast beef, mashed potatoes, peas, and of course, tea.
High tea (also known as meat tea) is an early evening meal, typically eaten
between 5pm and 6pm. It would substitute for both afternoon tea and the evening
meal. It is now largely replaced by a later evening meal.
High Tea would usually consist of cold meats, eggs or fish, cakes and
sandwiches. In a family, it tends to be less formal and is an informal snack
(featuring sandwiches, biscuits, pastry, fruit and the like) or else it is the main
evening meal.

16. Penny Universities: Tea was the major beverage served in the coffee houses,
but they were so named because coffee arrived in England some years before
tea. Exclusively for men, they were called "Penny Universities" because for a
penny any man could obtain a pot of tea, a copy of the newspaper, and engage
in conversation with the sharpest wits of the day. The various houses specialized
in selected areas of interest, some serving attorneys, and some authors, others
the military. They were the forerunner of the English Gentlemen's Private Club.

17. T.I.P.S.: Tipping as a response to proper service developed in the Tea Gardens
of England. Small, locked wooden boxes were placed on the tables throughout
the Garden. Inscribed on each were the letters "T.I.P.S." which stood for the
sentence "To Insure Prompt Service". If a guest wished the waiter to hurry (and
so insure the tea arrived hot from the often-distant kitchen) he dropped a coin
into the box on being seated "to insure prompt service". Hence, the custom of
tipping servers was created.

18. RUSSIA: Imperial Russia was attempting to engage China and Japan in trade at
the same time as the East Indian Company. The Russian interest in tea began as
early as 1618 when the Chinese embassy in Moscow presented several chests
of tea to Czar Alexis. By 1689, the Trade Treaty of Newchinsk established a
common border between Russia and China, allowing caravans to then cross
back and forth freely. Still, the journey was not easy. The trip was 11,000 miles
long and took over sixteen months to complete.
The average caravan consisted of 200 to 300 camels. As a result of such factors,
the cost of tea was initially prohibitive and available only to the wealthy. By the
time Catherine the Great died (1796), the price had dropped some, and tea was
spreading throughout Russian society. Tea was ideally suited to Russian life:
hearty, warm, and sustaining.
The Samovar, adopted from the Tibetan "hot pot", is a combination bubbling hot
water heater and teapot. Placed in the center of the Russian home, it could run
all day and serve up to forty cups of tea at a time. Again showing the Asian
influence in the Russian culture, guests sipped their tea from glasses in silver
holders, very similar to Turkish coffee cups.

19. The Russian have always favored strong tea highly sweetened with sugar,
honey, or jam. With the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railroad in 1900,
the overland caravans were abandoned. Although the Revolution
intervened in the flow of the Russian society, tea remained throughout a
staple. Tea (along with vodka) is the national drink of the Russians today.

20. Tea and the American Revolution: England had recently completed the French and
Indian War, fought, from England's point of view, to free the colony from French
influence and stabilize trade. It was the feeling of Parliament that as a result, it was not
unreasonable that the colonists shoulder the majority of the cost. After all. the war had
been fought for their benefit. Charles Townsend presented the first tax measures,
which today are known by his name. They imposed a higher tax on newspapers (which
they considered far too outspoken in America), tavern licenses (too much free speech
there), legal documents, marriage licenses, and docking papers.
The colonists rebelled against taxes imposed upon them without their consent and
which were so repressive. New, heavier taxes were leveled by Parliament for such
rebellion. Among these was, in June 1767, The Tea Tax that was to become the
watershed of America's desire for freedom. (Townsend died three months later of a
fever never to know his tax measures helped create a free nation.) The colonists
rebelled and openly purchased imported tea, largely Dutch in origin.
The John Company, already in deep financial trouble saw its profits fall even further. By
1773, the John Company merged with the East India Company for structural stability
and pleaded with the Crown for assistance.

21. The new Lord of the Treasury, Lord North, as a response to this pressure,
granted to the new Company permission to sell directly to the colonists,
bypassing the colonial merchants and pocketing the difference. In plotting
this strategy, England was counting on the well-known passion among
American women for tea to force consumption, it was a major miscalculation.
Throughout the colonies, women pledged publicly at meeting and in
newspapers not to drink English sold tea until their free rights (and those of
their merchant husbands) were restored.

22. The Boston Tea Party: By December 16 events had deteriorated enough that
the men of Boston, dressed as Indians (remember the original justification for
taxation had been the expense of the French and Indian War) threw hundreds of
pounds of tea into the harbor. Such leading citizens as Samuel Adams and John
Hancock took part. England had had enough. In retaliation, the port of Boston
was closed and the city occupied by royal troops. The colonial leaders met and
revolution declared. The Trade Continued in the Orient Though concerned over
developments in America, English tea interests still centered on the product's
source-the Orient. There the trading of tea had become a way of life, developing
its own language known as "Pidgin English". Created solely to facilitate
commerce, the language was composed of English, Portuguese, and Indian
words all pronounced in Chinese.
Indeed, the word "Pidgin" is a corrupted form of the Chinese word for “does
business”. So dominant was the tea culture within the English speaking cultures
that many of these words came to hold a permanent place in our language.
"Mandarin" (from the Portuguese "mandar" meaning to order) - the court official
empowered by the emperor to trade tea. "Cash" (from the Portuguese "caixa"
meaning case or money box)-the currency of tea transactions. "Caddy" (from the
Chinese word for one pound weight)-the standard tea trade container. "Chow"
(from the Indian word for food cargo)-slang for food.

23. Tea Inventions in America; Iced Tea and Teabags: America stabilized her
government, strengthened her economy, and expanded her borders and interests.
By 1904, the United States was ready for the world to see her development at the St.
Louis World's Fair. Trade exhibitors from around the world brought their products to
America's first World's Fair. One such merchant was Richard Blechynden, a tea
plantation owner. Originally, he had planned to give away free samples of hot tea to
fair visitors. However, when a heat wave hit, no one was interested.
To save his investment of time and travel, he dumped a load of ice into the brewed
tea and served the first "iced tea". It was (along with the Egyptian fan dancer) the hit
of the Fair. Four years later, Thomas Sullivan of New York developed the concept
of "bagged tea". As a tea merchant, he carefully wrapped each sample delivered to
restaurants for their consideration.
He recognized a natural marketing opportunity when he realized the restaurants
were brewing the samples "in the bags" to avoid the mess of tealeaves in the
kitchens. Tea Rooms, Tea Courts, and Tea Dances Beginning in the late 1880's in
both America and England, fine hotels began to offer tea service in tearooms and tea
courts. Served in the late afternoon, Victorian ladies (and their gentlemen friends)
could meet for tea and conversation.

24. Many of these tea services became the hallmark of the elegance of the hotel,
such as the tea services at the Ritz (Boston) and the Plaza (New York).By
1910, hotels began to host afternoon tea dances as dance craze after dance
craze swept the United States and England.
Often considered wasteful by older people they provided a place for the new
"working girl" to meet men in a city, far from home and family. (Indeed, the
editor of Vogue once fired a large number of female secretarial workers for
"wasting their time at tea dances").

25. English Breakfast: 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 (the summer home of Victoria and
Albert was the Highland castle of Balmoral). Teashops in London, however,
changed the name and marketed it as "English Breakfast Tea". It is a blend of fine
black teas, often including some Keemun tea. Many tea authorities suggest that
the Keemun tea blended with milk creates a bouquet that reminds people of "toast
hot from the oven" and maybe the original source for the name. It should be
offered with milk or lemon. (One never serves lemon to a guest if they request
milk-the lemon is never used. It would curdle the milk.) It may also be used to
brew iced tea.

26. What is ENGLISH BREALFAST tea?
• The varietals of tea used in English breakfast tea blends vary, but Assam,
Ceylon, and Keemun teas are popular, along with some Kenyan teas. These
teas are well known for producing robust teas which tend to be dark and
strong, especially when brewed on the long side of the brewing window for
black teas, which is around three to five minutes. When brewed, English
breakfast tea has a very distinctive scent, which many people say reminds
them of warm toast and honey, and it pairs well with cream and sugar.
• The traditional English breakfast is no small potatoes, literally. It includes a
wide assortment of meats and pastries, along with several vegetables, and
ample amounts of condiments. Black tea can be beneficial for digestion,
which might be useful after eating a classic English breakfast, and it also
helps people wake up and get ready for the day. This tea blend is often high
in caffeine for this very reason.
• The origins of English breakfast tea are a bit obscure. Tea proved to be a big
hit in England and in the rest of Europe when it was introduced from Asia,
although as a general rule, only the upper classes could afford to drink the
beverage. English breakfast may actually have its origins in Scotland, where
legend has it that a tea purveyor named Drysdale came up with a blend he
labeled as “Breakfast” in the mid-1800s, to make it clear that the tea was
meant to be paired with the morning meal, perhaps. At any rate, the concept
of a “breakfast” blend caught on, and in addition to English breakfast, it is
also possible to find Irish breakfast tea, which has a different feel and flavor.

27. Irish Breakfast: The Irish have always been great tea drinkers, and they drink
their tea brewed very strong. In fact, there is a common tea saying among the
Irish that a "proper cup of tea" should be "strong enough for a mouse to trot on”.
Along the same line, the Irish believed there were only three types of tea fit to
drink. The first and best of quality was in China with the Chinese, of course. The
second best was sent directly to Ireland.
The third and lowest in quality was sent to the English. Irish Breakfast because
of its robust flavor is usually drunk only in the morning (except for the Irish who
drink it all day). Usually it is blended from an Assam tea base. Because of its full
taste, it is served with lots of sugar (loose is considered correct here-sugar
cubes are an English matter) and milk (milk, NEVER CREAM, is served with
tea. Cream is too heavy for tea and belongs with coffee. The milk is always
served at room temperature, never cold, as it cools the tea too quickly).
Caravan: This excellent tea was created in imperial Russia from the teas
brought overland by camel from Asia. Because the trade route was dangerous
and supplies unsteady, Russian tea merchants blended the varying incoming
tea cargoes, selling a blend rather then a single tea form. It was usually a
combination of China and India black teas. Like the Irish, the Russian favored
this tea all day long.

28. Earl Grey tea is a tea blend with a distinctive flavor and aroma derived from
the addition of oil extracted from the rind of the bergamot orange, a fragrant
citrus fruit.
Traditionally the term "Earl Grey" was applied only to black tea; however,
today the term is used for other teas that contain oil of bergamot, or a
bergamot flavor.
Twinings has a proprietary branded tea variety called "Lady Grey" made with
lemon and Seville orange in addition to bergamot. Twinings' Earl Grey and
Lady Grey packaging bears the official endorsement and signature of Richard
Grey, 6th Earl Grey.
Snapple produces a tea beverage based on Earl Grey called Earl Gray Black
Tea.
Many boutique tea stores sell a similar blend with added rose petals known as
French Earl Grey.
A beverage called "London Fog" is a combination of Earl Grey, steamed milk
and vanilla syrup.
Au0stralian tea company T2 produces several blends: Earl Grey (traditional
Earl Grey tea), Girlie Grey (traditional Earl Grey with botanicals, orange and
lemon), and French Earl Grey (traditional Earl Grey with flowers and flavors).

29. 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 a Chinese Mandarin gave the blend to him
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.
Black Teas and Oolong 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 flavor with a subtly lingering aroma reminiscent of
Muscatel. 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.
Oolong: The elegant tea is sometimes known as the "champagne of teas".
Originally grown in the Fukien province of China, it was first imported to England
in 1869 by John Dodd. Today, the highest grade Oolongs (Formosa Oolongs) are
grown in Taiwan. A cross between green and black teas, it is fermented to
achieve a delicious fruity taste that makes milk, lemon, and sugar unthinkable.
With such clarity, it is perfect for afternoon use with such tea fare as cucumber
sandwiches and madelaines.

30. Green Teas: Green tea makes up only ten percent of the world's produced tea. The
Japanese tea service (in which green tea is used), is an art form in and of itself. The
serving of a full Japanese tea service would be beyond the ability of most properties
and as a result, should not be attempted. Green tea is not generally part of the
afternoon tea tradition as appropriate to hotel use.
China Teas Keemun: 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.

31. INDIAN TEA
Indian tea is a generic term for tea originating from India. Indian tea is also called
chai, after the Indian term for tea, although "chai" is used mainly to refer to spiced
Indian Tea.
Indian tea usually consists of black tea, and is known for their full-bodied and
strong flavor. Indian tea is named after their region of production, and currently
there are three main varieties.
Indian tea is sometimes flavored using spices. Common spices include ginger,
cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and black peppercorn. Tea that is flavored with these
spices is known as Masala Chai.
India is currently one of the world's largest producers of tea, along with Sri Lanka
and China.

32. Varieties of Indian tea
The three main varieties of Indian tea are Assam tea, Nilgiri tea and Darjeeling
tea.
Assam tea is produced in the Assam region of Northern India, and is the most-
produced Indian Tea. It is a malty, robust tea with a strong, bright color. The
leaves have distinctive brown and gold leaves which appear orange when dried.
The most prized Assam Tea has golden tips on its leaves, which increases the
sweetness of the tea.
Nilgiri tea is produced in the Nilgiri region of southern India. A mountainous
region, Nilgiri tea is grown at altitudes of 1000-2500 meters. This variety of
Indian tea is known for its smooth taste, amber color and versatility. Nilgiri Tea can
be drunk warm or cold, by itself or with milk, and can be used as part of a mixture.
Darjeeling tea is known as the "champagne of teas" and is the finest-quality
Indian tea. Grown in West Bengal, Darjeeling tea is known for its distinctive
aroma and fragrance. Darjeeling tea is especially famed for its muscatel (grape-
like) quality.
There are four varieties of Darjeeling tea, according to its season of harvest. Each
variety has its own flavor. The best variety is the Spring Flush, as it has the
strongest muscatel quality of the varieties.

33. How to serve it ?
• Step 1
• Boil cold water to Make Tea. Pour hot water now over a tea bag
of guest choice Let it steep for at least five minutes (but not
much longer) for complete tea taste and nutritional value, and
make sure to take the tea bag out before adding anything to
tea.
• Step 2
• Serve tea in mugs or other cups.
• Step 3
• Put sugar, honey, artificial sweetener, cream, skim milk, and
lemon on the table to ensure that everyone has what they want
for their tea, as everyone likes his or her tea differently.

34. Tips
• The more options, the better. This means many sandwich, fruit,
bread, and dessert options.
• Make sure the tea isn't cold. Lukewarm or cold tea can mess
with the flavor and experience.
• Cold tea is actually okay as long as it is supposed to be ask like
that way by the guest.

35. Warnings
• Don't make the tea too hot. It is capable of scalding your mouth if it is too
hot.
• When it is finished steeping, make sure it is still a little too hot so you can
add cream or skim milk and still have the right temperature.
Things You'll Need
• Tea pot
• Tea cup & Saucer
• Tea Spoon
• Sugar Caddie
• Tea Napkin
• Milk creamer
• Plates
• Serving platters
• Serving spoons and forks