Did you know that tea is the second most commonly consumed beverage in the world after water?
There are a number of different types of teas – black, green oolong, white and pu’erh. Surprisingly all of these teas come from the same plant, the Camellia Sinensis. Basically drinks that are made by pouring hot water of some form of Camellia Sinensis leaves is considered to be tea. Any other drinks that are sometimes called tea are actually considered to be herbal tea or tisane.
The Camellia Sinensis is a sub-tropical, evergreen plant that is mainly grown in Asia and was native to this region but now due to it’s popularity it is grown in many parts of the world.
There are many different streams of thought as to how to make the perfect cup of tea:
- To get a perfect cup of tea it must be brewed in a pot
- Tea leaves are better than tea bags
- How long it must be steeped for
- It has to be served in a cup and saucer rather than a mug
- The temperature at which tea needs to be brewed at – this differs depending on the type of tea
- Should it have a slice of lemon or not
- A true tea connoisseur will tell you if milk is added it is no longer considered tea
- If you must have milk, it goes in before the hot water not after
Phew, what a lot of different “rules” and choices when all you want is just a simple cup of tea. But to TPP the perfect cup of tea is the one that you personally like… and to some that may be coffee not tea!
Your homework for today is to ponder on tea and is it your drink of choice, if so what is a perfect cup of tea for you and why. If tea is not your drink of choice, why and would you consider trying different teas?
Ponder away!
