All 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
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
First brought to Japan by Buddhist priest Thought to enhance religious meditation Tea has always been associated with Zen Buddhism
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
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
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
Expanded to include: ◦ crust-less sandwiches ◦ shrimp or fish pates ◦ Toasted breads with jams ◦ Scones ◦ Crumpets
“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.
Invented by the Dutch Outside Music Allowed women to enter mixed public places Mixed freely without class consideration
Boxes where coins could be deposited Helped ensure proper service
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
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
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
Infuser- small container with holes in it to let water in and contain tea Steep- brew water just below boiling point Stir
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
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
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 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
People in the US average about 200 mg per day For adults coffee is the main source For teens it is soft drinks
ProductServing SizeCaffeine (mg) Coffee, brewed8 oz Coffee, instant8 oz Coffee, decaf8 oz1-5 Tea, brewed, US8 oz20-90 Tea, brewed, import8 oz Tea, iced12 oz14-75 Chocolate milk8 oz2-7 Cocoa beverage8 oz3-32 Soft drinks12 oz20-60 Milk chocolate1 oz1-15 Dark chocolate, semi1 oz5-35
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
Cut back gradually Eliminating all at once can cause side effects such as: Headaches Fatigue Drowsiness Restlessness Irritability Usually last a couple of days