Do you like Chinese camellias? Just don’t say you haven’t heard anything about it. Camellia Sinensis, or Chinese camellia, is a plant we call tea. On a sunny morning or on a cold winter evening, alone or with warm company, we enjoy a cup of fragrant drink. On World Tea Day, we will entertain you with a story about your favorite drink. You will be surprised…
Legend
It is said that tea was invented in 2737 BC, but it happened by accident when the second Chinese emperor Shen Nun inadvertently threw tea leaves into boiling water. Tea has been brewed in the East for almost five millennia, but the Western world has only appreciated the drink for four hundred years. Tea leaves debuted in Europe as a salad ingredient, then began to be dried and smoked instead of tobacco, but finally guessed to brew. Do not be surprised, because in Burma tea is still used for salads, and in Tibet – as an ingredient for soup. It’s even scary to imagine that people around the world today drink three billion cups of tea a day.
Cooking options
During his triumphant walk on the planet, the winning drink acquired different variations – people experimented to the fullest. Probably many have heard of tea in English. The peculiarity of its preparation is that the British first pour milk into a cup, and only then tea. If we wish, we can all feel English thanks to the ancient variation. By the way, quite tasty. Thanks to the restless British, today we taste tea with the prince’s pear citrus bergamia, or simply put with bergamot. It is believed that a miracle, resembling an unripe lemon, was given to the English count by a Chinese mandarin as a sign of gratitude for the saved life. The gift was liked and gained popularity, with further distribution in European countries, but about bergamot the other time. Note only that bergamot tea is not only delicious but also useful: it has rejuvenating properties, improves overall tone, removes toxins and improves the psycho-emotional state of man.
Useful properties
But in its pure form, tea is rich in beneficial properties, and some scientists generally consider the drink a medicine. There is some truth in this, because tannin, a substance found in tea tree leaves, stops bleeding and blocks the development of inflammation. But tannic acid, which contains black tea, helps remove warts. Green tea is good for vitamin C: it contains 50% more than black tea.
Tea divination
If we talk about the amazing properties of the drink, the tea is even used for divination. And although connoisseurs of various kinds of predictions more often use coffee grounds, the inquisitive have discovered tea divinations, which even claim the title of a kind of science called «taseology» or «taseography». Of course, we do not advise to do this on your own, let someone trust those who will position themselves as a specialist in taseology.
Choice in favor of tea
For people who are used to refueling with coffee, there is good news: you can safely switch to tea, which has more caffeine and has a much milder effect on the human body. Especially useful in the morning will be white tea, which contains vitamins C, B, PP, amino acids and trace elements, but it has less caffeine. Connoisseurs also pay tribute to yellow tea, collected exclusively in China according to nine special rules: do not collect tea on a rainy day, tear purple buds covered with dew, open even a little, damaged for too long, short or withered. One thing is clear: any kind of tea is useful.
Each and every one of us has his own tea story. It doesn’t matter what kind of tea you drink: green, black, with jasmine flowers or lemon balm leaves, with bergamot or lemon – there are many recipes. The very philosophy of tea is important, which gives the feeling of Hughes – a little happiness in the little things. Just what you need!