Tea comes from China. Only the birth of a royal baby is celebrated as consistently by the British as the five o'clock tea. Nowhere else in Germany are the people as keen on diversity in their tea as in East Frisia ... Heard everything before and don't feel like hearing the same old facts about tea? The following is real insider knowledge that surprises even connoisseurs – perfect for your next chat over a cup of tea.
They belong together: tea and water. In fact, this beverage popular worldwide is made over 99 per cent from the clear liquid. For unadulterated tea enjoyment, the water should be pure, soft and fresh. Fresh water contains a lot of oxygen, which in turn influences the flavour of the tea. To ensure that the precious essence is not lost when heated, tea water should only be boiled for a few seconds.
The quality of the water mostly depends on the region from which it comes: a filter can help create the perfect foundation for tasty tea. "Hard" (mineral-rich) water can also be the cause of dark, oil-like streaks that form on the surface of your tea or the edge of your cup. This happens when substances in the tea or the water react with the oxygen in the air.
However, with some varieties – such as the high-quality Assam tea – the shimmering film can indicate that it's a first-class variety and is caused by essential oils. These oils are an indication of quality in particularly good tea.
The tea plant grows best in subtropical and tropical areas where frost is rare. At least four hours of sun every day and regular rain are needed to ensure that the plant thrives. For a particularly high-quality harvest, some tea farmers plant large "shadow trees" on their fields, which reduces the microclimate on the plantation. They protect the precious leaves from natural hazards such as hail and ensure that the soil maintains its ecological balance.
A well-known shade provider on many tea plantations is the Albizia tree, the leaves of which look like small green feathers.
Not only the history of tea itself, but also its language is equally fascinating. There are only two terms in all the world that mean "tea" – and those are "te" and "cha", with its language variation changing depending on the country. Both words have their origin in distant China.
The word "cha" – or "chay" – was mainly carried out into the world over land, spreading to Central Asia and Persia via the Silk Road. "Te" originated from a Chinese dialect spoken in the coastal province of Fujian.
This term travelled by sea, with Dutch tea traders carrying it across the oceans to Europe, where these days variations of "te" is most used. That's why in England we usually talk about "tea", not "chai".