What country introduced tea to Europe and the Americas?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
August 14, 2001
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Tea is made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis [ka mee' lee a si nen' sis]. This broadleaf evergreen is native to Southeast Asia and is a close relative of the camellias (Camellia japonica and others) grown for their extravagant spring flowers. According to the legend, tea has been used in India and China
for at least 4,000 years.
The spice trade had been controlled by the Arabs until Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese navigator, figured out they could sail south around the Cape of Good Hope and fill their ships with spices from the East Indies. The Dutch, worried that the Portuguese were getting rich, chartered the Dutch East India Company in 1602.
The Dutch company not only figured that business was war, but that war was business. Because of the numerous battles both in trade and war, the Portuguese aligned with Spain against the Dutch.
The English who had formed the British East India Company in 1600, decided to take advantage of the Dutch, Spanish, and Portuguese fighting. They would tiptoe around the Cape and get into India.
During all the fighting, the Dutch were the first to recognize the value of tea. The Dutch East India Company introduced tea to Europe and the Americas, making a fortune. With these huge amounts of money, the Dutch deprived the Portuguese of their holdings in the Orient. But the British soon caught on and banned the Dutch from selling tea to their colonies in the Americas. Today, tea is the most popular drink worldwide.
To view a photograph of Camellia sinensis and other camellias in bloom, click the link:
http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/the.htm
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Suggested Reading:
What is Jesuit's tea? Herbal Folklore - December 30, 2002
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Sweet Leaf Plant
Gurney Seed and Nursery®
The Natural Sugar Substitute.—Glossy foliage just 10 inches tall, sprinkled with snowy flowers. Dried leaves are 300 times sweeter than sugar. Bring in for the winter.
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[More Houseplants...]
Gunpowder tea
Adagio Teas®
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Description
Green tea from the Guangdong province of China. Gunpowder tea, as the name implies, is made up of leaves hand-rolled into tiny pellets. These resemble gunpowder, and give this tea its distinct name. Continuing this bang-bang theme, our special-grade version of this tea is named after a year that saw lots of cannon action. Our "1812 Gunpowder" produces a full-bodied cup with a hint of smokiness. And mixes well with peppermint to produce a popular "Moroccan Mint" tea.
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[Green tea sampler...]
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Gunpowder tea story
The name of this tea is said to derive from its visual similarity to military gunpowder, infusing the colonial phrase of "gunpowder diplomacy" with much irony. Gunpowder is the favorite green tea of Morocco and the Middle East, where it is commonly prepared with mint and plenty of sugar. The local custom dictates that it be served by men, and be poured in such a way as to create a sizeable foam atop one's glass. Gunpowder tea is often mixed with peppermint leaves to create a unique blend called Moroccan Mint.
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Dragon Well tea
Adagio Teas®
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Description
Green tea from the Chinese village of Dragon Well (Lung Ching in local parlance). Dragon Well tea has a distinguished shape. Its leaves are broad and flat, a result of laborious drying. There is something to show for this hard work: Dragon Well tea is refreshingly smooth, sweet and delicate, among the very best of Chinese greens. Our "Dragon Well Requiem" is a First Grade version of this truly sublime tea.
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Dragon Well tea story
Dragon Well name derives from a local spring that legend has it is the lair of a dragon. Also known as Lung Ching, it is the best known of China's green teas, justifiably so. It had been presented as tribute to many generations of Chinese emperors, and was the tea served to Richard Nixon in his memorable encounter with Mao Tse-tung. In local parlance, it is praised for its "four uniques": jade color, vegetative aroma, mellow chestnut flavor and singular shape.
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Ceylon Waltz tea
Adagio Teas®
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Description
"Ceylon Waltz" is another lively tea from the Nawalakande estate, also in the Dimbula region of Sri Lanka. Its leaves are marked by long silver lines. Another great tea for a lazy afternoon.
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Ceylon Waltz tea story
Ceylon is the old name of Sri Lanka. And all the tea that is grown here is still referred to as such. Most of the plantations are located in the hills, south of Kandy. The most famous tea-growing regions are all in the highlands: Dimbula, Uva and Nuwara Eliya. The high-grown teas, those cultivated above 4000 feet, tend to be superior to the lower-grown varieties. Ceylon's finer qualities - delicate flavor and sweet aroma - are typically found in its high-grown teas.
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Silver Needle tea
Adagio Teas®
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Description
White tea from China. Silver Needle is among the most revered of Chinese teas, produced in the Fuding and Zhenhe districts of its Fujian province. Gathered only in the few days of early spring, the preparation of this tea is governed by strict requirements to ensure a premium product. This dedication to perfection is evident in the cup, which is sweet and delicate with a clean, airy fragrance. Our "Sublime Needle" is a Special Grade (Bai Hao) version of this exquisite tea.
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Silver Needle tea story
Modern-day white teas can be traced to the 18th Century Qing Dynasty, a time when they were harvested from ordinary tea bushes. White teas differed from green teas in that their processing did not incorporate any steaming or pan-firing. The teas were simply shaped, and allowed to wither. The resulting leaves were thin, small and did not have much silvery-white hair. It wasn't until 1885 that specific varietals of tea bushes were selected to make white teas. The large, silvery-white leaves of the Silver Needle came into being in 1891. And the production of White Peony began around 1922.
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