Tea is a beverage prepared by pouring boiling water over dry processed tea leaves. It ranks as the most popular refreshing drink in more countries than any other beverage. The annual worldwide production of dried tea totals about 53/4 billion pounds (2.6 billion kilograms).

India has always played a dominant role in world tea production. Today, India produces over 11/2 billion pounds (720 million kilograms) each year. China is the second largest producer with over 11/4 billion pounds (600 million kilograms) annually. Other tea-producing countries include Indonesia, Kenya, and Sri Lanka.

The tea-producing countries themselves consume over one-half of the global tea crop. Britain imports the greatest amount of tea–about 400 million pounds (180 million kilograms) annually. On the average, about 7 pounds (3.2 kilograms) of tea are consumed per person each year in Britain.

People in the United States consume about 3/4 pound (0.34 kilogram) of tea per person per year. From leaf to cup The tea plant grows in tropical and subtropical climates. The plant, an evergreen, grows quickly at low altitudes where the air is warm. The finest tea comes from elevations of 3,000 to 7,000 feet (900 to 2,100 meters). The plant grows more slowly in cool air, adding to its flavor.

Tea plants have small, white, sweet-smelling flowers. Each flower produces three seeds that look like hazelnuts. On a tea estate or in a tea garden where tea plants are grown commercially, workers plant the seeds in a nursery bed. Another method of cultivating tea involves planting cuttings of tea plants with desirable qualities, such as high yield or special flavor, in the bed. About a year later, when the plants are about 8 inches (20 centimeters) high, they are transplanted to the field. About 3,000 tea plants grow on 1 acre (0.4 hectare) of land.

Wild tea plants grow as high as 30 feet (9 meters). But a commercial tea plant is pruned to keep it from 3 to 4 feet (91 to 120 centimeters) high. The plant matures in three to five years and produces a flush (growth of new shoots). Each shoot consists of several leaves and a bud. At lower altitudes, tea plants may grow a flush every week. At higher altitudes, a plant needs as long as two weeks to grow a flush. Tea plants produce no flushes in cold weather. Workers called tea pluckers pick the flushes off the bush by hand. A plucker can harvest about 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of tea leaves a day, enough to make about 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) of manufactured tea. Mechanical pluckers are common in countries with flat land. These devices are tractorlike machines that can harvest as much tea leaf as up to 100 manual pluckers. However, tea of higher quality is generally produced from leaves that have been hand-plucked. Processing tea. There are three main kinds of tea: (1) black, (2) green, and (3) oolong. They differ in the method used to process the leaves. The processing takes place in a factory on or near the tea estate. All tea-producing countries manufacture black tea. Most of the green and oolong tea comes from China, Japan, and Taiwan.

Black tea. To make black tea, workers first spread the leaves on shelves called withering racks. Air is blown over the leaves to remove excess moisture, leaving them soft and flexible. Next, the leaves are crushed between the rollers of a machine to release their flavorful juices. Then, in a fermenting room, the tea leaves change chemically under controlled humidity and temperature until they turn coppery in color. Finally, the leaves are dried in ovens and become brownish-black. Green tea is made by steaming the leaves in large vats. The steaming prevents the leaves from changing color.

The leaves are then crushed in a machine and dried in ovens. Oolong tea is made by partially fermenting the leaves. This gives tea leaves a greenish-brown color. Grades of tea vary only according to the size of the leaves. The size of a tea leaf has nothing to do with the quality of the tea.

To sort the processed tea leaves by grade, they are passed across screens with different size holes. The largest tea leaves, selected for loose tea, are classified–in order of size–as orange pekoe, pekoe, and pekoe souchong. The smaller or broken tea leaves, generally used in tea bags, are classified as broken orange pekoe, broken orange pekoe fannings, and fannings. Instant tea is made by brewing tea on a large scale and then removing the water by a drying process. When the process is completed, only a powder remains. The powdered tea combines easily with moisture, and so it must be packed under controlled humidity and temperature. People make instant tea at home by simply adding water to the powder.

Teas grown in different countries, or even in different parts of the same country, vary in taste, flavor, and quality. To obtain the best teas, each tea company employs tea tasters who select only certain teas for purchase. These teas, after being blended by the company, have a flavor for which the firm is known. The company then sells its blend of tea under its own brand name.

Brewing tea. Tea is brewed by pouring boiling water over one teaspoon of loose tea, or one tea bag, per cup. To obtain the best flavor, the tea should steep (soak) for three to five minutes before being served. People who prefer weak tea can add hot water. Iced tea, the most popular form of the beverage in the United States, is prepared by first brewing a strong hot tea. For each two glasses, three teaspoons of tea or three tea bags should be used. After steeping for five minutes, the tea is cooled at room temperature and served over ice cubes.

History

According to legend, the use of tea was discovered by Emperor Shennong of China about 2737 B.C. The earliest known mention of tea appeared in Chinese literature of about A.D. 350. The custom of tea drinking spread to Japan around A.D. 600. The first shipment of tea to Europe was made in 1610 by Dutch traders who imported it from China and Japan. By 1650, the Dutch were importing tea into the American Colonies. In 1657, the beverage was sold for the first time in coffee houses in England. Tea went on to become the national drink of Britain. In 1767, Britain placed a tax on the tea being used by the American colonists. Colonial resistance to the tax brought about the Boston Tea Party in 1773 and contributed to the American independence movement. The use of iced tea and tea bags began in the United States. Richard Blechynden, an Englishman trying to increase the use of tea in the United States, first served iced tea at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (also called the St. Louis World’s Fair) in 1904. That same year, Thomas Sullivan, a New York City coffee and tea merchant, sent his customers samples of tea leaves in small silk bags instead of the usual tin containers. The customers began to order tea leaves in bags after finding that tea could be brewed easily with them.

Instant tea was developed in the United States and first marketed in 1948. Scientific classification. The tea plant is a member of the tea family, Theaceae. It is Camellia sinensis.