History of tea

Traditionally, white teas are a speciality of the province of Fujian in eastern China. This colour of tea requires the least complex processing method, yet it is the most delicate of all teas.

Oolongs are a speciality of Fujian. They are known as blue-green teas among the Chinese due to the colour of the infused leaves, and have had their oxidation interrupted during processing. There are many Oolongs, which vary according to the growing region, species of tea plant and processing method.

Pu Erhs are black fermented teas. Renowned in China for their antioxidant qualities, they aid digestion and eliminate fats.

Rooibos is a plant from South Africa. Being very low in tannins and completely theine-free, this antioxidant-rich drink is ideal in the evening.

Matcha is used in Japanese tea ceremonies, and is also highly prized in cooking, adding a subtle, refined note.

Black teas, which the Chinese call red tea due to the coppery colour of the infusion, are teas whose leaves have undergone full oxidation.

Known for their many benefits (antioxidant, thirst-quenching, uplifting, soothing), green teas are non-oxidised teas that offer a wide variety of aromas and flavours.

Tea plantations look like a huge forest made up of small trees that rarely reach above 1.5m in height. When their trunks are thick and gnarled, they show that their age is much greater than their small size would suggest.In their natural state tea plants can reach a height of 15 to 2m. If they are to be cultivated they are kept at a height of about 1.2m by regular pruning, in order to form what is known as the "plucking table", which facilitates hand plucking and encourages bud growth.

It all began in 2737 BC in China. According to legend, whilst the emperor Shen Nung was boiling water to slake his thirst in the shade of a tree, a light breeze rustled the branches and caused a few leaves to fall. They mixed with the water and gave it a delicate colour and perfume. The emperor tasted it and found it to be delicious. The tree was a wild tea plant: tea was born.

Korean tea has become one of the leading teas in the world and boasts a truly distinctive characteristic compared to the tea produced in neighbouring China and Japan. Despite the fact that the country is neither a large-scale producer nor a major consumer, Koreans remain very proud of this aspect of their heritage which was revived after the Second World War.

In 1972 the island of Ceylon changed its name to Sri Lanka, but its former name, which dates back to the British Empire, has remained in use within the world of tea. It is not unusual to speak of a "Ceylon" to describe a tea from this country.

Situated less than 16 kilometers from the Chinese coast, across from the Fujian province, the island of Taiwan is the land historically reputable for its Oolong teas (semi-oxidized tea). In the last few years, the country has also offered some rare black teas of quality.

The leaves of green and Oolong-teas teas are usually whole and the grade is not specified. The same applies for a few of the black teas, particularly Chinese, where its name is a synonym of quality. For other black teas the grade is important since it gives two pieces of information: the fineness of the crop, and the size of the leaf (whole, broken, ground).

The cradle of tea and first world producer, China offers the largest variety of tea in the world. Discover its history and some emblematic teas from The Middle Kingdom.

There are great differences from one type of Indian tea to another. On the one hand, this is due to the climate and local conditions which can vary greatly from one region to another: from mountainous regions to plateaus or plains; on the other hand because the plantations are not all made up of the same type of tea plant: camelia assamica in Assam, camelia sinensis in the south of India, both varieties in Darjeeling, hybridising etc.

It was not until the 9th century that the first tea plants were grown, and not until 122 that they were planted in the province of Uji, which is now famed for producing the best green teas in Japan. Later the great Zen priest, Sen-no Rikyu (1522-1591) classified the link between tea, Buddhism and the different schools of tea, creating in this way to the most complete form of Cha No Yu.