The English drink it each and every afternoon. Psychics read its leaves.
Health food stores promote special blends that claim to enhance athletic
performance. Some people use it as a sleep aid. Why is tea so popular, and what
are the health benefits of each type?
History
Legend places tea’s roots in ancient China.
There, more than 5,000 years ago, Emperor Shen Nung declared that all water in
the kingdom must be boiled before consumption, in order to prevent disease.
While visiting a distant corner of his kingdom, the emperor requested a drink.
As the local servants left the water to boil, some leaves from a nearby bush
fell into the pot, turning the water brown. Instead of becoming angry, the
emperor took a scientific interest in the brown water. He drank some as an
experiment, and, as the legend goes, found it "refreshing."
News of this refreshing and sanitary beverage spread to neighboring
kingdoms, and Zen priests shared it with the Japanese, who invented the
Japanese Tea Ceremony. Europeans learned of tea in the mid-1500s, and it became
a staple of their diet by the mid-1600s.
Black Teas
Black tea is the beverage of Victorian tea services and the Boston Tea
Party. This full-bodied brew comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis
plant, which are dried and fermented. Some of the world’s best tea—and
tea-drinking traditions—are from India,
China, Japan,
Sri Lanka, and Kenya.
Plus, tea is one of the world’s healthiest foods. Both regular and
decaffeinated varieties of tea contain flavonoids, naturally occurring
chemicals that fight cancer and heart disease.
When making a six-cup pot of tea, steep two tea bags or a strainer filled
with 5 to 10 grams of loose tea in boiling water for four to five minutes.
Enjoy!