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The History of Tea (brief)Tea likely originated in China during the Shang Dynasty (The Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project dated them from c. 1600 BC to 1046 BC.) as a medicinal drinkDrinking tea became popular in Britain during the 17th century. The British introduced tea to India, in order to compete with the Chinese monopoly on tea.Tea has been historically promoted for having a variety of positive health benefits.  (we will cover this more in future blogs)(I told you it was a brief history, if more detail is required, Wikipedia has a reasonable outline.)Cultivation & Harvesting: (brief)Leaves of Camellia sinensis, the tea plantCamellia sinensis is an evergreen plant that grows mainly in tropical and subtropical climates. There are a few  varieties which can also tolerate marine climates and are cultivated on the British mainland and in the United States. Tea plants are propagated by seed   it takes about 4 to 12 years for a tea plant to bear seed, and about three years before a new plant is ready for harvesting. In addition to a warmer climate, tea plants require at least 127 cm (50 inches) of rainfall a year and prefer acidic soils. Many high-quality tea plants are cultivated of up to 1,500m (4,900 ft) above sea level: at these heights, the plants grow more slowly and acquire a better flavour, Only the top 1–2 inches of the mature plant are picked. These buds and leaves are called flushes.  A plant will grow a new flush every 7 to 15 days during growing season, and leaves slow in development tend to produce better-flavoured teas. Tea plants will grow into a tree of up to 16 m (52 ft) if left undisturbed, but cultivated plants are pruned to waist height for ease of plucking. Pests of tea include mosquito bugs that can tatter leaves, so insecticides may be used.1.  China plant (C.s. sinensis), used for most Chinese, Formosan & Japanese teas.2.  Assam tea plant (C.s.assamica) used for most Indian & other teas (not Darjeeling) From these two varieties, there are many strains and clonal varieties.Leaf size  is the chief criterion for the classification of tea plants (Indian clonal varieties) with Assam type tea being characterised by the largest leaves.China type characterised by the smallest leaves Cambod (?) characterized by intermediate leaves.

Drinking a daily cup of tea will surely starve the apothecary.  ~Chinese Proverb

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