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| Saturday, 8 February 2003 |
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Tea : new doctor in the house by Derrick Schokman Reading tea leaves is a way of foretelling the future. So let us unroll the leaves from the bottom of the pot and see what lies in store for the "cup that cheers".
The recorded history of green tea begins in China in the 8th century. Black teas came into prominence in the 19th century when Sir Joseph Banks, Botanist and Explorer, saw tea bushes as big as houses growing in Assam and recommended their cultivation. The Assam Tea Company was the forerunner of a soaring enterprise that blossomed worldwide. Different countries had their own characteristic way of drinking tea. The Chinese drank green tea while the rest of the world generally preferred black. Russians poured it out of samovars and drank it off glasses; the Japanese had an exquisite tea ceremony; Americans drank it with ice and lemon; Tibetans with yak butter; Arabs added mint; Australians brewed it in bullies; Canadians dunked biscuits in it; and the British made a ritual of "afternoon tea" taken in the garden in summer or by the fireside in winter, along with scones and crumpets. Tea swept the world but had to face increasing competition in the drinks market. Changing social conditions had much to do with this competition. In the hurrying-scurrying world of today, people have no time to sit down to a proper meal and drink. The drinks companies had accordingly to adjust to this change. Coffee, always a tough competitor of tea, used the advertising breaks in television to do this. These breaks were too short for viewers to brew a proper cup of tea, but were long enough for them to get a soluble coffee.
The tea industry fought back with tea bags to provide a fast drink in a world of fast foods, but it still faces competition from fresh producer areas opening up eg. Vietnam and new soft drinks like Diet Coke for supposed health reasons. Health, that could be the answer to bring about an equilibrium between total production today which is two per cent ahead of tea sales. The tea trade is actually thinking of turning over a new leaf in terms of reinventing the cuppa by educating people in the health properties of tea, which they hope will boost sales as well as our immune systems. Scientists today believe that both green tea and black tea, which come from the same plant, camellia sinesis, contain the same powerful antioxidants in the form of flavonoids. Green tea contains proportionately more of the simple flavonoids called catachins. Black tea contains more complex flavonoids known as the aflavins and the arubigins. A recent Dutch study has shown that tea-drinking reduced by about half the risk of heart attacks to people over 55 if they drank more than one mug of tea a day. A recently released Chinese report has shown the protective effects of drinking green tea in respect of chronic gastritis and stomach cancer.
A resurgence in tea drinking has been prompted by these reports, and the challenge now for the tea trade is to re-educate people on the health benefits of the "cup that cheers". How much tea does one need to drink to obtain these health benefits? An apple a day is said to keep the doctor away. In the case of tea, three cups have eight (8) times the "antioxidant power" of one apple. Medical research suggests that one cup a day makes a difference, while three to five cups has been associated with positive health benefits. The best way to realise these benefits is to brew the tea for at least three minutes before drinking. For those tea drinkers who have resorted to the tea bag and have forgotten how to brew a proper cuppa here is a reminder. Use only freshly boiled water. When the water is nearly boiled pour a little into the pot and swirl it around to heat the pot. Then put in tea leaves, one teaspoonful per person and one for the pot. Fill the pot with boiling water and stir gently for a few moments. Then allow the infusion to brew for 5 minutes - at least 3 minutes to get the maximum effect of the flavonoids. A last word of caution. Do not run away with the idea that tea-drinking in itself is a panacea for the diseases mentioned in this article. All the tea in China is not going to benefit you, if you continue to indulge in a diet of high fat and sugar and slouch in front of the telly without exercising. On the other hand, if you can get your act together, there is every likelihood of living healthily to a ripe old age. |
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Produced by Lake House |
The London-based Tea Council, set up 36 years ago by the major tea
producing countries, can provide more than 250 medicinal reports
highlighting the positive cardiovascular effects of tea drinking and its
inhibition of certain cancers.
