Tea, which is considered to be the most consumed beverage in the world after water, comes in many varieties, from slightly bitter Chinese green tea with an astringent taste to sweet teas made with flowers or nuts. Tea, which was introduced to Sri Lanka in 1867 by the British, is today a major source of income that earns foreign exchange. Sri Lanka is also known as a country that produces the highest quality tea in the world.
China is considered to be the homeland of the tea tree, which is an evergreen plant known by the scientific name Camellia Sinensis. In the past, tea cultivation was limited to East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, but nowadays tea cultivation is done in many countries with tropical and subtropical climates. Originally used as a medicinal drink in southwestern China, tea began to be used for daily consumption in China during the Tang Dynasty (1st century AD).
After that, tea gradually became popular in East Asia and was introduced to Portuguese merchants and priests in the 16th century. By the 17th century, tea drinking became popular among the British, and the British introduced large-scale commercial tea cultivation to India, breaking China’s monopoly on tea cultivation.
James Taylor
For non-commercial purposes, the British first imported a tea plant from China to Sri Lanka in 1824 and planted it in the Peradeniya Royal Botanical Garden. Tea cultivation was introduced to Sri Lanka as a commercial cultivation in 1867 by James Taylor, a Scot, at the Lulkandura Estate in Kandy.
Tea leaves are dried or withered and oxidised as soon as possible after picking. The endogenous enzymes contained in the tea leaves break down the chlorophyll in the tea leaves and release tannins, accelerating the enzyme oxidation, and as a result, the tea leaves start to become darker in colour.
The slightly darkened tea leaves are then heated, which is expected to destroy the endogenous enzymes and stop further darkening of the tea leaves. In the production of black tea, tea leaves are further dried along with heating. Thus, the preparation of tea leaves for tea production should be done under good control by maintaining the proper temperature and humidity, otherwise bacteria will grow and mold on the tea leaves very soon, making them unfit for consumption.
Although tea made from single-estate tea leaves is available for purchase in the market, most are blended teas. Thus, in mixing tea, the tea obtained from the same plantation area or from several plantation areas located nearby is often mixed.
Storage
Since tea powder absorbs odours very quickly and easily, care must be taken in preparation, transportation and storage of tea. It is because of this quality of tea that nowadays tea manufacturers are motivated to produce scented teas with aromas like vanilla and mint. Tea is usually classified based on the way it is processed and several types of tea such as white tea, yellow tea, green tea, black tea and fermented tea can be identified.
By drinking tea, the body’s fitness increases. Green tea accelerates the body’s fat burning process and increases muscle endurance. Another benefit of drinking tea once a day is lowering the risk of heart disease. Research has also confirmed that regular consumption of tea can reduce the risk of degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease.
Consuming tea hydrates the body and protects the body from the harmful rays of the sun. Also, the contribution of tea to restore the damage done to the body by radiation is high. Tea is very suitable for patients suffering from type two diabetes. Green tea lowers the sugar level in the body and controls diabetes.