The Origin Of Tea

T According to a legend, the most popular drink in the world as well as one of the healthiest, tea, was discovered in 2737 b.c. by a Great Chinese Emperor, creative scientist and skillful ruler. Legend has it that Emperor Shen Nung was drinking recently boiled water, when a few leaves from a nearby tree were blown into his bowl. The Emperor took a sip of the brew and was pleasantly surprised at the refreshing and energizing drink. Thus tea was created. In the early stages of tea, tea was used for medical purposes. Shen Nung discovered that tea leaves can work as antidote. He believed that tea had properties to be considered as a type of herbal medicine. Because of this, Nung wrote a book called Ben Cao Jing (the Materia Medica of Shen …show more content…
The only factor that makes tea different is the way it has been processed. The tea journey begins in tea gardens where tea leaves are plucked, then the tea leaves undergo a process called withering where the leaves are submerged in loose moisture. As tea leaves wither, their cell walls begin to break down and the the chemical components inside come in contact with one another and with oxygen, a reaction called oxidation. Over the years, tea producers have learned to control the natural tendency of tea leaves to wither and oxidize in order to produce a finished tea that has a desirable appearance, aroma, flavor, and taste using methods known as tea processing. When the leaves have been withered they go through a process where you twist the leaves and extract the juices called the CTC or crush, tear, curl. Once they have gone through the CTC process they go through fermentation and …show more content…
You are also able to find chemicals such as pesticide in your tea! Some teas contain artificial flavoring and even GMO’s which are genetically modified organisms. According to the Non-GMO project (2013), modified cornstarch and soy lecithin are additives in tea that are most likely made with genetically engineered corn and soy. Proteins and amino acids found in tea are the most impacting component in tea leaves. The amount of amino-acids depends on the how mature the tea might be, if the teas are younger then there are more amino acids and if the teas are older, the less amino-acids. The amount is also dependent on the time or season it was collected. Teas collected in early spring have more amino acids in them opposed to those collected in late April or May, which contain less. Another substance found in tea leaves is tannin. Tannin has the ability to form strong stable bounds with proteins and some other natural polymers. Just like amino acids, tannin content significantly depends on the the species, sort, and time of picking and age of tea leaf. Polyphenols are another component of tea and it is best known for giving tea its taste and coloration. How do these components affect our health you might ask? The effects of tea are not all good for our bodies, there are negative effects of tea in our bodies. Black tea,