Learn about tea…
Take a fresh look at what tea has going for it!
When we consider what fine teas, wines, coffees, spirits add to our taste experience, it is no wonder that this beverage so steeped in a rich history is finally getting the recognition that it deserves! Here at Light of Day, we believe that we are in the very beginning of a national immersion into the wonderful world of tea!
Tea has so much to offer: A colorful history, with variations in origin, estate production and manufacture, a growing list of health benefits, including lending itself to reflection and relaxation. In our opinion, Tea is the perfect beverage for today’s busy world…it is subtle, healthy, and sophisticated… it reminds us that the world can wait until the cup is finished. So, please go nurture yourself today…drink some Tea!
“THE HEALTH FILE:” Light of Day’s founder, Angela Macke, is a Registered Nurse, and has been collecting research and various press articles about tea for many years. If you would like a copy of her most up-to date file, please make this request to angela@lightofdayorganics.com. Please feel welcomed to send us anything of interest that you should come across in your travels, as we consider this education of tea a life-long exploration! Thank you for your interest in learning more about this healthy beverage choice.
TO BEGIN YOUR TEA LESSON, PLEASE WATCH THIS Youtube VIDEO OF OUR FOUNDER, ANGELA MACKE, TALKING ABOUT HOW TO MAKE A GOOD CUP OF TEA! (It’s awesome!! )
CLICK HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRlGa2kUGw0
TEA 101: Tea, the beverage, is the second most widely consumed drink in the world, exceeded only by water. In many cases today, as in ancient times, tea is safer to drink than water because it is boiled first, killing any disease-carrying bacteria.
By most reports, tea was first consumed as a beverage in China, sometime between 2700 B.C and 220 A.D. Tea began to travel as a trade item as early as the fifth century, with some sources indicating Turkish traders bartering for tea on the Mongolian border. Tea made it’s way to Japan late in the sixth century, along with another famous Chinese export: Buddhism. By the end of the sixth century, Buddhist monks were planting tea in Japan. 99% of commercially available Green tea comes from Japan.
All tea, regardless of it’s origin, is the Camellia sinensis plant. Left to it’s own devices, tea plants will grow into a substantial tree (up to 40 feet.) On the farms, a few are allowed to do so for the purpose of growing seeds. For tea production, it is necessary to train the tea plants into bushes, and great care is taken to create a shape that lends itself to consistent picking, or “plucking”. This process, called frame formation, is achieved through pruning, and pegging. “Pegging” is the practice of bending some branches down, and pegging them into position. This flattened area is referred to as the “plucking table.”
Tea is an indigenous plant throughout the forests of Southeast Asia. Tea’s origins lie in an indefinite area to the Southeast of the Tibetan plateau, including Szechuan, Yunnan, Burma, Siam, and Northern India. From these original locations, tea has spread throughout the world and today is cultivated in areas as diverse as Washington state on the West coast of the U.S and Guatemala in Central America. The small-leafed China plant remains fairly true-bred and has avoided much of the crossbreeding and hybridization typical of modern agriculture. China is the birthplace of tea, and there is vast diversity in leaf style and grade here. Some famous provinces for tea production are: Anhui, Fujian, Yunnan, Zhejiang. The incredible diversity here is worth exploring.
PLEASE CONTINUE YOUR EDUCATION BY READING WHITE TEA, GREEN TEA, OOLONG TEA, BLACK TEA , and TISANES SECTIONS.
ADVANCED TEA CLASSES: If you are interested in participating in a more in-depth education of this remarkable plant, please consider attending one of our lively, educational tea events as we pass down oral traditions about teas and medicinals (SEE BLOG.) We would love to see you there, and invite you to come “cup” Teas from around the globe with us!
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