Tea Etiquette 101

Tea should not be drunk too cold. There are several reasons for this. The main one which is that tea must not be made too strong. The intensity of a strong brew is not its real, natural flavor but a chemical reaction. By the same reckoning, do not be tempted to put too many leaves in a pot,

As the Tea cools, Vitamin A and B will vanish, to be replaced by tannin, a strong chemical that will eat away at your stomach walls. Next time you are tempted to gulp a glass of cold Tea, choose a cup of warm Green Tea instead. It will lift your thirst better.

Courtesy: chinadaily.com.cn

How to call 'Tea' in different languages

Afrikaans: tee

Albanian: caj (pronounced chai)

Arabic: chai or shai

Armenian: te

Azerbaijani: caj (pronounced chai)

Basque: tea

Belarusian: harbatu

Bengali/Bangla: cha

Bulgarian: chai

Catalan: té

Chinese (Cantonese): cha

Chinese (Mandarin): cha (second tone / pronounced with the "a" in a rising tone)

Croatian: caj (pronounced chai)

Czech: caj (pronounced cha-i)

Danish: te

Dutch: thee

English: tea

Esperanto: teo

Filipino/Tagalog: tsaa

Finnish: tee

French: le thé (masculine)

Galician: té

Georgian: chai

German: der Tee (masculine; the “T” is capitalized because all German nouns are capitalized)

Greek: tsai

Haitian Creole: té

Hebrew: teh

Hindi: chai

Hungarian: tea (plural: teak)

Irish: tae

Italian: te (pronounced teh)

Icelandic: te

Indonesian: teh

Japanese: ocha (-cha is used as a suffix)

Korean: cha

Latvian: teja (pronounced tay-ya)

Lithuanian: arbata

Luxembourgish: Téi (like in German, all nouns are capitalized in Luxembourish)

Macedonian: chaj (pronounced chai)

Malay: teh

Maltese: te

Norwegian: te

Persian: chay (pronounced chai in most areas)

Polish: herbata

Portuguese: cha (pronounced shah with a Brazilian accent)

Romanian: ceai

Russian: chai

Serbian: caj (pronounced chai)

Sinhalese (Sri Lanka): thé (The word for teapot is actually a Dutch loanword. It is theepot.)

Slovak: caj (pronounced chai)

Slovenian: caj (pronounced chai)

Somali: shaah

Spanish: el té (masculine; pronounced tay)

Swahili: chai (pronounced cha-i)

Swedish: te

Taiwanese: de (boba naicha refers to Taiwan’s popular “tapioca pearl tea”)

Tamil (Sri Lanka): tea

Thai: chah (chah yen refers to Thai iced Tea)

Tibetan: cha or ja

Turkish: cay (pronounced chai)

Ukrainian: chaj (pronounced chay)

Urdu: chai

(North) Vietnamese: che

(South) Vietnamese: tra (sometimes pronounced cha or ja)

Wolof: achai (pronounced uh-chuy)

Welsh: te

Yiddish: tey

Zulu: itiye

(courtesy : about.com)

Cool Uses For Tea and Tea Bags

Eye bags: Had a hard day at work? Put some warm used tea bags over your closed eyes for 15 minutes to sooth your tired and sore peepers.

Remove smelly odors on your skin: After you've touched something stinky while cooking, like onions or fish, wash your hands with tea to remove the smell. If your feet tend to smell, then soak them in tea every day for 20 minutes to reduce odor.

Mop wooden floors and clean wooden furniture: Add a bit of black tea to your mop when you're mopping up your wooden floors. The leaves' natural properties will help add color and shine up the dull wood.

Clean reflective surfaces: If there are grease stains that won't come off your glass surfaces or mirrors, then dip some cloth in brewed tea and wipe them down.

Deodorize rooms or items: To make your room smell fresh, place unused tea bags in certain areas to clear the air. If there is something specific you want to freshen up, like a pair of shoes, then place a tea bag in it to absorb the smell.

Feed your plants: Occasionally, for plants that prefer acidic soil, water them with tea. The tea will change the pH level of the soil and make it more acidic.

Tenderize meat: Consider marinating your meat in tea to tenderize it. The tannins in the tea will soften the meat. Use strong black tea and pour it over the meat before you put it in the oven.

Courtesy: http://www.businessinsider.com

Tea ( Chai ) Flavorings

People like to combine two or more flavors sometimes.  Some of the most commonly used flavorings are:

Ginger:  A winter favorite, all you need is a tiny slice of ginger, either pounded or grated. Mix with tea while brewing.

Cardamom:  One pod for 1-2 cups (depending on how strong you want it), pounded.

Fennel Seeds (Saunf): One fourth of a teaspoon per cup of tea makes for a superbly aromatic blend, ideal for warm days. It helps in  digestion.

Tulsi: Also known as Holy Basil, tulsi adds a wonderful flavor.

Mint: A nice substitute for tulsi leaves. Its gives a minty flavor.

Cinnamon:  a half inch stick per cup is adequate to give a nice flavor.

Fennel Lemongrass: A popular Thai ingredient that adds fresh citrus flavor.

Spice Blend: The most popular blend contains five elements in equal quantities – fennel seeds (saunf), cardamom, peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon. This masala is so strong that you only need a pinch of it per cup of tea.

Interesting Tea info !!

1.  All types of  tea (white, green, black, and oolong) comes from the same plant, the ‘Camellia Sinesis’ and It takes a  three to five years for a tea bush to grow and be ready for harvesting.

2.  Herbal tea is not really tea, but a tea-like drink made from flowers, fruits and herbs. Most herbal teas are distinguished by their ability to stimulate or relax the tea drinker.

3.  Research outcomes have shown that tea can provide over 15% of the minimum daily requirement of calcium, as much as 10% of folic acid, and 45% of manganese (promotes healthy bones).

4.  There is only one working tea plantation in the USA and it is located on Wadmalaw Island just outside Charleston, South Carolina. It also has a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.

5.  If a lemon slice is kept at the bottom of a cup before pouring tea, it will help to keep any residue from tea leaves or minerals in water from forming on the top of the cup.

How to brew Green Tea

Brewing perfect cup of Green Tea is a tricky process. If not handled properly, those same 'polyphenols' that provide health benefits can ruin the flavor, making the tea taste "gassy." It's particularly important not to over brew. While it's best to follow the manufacturer's instructions for each variety of green tea, here are some general instructions:

• Use 2 - 4 grams of tea * , per cup.
• Fill a kettle with cold water and bring to a boil.
• After unplugging the kettle, allow it to stand for up to 3 minutes.
• Pour the heated water over the tea, and allow it to steep for up to 3 minutes.
• Allow the tea to cool for three more minutes.

*One to two teaspoons, depending on the variety of green tea you are brewing.

Although Green Tea is taken alone without any added flavorings , not everyone will appreciate drinking it in this manner. Infact some people would like to add a touch a sugar, or honey, ginger or even a slice of lemon to give that added taste.

Indian Tea Industry

The Indian tea industry is nearly 200 years old. Robert Bruce, a British national discovered tea plants growing in the upper Brahmaputra valley in Assam and adjoining areas. In 1838, Indian tea that was grown in Assam was sent to the UK for the first time, for public sale. Tea in India is grown primarily in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Apart from this, it is also grown in small quantities in Karnataka, HP, Tripura, Uttaranchal, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim and Meghalaya. India has a dual tea base, unlike most other tea exporting countries. Both CTC and Orthodox tea is produced in India. The tea industry is agro‐based and labour intensive. It provides direct employment to over 1 million persons. Through its forward and backward linkages another 10 million persons derive their livelihood from tea. In Northeast India alone, the tea industry employs around 900,000 people on permanent rolls. It is one of the largest employers of women amongst organized industries in India. Women constitute nearly 51% of the total workforce. The tea estates in the North Eastern India are located in industrially backward areas. Tea being the only organised industry in the private sector in this region, people outside the tea estates has high expectations from the industry.