The Perfect Gentleman Issue 1 - March 2016 | Page 31

Gourmet Gentleman
Nilgiri, Dooars, Kangra and Terai are the
other major tea producing regions within
India, and each of them produces teas of
different characteristics depending on the
climate and terrain of the region.
Sri Lanka: Tea was first introduced to Sri
Lanka by the British in 1857. At the time,
the island was totally covered in coffee
plantations, and the tea plant did not take
commercially. In 1869, a parasite
completely destroyed the coffee
plantations allowing the island to be
covered with tea.
At that time, the island was called Ceylon,
it’s name was changed in 1972. The use of
the name Ceylon has stuck with tea
produced in Sri Lanka, which is now the
world's third largest producer.
Kenya: Tea was first introduced to Kenya
by the Caine brothers, with commercial
production starting in 1924.
Tea produced in Kenya is generally sold
as part of blended teas, especially used to
make tea bags.
Taiwan: Like Sri Lanka and Ceylon,
Taiwan retains its old name of Formosa
when it comes to tea production. Tea
production was minimal in Taiwan until
the rise of the Communist party in 1949,
when production exploded.
Tea Preparation
Simply, Tea is made by steeping leaves in
hot water. This is traditionally made
either by placing loose leaves directly into
a tea cup or pot or by using a Tea Infuser
or modernly by using Tea Bags. Freshly
boiled water is then poured over the tea
leaves, and the tea is allowed to steep (or
'brew').

After a few minutes, the leaves are separated
from the liquid either by removing the tea
bag / tea infuser, or by straining the tea as it
is poured. Increasing the strength of the tea
should be done by increasing the amount of
tea that is used, rather than increasing the
time that the tea is allowed to brew for.
For best results, do ensure that the tea cup or
pot have been warmed using hot water
before adding the tea and water, in order to
ensure that the water is not too quickly
cooled by the cup or pot before brewing the
tea.
Water should always be boiled, as the boiling
process reduces the amount of dissolved
oxygen in the water.
The optimum brewing time and
temperature depend on the type of tea.
Teas that are higher in tannins are normally
served stronger with milk such as Oolong,
black and post-fermented teas, which softens
the flavours of the tannins. Teas with
flavours that are more delicate, such as white
and green teas, are brewed at lower
temperatures for shorter periods of time, in
order to ensure that the delicate flavours are
not overpowered by the tannins. These are
not served with milk.
It is difficult to overestimate the spread of
tea across the world, or to overstate the
importance of this infusion and its
significance to the world's population. For
the Perfect Gentleman, it is surely as
complex a topic as wine, and knowledge of
some of the peculiarities of tea, its origins,
and its surrounding cultures are a sure sign
of a cultured individual.
Remember #EverythingStopsforTea

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