Tea, as one of the plants that changed the world, has set off two important wars, the Opium War and the American War of Independence. It was born in China, conquered Europe, and influenced the world.
There are three main categories of foreign tea:
One is East Asian tea, such as Japanese matcha, steamed green tea, Korean barley tea, etc.;
The other is black tea from India, Sri Lanka and Kenya;
The third category is European tea, mainly teabags and flower nectar.
India is the main producer of black tea in the world. Among them, Darjeeling black tea is known as the "champagne in black tea" for its unique and elegant aroma. Its soup is bright orange-yellow (like a golden circle), muscat grapes are strong, and the taste is pure, rich and sweet. Assam black tea soup is reddish brown, with a mixture of rose and malt, and a strong taste.
Indians usually put black tea, milk and sugar in a pot, add water to boil, strain the tea leaves, and pour the remaining strong coffee-like tea into the cup. Some people put some sliced ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, betel nut, fennel, cloves, etc. after the black tea is brewed to enhance the fragrance of the tea. These milk teas are also called "flavored teas." There is also a peculiar way of drinking Masala tea, its peculiar way is that this kind of tea is poured into a plate and licked with the tongue, so it is also called licking tea.
Malaysia’s traditional drink is “pulled tea”, which is similar to milk tea. After the brewing master prepares the good ingredients, he uses two cups to pour the milk tea back and forth like a magic trick. Due to the distance between the two cups, it looks like the white milk tea is elongated, which is very interesting and is called pull tea.
Yerba mate is an indispensable beverage in the lives of people in South America. South Americans call it "fairy grass", which is considered a "mysterious gift from God". It contains as many as 196 active nutrients and is one of the most nutritious plants in the world.
The traditional way of drinking tea by the locals is very special. A family or a bunch of friends are sitting together, a straw is inserted into a teapot filled with yerba mate tea, and the people in the room are passing the tea one by one and talking while drinking. When the water in the pot is almost dry, add hot water and then suck until the party is over.
Japanese matcha and Japanese tea ceremony have now become the quintessence of Japan. Although the Chinese tea ceremony (matcha) has a history of more than a thousand years, since the Ming Dynasty began to make tea and drink tea, the Chinese matcha ceremony was lost. In the past, the sending of the Tang Dynasty made Rongxi back to Japan after studying in China, and the matcha was preserved, inherited and developed in Japan. The tea used in the Japanese tea ceremony "Matcha" is the powder of tea leaves.
Matcha is different from ordinary Japanese tea, it is developed through a special method. First, when the tea plant has just grown new buds, the young leaves are picked and steamed to dry, and the stems are removed and ground into powder to become matcha.
In the United Kingdom, there is even a popular saying: "When the clock strikes four times in the afternoon, everything in the world stops for (black) tea in an instant." When the Portuguese princess Catherine married to the UK, she brought Chinese black tea that had been passed to Portugal to the UK. Then tea became a popular national drink in the UK, so Catherine was called the "Queen of Drinking Tea." British people have a customary habit of drinking afternoon tea at around four o'clock in the afternoon. At that time, no matter how busy they are, British people will put down their work and take a break in the tea room.
Churchill used to allow employees to enjoy the right to drink tea at work as one of the content of social reforms. This tradition continues to this day, and people from all walks of life have a legal 15-minute tea time every day. The British love to drink tea mixed with milk and mixed tea. To make milk tea in the UK, you need to pour milk into the cup first and then pour the tea. If you want to add sugar, put the sugar last. If the order is reversed, it will be considered uncultured.
Americans strive to drink tea simply and quickly, and like to drink iced black tea with lemon. Pour the brewed black tea juice into a glass with ice cubes, then add honey and a few slices of fresh lemon. With the fast-paced lifestyle of Americans, people can't stand boiling water to make tea and let it cool down. Therefore, bagged ice tea, instant tea, canned tea, etc. are popular.
The footprints of tea spread all over the world, and the tea-drinking customs and cultures of various regions have their own vivid characteristics. Tea parties in different regions are endowed with different cultural backgrounds, which blend the cultural spirit of the East and the West.