From one single plant, almost every culture has a
beverage based on the dried leaves of Camellia
sinensis whether it’s the afternoon ritual for your average Brit all the
way to your formal chanoyu or
somewhere between as in the Gochiso Gourmet’s rum cocktail. But tea has been
incorporated into many cultures whether providing a mild stimulant beverage, a
formal tea ceremony or simply this columnist’s daily lunchtime drink of choice.
Camellia sinensis
All traditional tea whether black or green comes from the
young leaves of that evergreen shrub, Camellia
sinensis. There are two main variations of the plant with the smaller leaf Camellia sinensis used in most Chinese
and Japanese teas and the large leaf Camellia
sinensis assamica used in most Indian teas (Assam, Nilgiri). If left
untended, the plant will eventually turn into a tree but it’s usually cropped
at waist to chest level to make harvesting easier.
Plants are ready to produce leaves worthy of tea after
its third year of life and only the top 1 to 2 inches are harvested with a new
harvest ready to pick 1 to 2 weeks after the previous harvest. Because the
plant favors tropical to sub-tropical climates, plants grown in higher climates
usually produce better quality tea as the marginal growing conditions fosters
slower growth which allows more flavor compounds to develop in each leaf. A
little like slower growing conditions in the vineyard creates more acid
formation and polyphenols in each grape creating more complex wines.
Basic Tea
Yes, you’ve all seen and probably sampled that ubiquitous
tea in the yellow and red box featuring the name of Scottish founder Thomas
Lipton, but did you know that Lipton tea wasn’t actually the primary product of
Thomas Lipton? He actually started a small shop in 1871 which eventually
expanded to about 200 shops in just 10 to 15 years. And tea was just one
product that the shops sold. But as tea consumption increased as his shops did,
the price for tea also rose with its popularity. Therefore Lipton decided to
purchase his own tea gardens in then Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and packaged and
sold his own Lipton label of tea (as an aside, Thomas Lipton also created the
Lipton dried soup mixes). The now
supermarket side of the business was eventually sold so that Lipton could
concentrate on his tea brand (which is now owned by conglomerates Unilever and
PepsiCo). And though there’s nothing fancy about Lipton tea, I consume it regularly
on those occasions when coffee is just too heavy (and I’m not looking for a
major caffeine hit).
Fancy Teas
Do an internet search and you’ll find dozens of fine tea
purveyors whether it’s Lupicia, Teavana, Tea Forte, Adagio or any of the other
hundreds of companies with their high quality leaves, special flavored brews or
brewing accoutrements. I’m not a tea connoisseur by any stretch of the
imagination and usually sip my lunchtime brew simply for that extra caffeine
boost at midday. But I do have my own special blend. Every Sunday, I brew my lunchtime
beverage with equal bags of Hawaiian Islands Tea Company Maui Mango (black tea
infused with mango) and Celestial Seasonings Wild Berry Zinger herbal tea.
Of course, while visiting The City I often reach for a
cup of Earl Grey (black tea infused with bergamot) with my breakfast faire probably
because I usually get my daily java in the hotel room upon awakening and I try
to avoid constant java consumption lest we experience those dreaded caffeine withdrawal
headaches. So maybe I am a fancy tea drinker after all… I guess I should be
holding out my pinkie as I sip my tea… perhaps with a cucumber sandwich or
scone…
Possible Health
Benefits
Due to the multiple flavonoids found in both green and
black tea, there are various publications suggesting the health benefits of
consuming tea. While it appears that green tea might reduce the incidence of
cardiovascular disease and gastro-esophageal cancer, we’re still not really
sure if that same potential benefits carries over to its fermented cousin or
black tea. The most active antioxidant in green tea - epigallocatechin gallate
– may also have antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties. But before
you start consuming vast quantities of your favorite brew, just be forewarned
that poor quality tea grown in unregulated areas can contain heavy metals
(cadmium, aluminum, lead and mercury) and there was a case of iced tea
nephropathy (kidney disease) reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in
2015. Apparently a 56 year old gentleman went into kidney failure after
consuming 144 ounces of iced tea daily for quite a while giving him more than
1500mg of oxalic acid (the compound that gives that puckery mouth feel in raw
spinach) every day. So if you enjoy tea every day, continue to do so in
moderation. And if you do want potential health benefits, stick to the green
brew.
Spiced Espresso
My tea consumption isn’t just limited to that midday hit
of caffeine. I also now enjoy it in my evening adult beverages. I first
encountered this cocktail at The Nook Neighborhood Bistro in Honolulu. It was
listed on their AM Cocktail list with RumChata, Koloa Gold Rum (from Kauai),
cacao, Chai Hard Tea (From T-We Tea in The City) and espresso. The Mrs and I
enjoyed the cocktail so much, I immediately tried to create my own version. The
various spices (bird’s eye chili, star anise, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and
clove) mixed with the Keemun Chinese black tea pushes the boundary of your
usual coffee based cocktail. I swapped the gold for dark rum and cold brewed
coffee for the espresso and to gild the lily, used Valrhona cocoa powder.
For four 3oz cocktails:
2 ounces RumChata
2 ounces dark rum
3 ounces brewed T-We Tea Chai Hard
4 ounces cold brewed coffee
1 ounce agave syrup
4 tsp Valrhona cocoa powder
Add all of the ingredients to a large cocktail shaker
filled with frosty ice cubes. Shake vigorously for 5 to 10 seconds to get the
cocoa powder incorporated into the liquids. Strain into a chilled martini glass
and enjoy.
Comments