The Origin of Tea

Although it is hard to believe, nobody knows for sure the origin of black tea. It is known that the first tea ever was green and that, in spite of ancient tea customs, black tea did not exist until as late as 780 BC. It is assumed that black tea came from China and it is probable that it was created while fermenting green tea in the search for new and refined variations. It remained, however, of little importance until it was rediscovered and cultivated in India.

Tea is much like wine. The method of production, when it is harvested and the shape of the leaf all contribute to give tea its characteristic flavour. Soil and climate also help to form its character. Exquisite teas are grown where both special climatic conditions and highly developed methods of cultivation meet.

These days with the trend to fitness and wellness the demand for natural beverages to refresh body and soul is growing. But these infusions have a long tradition as well. The Chinese emperor Chen Nung not only discovered green tea, he also is considered the father of pharmacology. Nearly 3000 years ago he analysed the effects of 360 medicinal herbs, and from this time on herbal infusions became popular.

Learn and read more about

Darjeeling
Located in the North East of India at heights of 800 - 2,500 metres, Darjeeling produces the world's most delicate teas. The specific climate conditions of continuously changing cool breezes, intensive sun, long dry spells and monsoon rains slow down the growth of the plant. This means the plants have smaller leaves and there are smaller harvests but with the result of unique flowery teas.
Enjoy these great teas black with a little white or crystal sugar if preferred.

Nepal
Tea has been grown in Nepal since 1920. There have been many failures as well as successes but now the area produces interesting orthodox teas that satisfy the growing demand for quality teas.
UNESCO supports the tea growers on the slopes of the Himalayas to provide work for local people. The quantities harvested are still relatively small so there is little to export. Like Darjeeling, Nepalese teas are heavily influenced by geographic location and climatic conditions. The teas are aromatic and similar to Darjeeling.
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Assam
Assam is located in the North East of India but the teas are completely different in character to Darjeeling. Assam is by far the largest connected tea growing area in the world and is to be found in the flatter areas both sides of the river Brahmaputra. The plants growing here - Assam Hybrids - create robust teas of exceptional quality with a touch of malt in their taste.
Trees growing amongst the tea plants give shade from the strong sun. Harvesting starts at the end of April and continues until the end of November. First flush lasts until the beginning of May and second flush until the beginning of July.
Assam tea is suitable for even the hardest water and tastes best with a dash of milk or cream and brown crystal sugar if preferred.
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Ceylon
Officially named Sri Lanka since 1972, the tea from this Indian Ocean Island is still known as Ceylon.
Sri Lanka is the world's largest exporter of black tea. The best, slightly 'steely' tasting teas are grown around one of the islands highest mountains - Adam's Peak. The area includes three districts, UVA in the east, Dimbula in the west and Nuwara Eliya in between.
Harvest times are determined by the monsoon rains. When it rains in the west, harvesting takes place in the UVA district. When the rains fall in the east, tea is harvested in Dimbula. Only in the centre of the island the typical aromatic, fruity Ceylon tea can be picked all year round.
Ceylon is specialised in producing broken teas and a very few good quality leaf teas
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China - Black Tea
It is said that tea originated in China thousands of years ago. Today teas of exceptional quality make their way to our markets. Unlike most others, Chinese teas do not have estate names. Instead they have 'standards'. These standards are maintained at very high levels by continuous blending.
There are very many varieties of Chinese tea, both green and black. Keemun, a light tea with little caffeine is one of the best known Chinese black tea.
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Flavoured Black Tea
Teas have been flavoured since 500 BC, originally in China by boiling tea with orange peel and spices. Later fresh chrysanthemums, rose and jasmine petals have been popular.
Other well known flavourings are Bergamot oils in famous Earl Grey and mint in Arab teas.
These days it is the Tea Tasters role to develop new and exciting flavours. These often include flower petals, peels, fruit pieces and fruit juices.
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Oolong Semi-fermented
There are many ancient methods to produce an Oolong. Each Oolong has its own visual character and one thing is clear, because the production process has many facets and is extremely labour intensive, Oolong is very valuable.
From a taste perspective, Oolong falls half-way between black and green tea.
Oolong is produced by spreading the leaves out in the sun where they very slowly lose their moisture. Natural chemical reactions create the dream like flavour of Oolong leaves. Next, careful shaking of the leaves in special bamboo baskets breaks the leaf edges. Fermentation only takes place along the broken edges where the cell sap is released. Oolong connoisseurs call it green leaf with red edges. The final process is to break the leaves into large pieces thus creating Oolong's unique colour and flavour.
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White Tea
White tea consists purely of hand-picked unopened buds. One kilo of white tea requires more than 30,000 buds. The silvery, silk-like fluff covering each bud gives White Tea its name.
White Tea buds are naturally dried in little daylight. Next, the buds are slightly heated followed by a second natural drying.
White tea has a gentle sweet flavour and is not bitter. The leaves can be brewed more than once.
Thanks to its minimum processing, White Tea is said to have a calming effect on the stomach, be an aid to detoxification and help to prevent cancers and skin aging. It is also thought to strengthen teeth and prevent influenza.
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Green Tea
Unlike black tea, green teas are not fermented. Once harvested, the leaves are either heated in a wok or steamed, followed by hand or mechanical rolling then heated to dry. The process preserves the valuable contents of the leaves enabling vitamins, essential oils and caffeine to be transferred to the brewed tea. Depending on the quality of the harvest and it's processing, the taste of green tea varies from mildly fresh through fragrant flowery to tart and slightly bitter.

China - Green Tea
In China the preferred method to prevent fermentation is the so-called pan roasting technique. The withered tea leaves are placed in large iron pans or drums and heated to 280°C for about ten seconds.

Japan
In Japan, hot steam is used to prevent fermentation and keep the tea leaves green. This is a blanching process where the tea is placed in large drums and steamed for at least two minutes.

Formosa
Due to the long historical tradition, tea from Formosa is pan roasted like Chinese tea.

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Flavoured Green Tea
The trend towards green tea has also led to a demand for flavoured green tea, since many varieties - when enjoyed on their own - take a little getting used to. It was the Chinese who were inspired a few thousand years ago to create rose and jasmine teas as well as traditional smoked teas. Japanese Sencha comes in many different varieties and its large whole leaves are particularly suitable for flavouring. There are varieties such as our Lotus Blossom, enriched with vitamins, or Morgentau (Morning Dew), Ronnefeldt's absolute hit - the tea won at the Great Taste Awards in 2004.
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Fruit Infusions
The ingredients for Ronnefeldt fruit infusions come from plantations that
organically cultivate their plants, from the selection of seed through to regular
monitoring of growth. Wherever possible, the fruits of wild plants are used.
Most of the flavouring these days is generated through fruit juice concentrates
- a more natural method resulting in much better and more intense taste.
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Herbal Infusions
With the trend to fitness and wellness there is a growing need for natural beverages
to refresh both body and soul. Rooibos (red bush) grows in South Africa and
its needle-like leaves are fermented like tea. Rooibos is a traditional
drink containing calming tannin,healthy proteins, calcium and trace
elements but little theine. Flavouring further refines its aromatic taste.

Honeybush, another South African shrub, grows wild on the Cape. The fermented
tea tastes as sweet as honey and it contains little tannin and no caffeine.
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