My copper kettle
whistles merrily
and signals that
it is time for tea.

The fine china cups
are filled with the brew.
There’s lemon and sugar
and sweet cream, too.

But, best of all
there’s friendship, between you and me.
As we lovingly share
our afternoon tea.
                        —Marianna Arolin

Tea is that wonderful beverage that gives tennis champ Sania Mirza a burst of confidence when she’s feeling slightly low. It is what dignitaries of countries savour before they arrive at decisions that influence a million lives. The same liquid is gulped down from time to time at home when Mum and Dad are chatting about the goings on in their respective workplaces. Ever wondered how this drink was discovered?
As per legend, in 2700 BC China, when Emperor Shen Nung was on one of his travels to a distant place, he was sitting beside a pot of boiling water and leaves from a nearby bush flew into the pot. The brown concoction smelt so good that the Emperor could not resist taking a sip of it. Then on, there was no looking back and it went on to become his favourite drink. The rest of China followed suit!
Tea moved to Japan thanks to the Buddhist priest Yeisei who is also known as the ‘Father of Tea’ in Japan. Tea came to Europe in 1609 and was exported to America later, and who can forget the Boston Tea Party incident that followed eventually. The year 1835 is when tea came to India when the The East India Company started the first tea plantations in Assam. In 1856, tea was planted in and around Darjeeling.
Varieties of tea
The types of tea are many. Oolong tea is semi-fermented and is the most expensive tea of all. It has a floral/fruity taste and is best enjoyed without milk. White tea consists of well-hydrated whitish buds of the tea plant. Green tea has a grassy taste as young leaves are picked for it. 
Flavoured tea is that which is brewed with other ingredients. The different types of flavoured teas are chocolate tea, cardamom tea, ginger tea, jasmine tea, orange tea and so on.
Black tea is made of fully-fermented leaves and is stronger than oolong or green teas and are also darker in colour. A ‘Blend’ is a combination of many teas.
The process
Soil and climate conditions of a place are factors that affect the taste of the tea leaves. The way the tea is processed is also a deciding factor in the final taste. Tea leaves picked could be orange pekoe (unopened bud), flower pekoe (youngest opened leaves) or souchong (older leaves).
The Tea Factory in Doddabetta, Ooty, offers a tour of its premises to visitors for as little as Rs 10. As I climbed the steps to the factory, I was welcomed by a wafting fruity fragrance indicating that something interesting was to come. And interesting, it was!
*The CTC of tea
After tea leaves are spread on racks to reduce their moisture content, they are put through CTC machines (Cut-Turn-Curl), where the leaf is cut, turned and curled when it passes through these toothed, stainless steel rollers which run in opposite direction.
*The Fermenting Floor
Next, the leaves that comes out of the googy are spread on the Fermenting Floor. The leaves are spread in the form of beds usually of 4 feet width, and 10 feet length, with a thickness of not more than 3 inches. During the fermentation process, the leaves react with the oxygen in the atmosphere and change their colour. The green 'dhool' which is spread on the floor gradually turns into a copper red.
At a particular time, when smelt, the dhool begins to give out a fruity fragrance which is an indicator of the fact that the dhool is ready for drying.
*The fluid bed drier
The dhool is now fed into a fluid bed drier. The tea passes over a perforated stainless steel sheet. Hot air produced by a heater enters through the bottom of the sheet, keeping the tea in constant motion, making it appear like a liquid. Hence the name Fluid bed drier. The drying process takes about 16 minutes.
*The fibromat
The dried tea now gets elevated through an elevator and falls into a machine called Fibromat. As the name indicates, it helps remove the fibre in the tea. At the end of the Fibromat is a mesh that separates the Dust and Leaf.
I was treated to a steaming cup of sweet Cardamom tea that proved to be a perfect end to this short and sweet lesson on how tea is processed.
Benefits of drinking tea
The advantages of drinking tea are many. Tea contains fluoride that helps in dental health. Research has also shown that tea drinking reduces risk for several types of cancer. It reduces the chances of heart disease.
Tea contains antioxidants which help rid the body of free radicals, which are side products of damage done to the body by pollution and aging. It helps control blood pressure, and also protects your bones. So go ahead and grab that cup of hot, steaming tea. It can only do you good!

JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY
Tea progressed to becoming an art form in Japan resulting in the creation of the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Called cha-no-yu, chado, or sado, it is a traditional ritual in Zen Buddhism where tea is prepared by a Tea Master and served to a small coterie. The tea is bitter matcha green tea made of powdered tea leaves.
The ceremony combines four principles namely, harmony between people and nature, respect for fellow beings, purity of heart and mind, and tranquillity.
While it started off as a practice among Buddhist monks who drank tea from a single bowl in front of a statue of their founder as part of worship, it has now pervaded public spaces and can even be conducted within the four walls of one’s home. Even the guests in a tea ceremony are expected to be aware of the intricacies of tea and the way he should conduct himself at the ceremony.