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History of Tea Processing Techniques

The document outlines the historical development of tea processing techniques in China from the Tang dynasty to the Ming dynasty, highlighting the evolution of various tea forms such as loose-leaf, oolong, and yellow tea. It also discusses the introduction of tea to Europe in the 16th century, noting the first recorded shipment by the Dutch East India Company and its subsequent spread to other European countries and New Amsterdam. Overall, it emphasizes the cultural significance and global expansion of tea as a beverage.

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2 views1 page

History of Tea Processing Techniques

The document outlines the historical development of tea processing techniques in China from the Tang dynasty to the Ming dynasty, highlighting the evolution of various tea forms such as loose-leaf, oolong, and yellow tea. It also discusses the introduction of tea to Europe in the 16th century, noting the first recorded shipment by the Dutch East India Company and its subsequent spread to other European countries and New Amsterdam. Overall, it emphasizes the cultural significance and global expansion of tea as a beverage.

Uploaded by

ebooksgallore001
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Developments

Tea with ingredients, China

Through the centuries, a variety of techniques for processing tea, and a number of different forms of
tea, were developed. During the Tang dynasty, tea was steamed, then pounded and shaped into cake
form,[35] while in the Song dynasty, loose-leaf tea was developed and became popular. During the Yuan
and Ming dynasties, unoxidized tea leaves were first stirred in a hot dry pan, then rolled and air-dried, a
process that stops the oxidation process that would have turned the leaves dark, thereby allowing tea to
remain green. In the 15th century, oolong tea, in which the leaves are allowed to partially oxidize before
being heated in the pan, was developed.[31] Western tastes, however, favoured the fully oxidized black
tea, and the leaves were allowed to oxidize further. Yellow tea was an accidental discovery in the
production of green tea during the Ming dynasty, when apparently careless practices allowed the leaves
to turn yellow, which yielded a different flavour.[36]

Worldwide spread

See also: Arabic tea, Korean tea, Tea in Australia, and Tea in France

Tea-weighing station north of Batumi, Russian Empire, before 1915

Tea was first introduced to Western priests and merchants in China during the 16th century, at which
time it was termed chá.[13] The earliest European reference to tea, written as chiai, came from Delle
navigationi e viaggi written by Venetian Giambattista Ramusio in 1545.[37] The first recorded shipment
of tea by a European nation was in 1607 when the Dutch East India Company moved a cargo of tea from
Macao to Java, then two years later, the Dutch bought the first assignment of tea which was from
Hirado in Japan to be shipped to Europe.[38] Tea became a fashionable drink in The Hague in the
Netherlands, and the Dutch introduced the drink to Germany, France, and across the Atlantic to New
Amsterdam (New York).[39]

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