Talk:Tea

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Older discussion at Talk:Tea/Archive1

World market statistics

The only significant exporters of black tea are India and Sri Lanka (Ceylon).

Kenya exports more tea than Sri Lanka. Other countries are propably also signifficant.

China is the only significant exporter of green tea, as nearly the entire Japanese production is consumed domestically.

What about Vietnam?

As of the late 1990s, the annual tea production of India was just short of one billion kilograms, of which 203 million kg were exported in 1997.

Statistics section should be replaced by some table from some reputable trade organization. I'l try to look for some. Wikimol

Statistics (production)

work in progress

India (2002) 873874t
- Darjeeling (2002) 11068t
- Assam (2002) 449357t
- Total South India (2002) 210801t

-732,350t CTC, 88,904t orthodox, 4,911other -[1] (http://64.95.196.106/curr_statistics.html#exports)

Sri Lanka (2003) 310kt

[2] (http://www.statistics.gov.lk/misc/ds2003.pdf), [3] (http://64.95.196.106/newsbulletin-new.html) up do Nov.

Indonesia (2000) 157371t

[4] (http://www.nei-envis.org/Tea%20Statistics.asp)

China
- (2000) 683324t

[5] (http://www.nei-envis.org/Tea%20Statistics.asp)

- (2002) 740kt

[6] (http://www.cafte.gov.cn/b01.htm)

Kenya (2000) 236286t

[7] (http://www.nei-envis.org/Tea%20Statistics.asp)

todo Tanzani, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Turkey, Georgia, Japan,

year total 2991827t (2000) [8] (http://www.nei-envis.org/Tea%20Statistics.asp)

Statistics (export)

[9] (http://www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/X2522E.htm#P44_2022)

"In Sri Lanka, tea is served in the English style, with milk and sugar, but with the interesting difference that the milk is always warmed." English tea is often made with warmed milk. I'm not sure the above comment should be in the article, but I am loathed to remove it.

I've never come across tea made with warm milk in England. Are your family weird? Markalexander100 06:56, 30 May 2004 (UTC)

Weird sure, overly weird probably not; I've been served Tea with warm milk by other families. Warming the milk is supposed to cause less 'shock' to the milk, when hot tea is added to it.

In that case, changed to tea is served in the English style, with milk and sugar, but the milk is always warmed. Leaves the English style nicely ambiguous. Markalexander100 05:33, 31 May 2004 (UTC)

I like your change, it's very well phrased. cheers.

Origin of the word

It is tempting to correlate these names with the route that was used to deliver tea to these cultures, but this correspondence does not follow. For example, most British trade went through Canton, which uses cha.

This is hard to debate unless linguists of each language would trace the etymology of the word in their own language. It is obviously not true that the word ties to how tea was traded. However, it should be tied to how each culture received its first exposure to tea (via seaports or the Silk Road). For example, the Portugese learned about tea from Japanese, Japanese learned about tea via the northern Chinese (Japan is closer to the north). So the Portugeses call it Cha regardless of whether the trade was eventually dealt at and shipped from Amoy.

The word Cha is almost universal in Chinese, both northern and southern Chinese use Cha. The Amoy pronunciation of Te is almost an exception, however, Te had a more significant influence to the world's languages because Amoy was among the earliest Chinese seaports to the Europeans. When some cultures learned about Te first at Amoy, the word would just stick even after they found out almost everyone else called that thing Cha. As the article points out, some languages that used to call Te are now switching back to Cha for at least some varieties of tea. Canton and Amoy are very close geographically, European merchants who traded in Canton might be using interpreters who used the Amoy translation because Amoy made contact with the Western world with a longer history. It is fair to say, cultures that didn't need to use the Amoy seaport were more likely to call it Cha. Other cultures that used the sea route in the south China, can call it Cha (Cantonese) or Tea (Amoy). Or in other words, Tea is tightly tied to the sea route, Cha can be either via the sea route or the Silk Road. Kowloonese 16:55, 11 Aug 2004

Caption for picture of tea bush:

Juan Valdez dosen't work here.

Clarifications

"Tea is grown primarily in Mainland China, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Japan, Nepal, Australia, Argentina and Kenya."

I have not seen recent numbers for volume produced by country, but there are a few other countries that might warant mention. Korea; which has some pretty unique teas that they grow, Indonesia; which I beleive produces quite a lot of tea (although dwarfed by their coffee production), Malaysia; Thailand and Vietnam also produce tea (I beleive this is mostly consumed locally.) I was very surprised to find locally produced Pu Erh in Thailand (I have also had some nice Pu Erh from Vietnam.)

Perhaps the geographical plan will explain this. Pur-Erh is from Yunan. The border is pretty close to Vietname. Beside stayin in Yunan, Li-tribes also found in Vietname. sltan

"Unblended black teas are also identified by the estate they come from and the flush (first, second or autumn)."

My understanding is that the term "flush" is mostly used for Indian (esp. Darjeeling) tea. I have not seen the term used for teas outside of India. In taiwan, they often classify tea based on the season when the leaf was picked (Summer Bahjong, Winter Oolong, etc), however I have never seen the term flush used to describe taiwanese teas.

It is merely definition from different language sltan.

I have not seen the estate (which I beleive to be a very colonial concept) idea used in China. They tend to name their teas based on some geographic feature that is near where the tea is produced. Yellow River, WuYi Mountain, etc.

Chinese tea processing are more complicated than black tea. As quality play over quantity sltan.

"The CTC method is used for lower quality leaves that end up in tea bags and are processed by machines."

I recently visited a Tata estate in Kerala, India. They have about 250sq miles of tea and ALL of it is processed using the CTC method.

"Black tea is usually named after the region of origin: Darjeeling, Assam, Ceylon, etc. and further by estates and grades for quality leaf: e.g., "Darjeeling Lingia FTGFOP1"."

The "Finest Tippy Golden Flowering Orange Pekoe First Flush" method of classifying tea appears to be limited to India (I have seen some Sri Lankan teas using this nomenclature, but I think it's a marketing thing rather than a tradition.) I have never seen this method of classifying tea used for Chinese or Taiwanese tea.

"Jasmine tea is spread with jasmine flowers while oxidizing, and occasionally some are left in the tea as a decoration. Many other flowers, including roses and other fragrant blooms, are used as flavouring in tea in China."

I have heard (although I have not witnessed this process). That tea is often placed under hanging jasmine bushes over night. Apparently the "essence" (oil, I beleive) is transferred to the leaf. I have read that they will do this about 3 times for regular jasime teas and as much as 10 times for the superior grades of jasmine tea.

Myths. Jasmine tea never fetch a high price in China sltan

"In Sri Lanka, tea is served in the English style, with milk and sugar, but the milk is always warmed."

I found this in various places in India as well. I assumed that this was done in order to make sure that the milk was safe to drink (esp. for foreigners.) Although it might also have to do with not cooling the beverage.

"There are several tea ceremonies which have arisen in different cultures, the most famous of which are the complex, formal and serene Japanese tea ceremony and Yum Cha."

Japanese tea ceremony inherit the method from Tang Dynasty. In China. the ceremony has evovle to Kung-Fu-Tea. Yum Char is merely Hong Kong style of living. sltan

It would be great to have a good description of the chinese tea ceremony, which I believe is often called "Gung Fu/Kung Fu"(sp?) ceremony. From what I have witnessed, this is much less formal than Chado and is also more social, however there are definately very clear proceedures that should be followed, and taboos as well...

"Cold tea is very popular in Japan as well. In cafeterias and lunch-type restaurants, the meal is usually served with hot or cold green tea according to the customer's preferences. Most of the ubiquitous vending machines also carry a sometimes excessive selection of cold bottled teas."

I was delighted to find both cold and hot tea avaialble from vending machines all over japan. I have had some really good English style tea with milk and sugar out of a can in Japan... go figure! :)

"Since boiling point drops with altitude, this makes it difficult to brew black tea properly in mountainous areas."

I live over a mile high, I have found that it is quite easy to get boiling (100C) water by using a microwave, although I have not found any black teas where this has significantly improved the flavor of the finished brew.

"Water for green tea, according to most accounts, should be around 80 to 85°C — the higher the quality of the leaves, the lower the temperature."

When visiting Japan, I discovered that they tend to brew their very delicate (steam dried) teas at about 150F/65C, as someone who has been rather dissapointed with Japanese tea for years, this has completely changed my experience of the little islands leaf. My understanding is that brewing temperature has more to do with the un-infused moisture content of the leaf than it has to do with the quality of the leaf.

"Some teas, especially green teas and delicate Oolongs or Darjeeling teas, are steeped for shorter periods, sometimes less than 30 seconds. Using a tea strainer separates the leaves from the water at the end of the brewing time if a tea bag is not being used."

In China and Taiwan, Oolong is generally prepaired in the Gung Fu style. This calls for a small teapot (often a bit bigger than a fist) to be filled about 1/3 full of leaf. The leaf is usually washed with steaping temperature water for a few seconds. The resulting liquid is discuarded (this is often referred to as waking up the tea). Then the tea will be steaped for a short time (often less than 30 seconds for the first infusion) I have heard it said that the first infusion should be steaped for 4 slow breaths. I beleive this to be poetic rather than practical, but it is a reasonable middle ground for a lot of oolong teas. Many infusions can be brewed using the same leaf. I have heard it said by the Taiwanese that the 13 steaping is supposed to be the most sublime... as an amature, I am hardly ever able to get more than about 7 steapings out of a good quality Oolong.

When pouring water around 85 degrees, the temperature will drop a few degrees, depends how high you pour the tea. Premium Oolong or green tea should not steaped more than 15 seconds. Tanin will be release afterwards. Shorter than 15 seconds, the tea substance will dolute too little to give the taste. That's why Chinese call it Kung-Fu Tea. Just don't take the 13 steaping too serious.sltan

Yep :) Lot of work. Gong fu is described in article Chinese tea culture. Boiling point is not affected by method of heating the liquid (* well, with temperature of boiling its more compliacted). --Wikimol 15:46, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Roiboos/Mate

It seems like a lot of tea shops in the US are now serving Roiboos and Mate. I have seen Roiboos confusingly referred to as Red Tea... It might be worth linking to information on these products in order to clarify that they are not tea (as cool as they both are :)

Deleted Tea Companies

This is a very good article, lets not ruin it by adding a long list of tea companies since there are hundreds, and even if only the notable ones were listed there would still be a hundred or more. Instead if someone wants to make a list of tea companies, but a link under the links section and have an article that is just a list of tea companies instead of incorporating it into the main article. --Alex Krupp 15:08, Sep 27, 2004 (UTC)

I think a seperate article (e.g. List of tea companies) would be most appropriate for that sort of thing. It could be linked from this tea article. -- Logotu 13:48, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)

To clarify my point further I think it is somewhat innapropriate to talk about teas in terms of companies for the purposes of an encyclopedia by tea. Tea is a plant and the company that distributes it has very little to do with tea itself. That would be like an article about water with a list of companies that sell bottled water. A more appropriate list would perhaps be notable tea gardens. In terms of brands, I can think of so many just off the top of my head: SpecialTeas, Upton, Lipton, Snapple, Arizona, Ito-En, HonesT, Harney and Sons, Stash, Republic of Tea, In Pursuit of Tea, etc. and those are only the really well known ones to people in the US only. What makes tea unique is how it is processed and the conditions in which it is grown, again with the analogy to water this would be like an article listing brands of water instead describing what characteristics distinguish different types of drinking water, and then maybe linking to a well known company that sells a bottled water of this type. --Alex Krupp 19:51, Sep 28, 2004 (UTC)

Your point is proven in that only one of these brands is familiar/available to this New Zealander. The reverse is prbably true, especially as some of our best known brands are owned by general food wholesalers rather than specialist tea companies. dramatic 21:22, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)

I had removed this from "varieties"

White teas produce a delicate liquor that often retains a slight residual sweetness. Green tea and black tea both have antioxidants, but different kinds. Green tea has a majority from catechins, particularly epigallocatechin gallate, whereas black tea has a greater variety of flavonoids. Oolong tea falls in between. It is not clear that the quantity or type of antioxidants present have any effect whatsoever on health. White tea, the very young tea leaves, is often considered another type, although on occasion people group it in with green due to the lower amount of processing.

it would be more appropriate at "Divisions of tea by processing technique" section
it should be preceded by discussion of tea chemistry
allready many remarks about white tea

--Wikimol 15:40, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)

In case anyone's wondering, I reverted Sam Spade's last edit (a very small change) because the previous version read better and was clearer. Exploding Boy 17:29, Oct 19, 2004 (UTC)

The following are removed. Scientificly and technically, Pur-Erh should not be consider as subclass of black tea. It is impossible to make Pur-Erh out from black tea. Instead, Pur-Erh should be correctly categorised under Green Tea.

Pu-erh (普洱茶): A special categories of tea from Yunnan province, China. The tea is usually compressed into shapes such as bricks, discs or spinning tops. There are lessen oxidixation forms, called green (青饼) and mutual (熟饼) respectively. Mutual pur-erh is sometimes considered a subclass of black tea. Pu-erh is sometimes described as double-fermented: the second "fermentation" is by the action of microbes and moulds. While most teas are consumed within a year of production, pu-erh can be kept for over 50 years . The tea is often steeped for long periods of time or even boiled (Tibetans boil it overnight). Pu-erh is considered a medicinal tea in China.

-- sltan 14 Feb 2005

Industrial Revolution

I removed

Popularization of tea in the West (mainly in the British Empire) is linked to the Industrial Revolution. Colonial tea allowed the workers to adjust their internal rythms to factory work. Sugar provided extra energy.

because tt seems to me to be quite original theory. Or is it significant opinion somewhere?

Btw, IMO its not backed in facts. Tea become popular anywhere it come, including as diverse soccieties as Moroccan Touaregs, Mongol tribes, Imperial Russia and more. Vague time proximity to industrial revolution is mere coincidence, sugar wasn't historicaly so cheap. (Thais is not justification why not to represent it, just sidenote.)

--Wikimol 21:16, 19 Oct 2004 (UTC)

The link between tea and Industrial Revolution seems to have been dealt with:

[10] (http://www.spikemagazine.com/0704stewartleeallan.php) This is an interesting view to consider along with the theory that the reason Britain - and later Japan - industrialised so quickly in comparison with other countries is that they both had tea-drinking populations.

[11] (http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/121901_ss6.html)

[12] (http://www.alanmacfarlane.com/tea/TEA.PDF) It has been argued that the dramatic fall in mortality in England starting in the 1740’s, which has been widely credited as being a necessary pre-condition for the urban and industrial revolutions, and which has hitherto never been explained, may have been one of the effects of the explosion of tea drinking.

[13] (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/lr/2003/05/04/stories/2003050400290300.htm) Reductionist arguments that modern progress arises out of consumer behaviour are attractive but misleading. To argue that tea drinking created favourable conditions for revolutions in industry and colonisation runs up against similar problems as the hypothesis that the Roman Empire fell because of lead used in pottery. After all, Russia has been a tremendous consumer of tea, yet this hasn't helped its industrial efficiency. The highest per capita consumption of tea until recently was in Iraq. Britain has continued to drink large quantities of tea, in good times and bad. The drama of tea is not that of a discovery that changed history, but rather a chapter in the comparative history of globalisation, the entrancing and sinister story of how a mildly comforting beverage affected taste, class, colonisation and consumption.

-- Error 01:50, 21 Oct 2004 (UTC)

This History is not very clear???

I read the article, and no history of tea was said. Actually, Tea is already mentioned in Shi Jing (476 BC) and many Chinese historical evens have related to tea. Does tea come from China???

No-one knows: [14] (http://www.dadotea.com/dado/Pages/abouttea/OriginOfTea.aspx). Markalexander100 03:42, 26 Oct 2004 (UTC)

YangXi seems to be incorrect

Under the Tea Preparation section, the word YangXi is used to connot unglazed clay pots. Is this correct? The most famous type of unglazed clay pot in China, HK, and Taiwan is the Yixing style pot from the Yixing region of China.

From the http://www.teapots.net site:

"At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in China, leaf infusion as we know it now became popular. The earliest examples of teapots come from this period, made from the zisha, or "purple" clay, of the YiXing region of China. Pottery in the YiXing tradition has been strong since the Sung Dynasty (960-1279); wares are valued for their fine texture, thin walls, and naturally beautiful coloration ranging from light buff to deep maroon tones. The transition from drinking bowls to teapots was a smooth one. YiXing teapots were, and still are, used to brew tea as well as act as the drinking vessel -- one sips directly from the spout of a single-serving pot. YiXing teapots gradually season, the unglazed clay absorbing the flavor of brewed tea, making them a favorite choice for tea lovers. The dissemination of YiXing teapots greatly influenced not only the forms of teapots found throughout the world, but also prompted the invention of hard-paste porcelain in the western world. (Modern YiXing teapots can be found at www.YiXing.com, along with information about the manufacture and use of these legendary pieces.)"

Suggest changing "boba milk tea" to "pearl milk tea"

Given that "boba milk tea" is a Taiwanese creation it seems a little strange to refer to it by its Cantonese slang name. I'd suggest changing to be more inline with the Taiwanese, since the relevant section explicitly mentions Taiwan.

"Recently, Boba milk tea from Taiwan has become an extremely popular drink among young people. This Asian fad spread to the USA in 2000, where it is generally called "bubble tea" or "pearl milk tea". (See news )"

Tea Culture: Expand the section on China

I suggest expanding the paragraph in Tea Culture regarding China to encompass its modern day aspects:

"In China, at least as early as the Song Dynasty, tea was an object of connoisseurship, and formal tea-tasting parties were held, comparable to modern wine tastings. As much as in modern wine tastings, the proper vessel was important; the white tea used at that time called for a dark bowl in which the tea leaves and hot water were mixed and whipped up with a whisk. The best of these bowls, glazed in patterns with names like oil spot, hare's fur, and tortoise shell, are highly valued today. The rituals and the traditional dark pottery were adopted in Japan beginning in the 12th century, and gave rise to the Japanese tea ceremony, which took its final form in the 16th century.

"Currently, in modern China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, tea houses can be found just about every neighborhood and business district. Chinese-style tea houses offer dozens of varieties of hot, cold, and iced tea concoctions. They also serve a wide variety of tea-friendly snack food. Most tea houses in Hong Kong and Taiwan are open 24 hours. After the local high schools let out, a Chinese tea house quickly becomes packed with students, and later at night plays host to insomniacs, night owls, and gangsters looking for a place to simply chill out. Formal tea houses also exist. They provide a wide range of Chinese and Japanese tea leaves available, as well as tea making accoutrements and a better class of snack food to enjoy while sipping one's tasty beverage once it has been brewed. Tea shops are also quite common in the Chinese territories. These are vendors who sell tea leaves, tea pots, and other related tea-making items."

Or something like that.

Not the only beverage called tea?

Since we've (I've) added a page for TEA the ale, how about:

"This article is about the caffeinated beverage. For alternative meanings, see tea (disambiguation)." Ojw 19:33, 4 Jan 2005 (UTC)

But that abbreviates to TEA, which we have a separate article and separate disambiguation for. I don't know if people will look for the ale under Tea. JRM 20:21, 2005 Jan 4 (UTC)

pictures: date looks incorrect

Are those pictures really before 1915? They're in color. Something doesn't seem right.

Yes, I think the dates are right. Prokudin-Gorskii was a well-known pioneer of colour photography in the Black Sea area at the time. Mark ¹ 03:12, 17 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Tea quotes

Quotes should preferrably be limited to one or two "defining quotes" (typically one by a person and some about a person, in case of people), to prevent the section from growing disproportionately large. Since I'm pretty sure we won't agree on what the "defining quotes" for tea should be, and since we have Wikiquote for a reason, I've moved them all. JRM 11:54, 2005 Jan 18 (UTC)

I disagree with moving all of them. Surely in an encyclopedia something as culturally important as tea can have some quotes in the article. I certainly would expect that in a print encyclopedia. -- WormRunner | Talk 17:46, 18 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Surely. Which ones? The problem is that a "Quotes" section acts like a magnet to contributors. (I never thought I'd call that a bad thing :-) I thought the current section with its 8 quotes was already close to overdoing it. I thought long and hard about what quotes I wanted to keep, and I'm sorry to say that I couldn't make up my mind. They're all good! If you put a gun to my head, I'd probably go with the Japanese proverb, "a man without tea in him is incapable of understanding truth and beauty", but that's just my personal choice.
If we have to go halfway between "none at all" and "everything anybody can think of", what, in your opinion, is the best way to go about it? A vote? A coin toss? A careful cross-section of cultures (maybe a Chinese, Japanese and Western quote, observing the exploits of tea across the world)? Or just keep everything and accept the possibility of quote overkill (the easy, but also slightly cowardly way out)?
PS. I'm drinking tea right now. :-) JRM 20:55, 2005 Jan 18 (UTC)

Price comparison

Since black tea farmers receive a low price for their produce, this has led to black tea being available as a 'fair trade' item in some countries.

This contradiction can be clearly seen in the price of the tea leaf sold. In year 2001, A premium Tek Gwan Ying tea(铁观音) fetching a auction price of HKD 12,000(Euro 1,500) for 100 grams. While premium black tea such as darjeeling, rarely cost less more than 1,300 INR (25 Euro) per 1000 grams.

This contradicts conventional wisdom - please cite your sources. Top Darjeelings are thought to have quite high auction prices per kg (such as $390.70 / kg, 2003 record [15] (http://www.teaandcoffee.net/0903/world.htm)). Also, if the thesis is generaly about farmers, average prices should be compared, not some dubious records. --Wikimol 21:49, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)

You may refer to the chinese version of google - sky-limit tea price [16] (http://www.google.com.my/search?hl=en&q=%E5%A4%A9%E4%BB%B7+%E8%8C%B6&btnG=Google+Search&meta=)some statistic, Taiwan green tea 46,000 NT(USD1,100)/600 grams. [17] (http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:8CwtQy8CWf8J:finance.sina.com.cn/money/x/20041207/14361207850.shtml+%E5%A4%A9%E4%BB%B7+%E8%8C%B6&hl=en) Premium tea price normalise in year 2004 RMB 3000(USD 375)/0.5KG. [18] (http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:8UAVbtKg7LsJ:www.nanfangdaily.com.cn/southnews/tszk/nfncb/zw/200411290334.asp+%E5%A4%A9%E4%BB%B7+%E8%8C%B6&hl=en). While rare premium tea such as Tar-Hong-Pao year 2002 auction at RMB 18,000(USD2,300)/20grams) [19] (http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:bdP4l1DLty4J:www.teaonline.com.cn/teanews/2004112303.htm+%E5%A4%A9%E4%BB%B7+%E8%8C%B6&hl=en)Please take note most auction are result of speculation. The price section help elobrorate possible exploitation , which the benefit doesn't end up in the farmer pocket.

Japanese tea farmer income need more research. As popular Sencha sold for USD 80/kg, better grade will sold for USD383.00/kg [20] (http://www.teacoffeeasia.com/news.asp?id=508) which available from normal retail shop. -- sltan

Thanks for valuable info. Maybe you can write whole section of the article about tea prices? (Wikipedia:Be Bold) In my opinion it would be better to have separate section about prices, which is interesting per se. And possibly sepparate section about farmers income. Certianly top auction prices, average tea prices, volume of tea produced and farmers income are somehow related, but as you said, in case of top prices the benefint may end up elsewhere. --Wikimol 11:20, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for the idea. IMHO, it is much complicated than just price. Exploitation also mean execessive tax that cause civil rebelion, such as in many dynasty in China, and also the America Boston Tea Party . -- sltan

Unusual variations

I have remove Souchong from the unusual variations. Indeed, it is no unusual variation. The whole section have been place undr Black tea

Lapsang souchong (正山小种 or 烟小种): Originally from Fujian, China, Lapsang souchong is a black tea which is dried over burning pine, thereby developing a strong smoky flavour. -- sltan

Tea leaf Proceessing

I think the all information related to Black tea section should moved to Black Tea. Respecitve info inside Variety section also been moved to respective tea topics. -- sltan

orgin of tea plant

"It is not known whether the tea plant was indigenous to China, India or both, "

This is quite unprofessional. Any one has a bit of knowledge in tea history knows that wild tea plants were discoverd by botanists in Sichuan, Yunan, Quizhou in China and also in India. IMo, tea trees were indigenous to China, then spread to India.

The part on "history" is poorly written. The writer does know any thing about tea history [Anon]

The writer does know any thing about tea history. Oh good. Mark ¹ 03:49, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Scientificly there is DNA inspection of tea plant from China and India. The DNA inspection reveal that tea used by India to process black tea are originate from China. Although native tea plants exists in India mountains, it is never put into use. In addition, there is no record from India history about tea, until British colonisation.

I suggest we leave the history context as it until we can get the species name use in the DNA research. Sltan17 Feb 2005.

Tea and Teapot

Teapot play an important roles on tea culture. Just a few line of description and link to the teapot wiki will do sltan 17 Feb 2005.

Sugar in Tea

Just a small point, but tea in the UK is normally without sugar, it's the new generation that are taking sugar.

Working on a tea stall gives good knowledge :)

Bijee please stop changing Tea

I am sorry Bijee but "Cha" is not an indo aryan word. Cha is derived from Cantonese. You are fabricating history and I have seen your posts on numerous articles relating to Indian History and Chinese history. India has not history of tea drinking before the arrival of the British. Please do not change articles to represent your nationalist point of view.

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