|
Arabic
Bengali
Chinese
English
French
German
Hebrew
Hindi
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Malay
Polish
Portuguese
Spanish
Turkish
Ukrainian
Vietnamese|
CULTURAL AND WILD PLANTS
Tea (tea bush, Chinese tea, Camellia sinensis). Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application
Directory / Cultivated and wild plants Content
Tea (tea bush, Chinese tea, Chinese camellia), Thea sinensis. Photos of the plant, basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism
Basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism Sort by: Camellia (Camellia) Family: Theaceae (Teovye) Origin: China Area: China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka and other Southeast Asian countries Chemical composition: Tea leaves contain caffeine, theophylline, catechins, tannins and other biologically active substances. Economic value: Tea is one of the most popular drinks in the world. It is used in cooking, medicine, perfumery and cosmetics. In some cultures, tea has a ceremonial meaning and is considered a symbol of hospitality and friendship. Legends, myths, symbolism: In ancient Chinese legends, the tea bush was considered a gift from the goddess of motherhood and medicine, who took into account its healing properties. In one of the Japanese legends, the head monk of the Zen school will find happiness and enlightenment by drinking tea from a tea bush. In Tibetan medicine, the tea bush is used to treat diseases of the heart and liver, as well as an antidote for poisoning. The tea bush may be associated with the culture and traditions of South Asia where it grows. The tea bush can also be associated with peace and relaxation due to its calming properties.
Tea (tea bush, Chinese tea, Chinese camellia), Thea sinensis. Description, illustrations of the plant Chinese tea, Camellia sinensis var. Thea sinensis L. Botanical description, history of origin, nutritional value, cultivation, use in cooking, medicine, industry
A densely branched evergreen shrub or tree up to 3 m high. The leaves are alternate, oval, serrated, leathery, green above, light green below. The flowers are bisexual, solitary or two or four, white, similar to apple. The fruit is a spherical box, woody, brown, with three large seeds. Blooms in August-November. The homeland of the tea bush is the tropics and subtropics of China and India. It grows wild in China, India, Burma. It was introduced into culture about 3000 years ago in China, where for a long time the methods of cultivating the tea plant and preparing a drink from it were kept secret. Tea was first brought to Europe at the beginning of the 1638th century. In 1900, the Russian ambassador to Mongolia presented it as a gift to the Moscow court. Subsequently, tea began to be imported from China, and only at the end of the XNUMXth century, the first plantations began to appear on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. In XNUMX, a tea factory was built, equipped with English equipment. Tea is a warm and light-loving culture. Place it in warm open areas, isolated from the northern winds. Can grow in shady areas. Withstands frosts down to -14 °C. Soil prefers rich in humus and nutrients, well aerated, acidic. The presence of lime in them leads to the death of plants. Tea reproduces vegetatively and by seeds. With vegetative propagation, all the valuable qualities of the plant are better preserved. For better survival, seedlings are planted in the morning or evening hours and at the same time watered abundantly. Young tea plantations, especially in the first years of life, require careful care, which consists in loosening row spacings, weeding, pruning. Plants are responsive to fertilizers. Tea is cultivated in order to obtain as many leaves as possible, and therefore plants are formed in the form of a bush or trellis with a wide hemispherical surface. The collection of tea leaves begins on four to five year old plantations and is carried out from April to the end of October, every 10-20 days. Gather young shoots with two or three leaves and an apical bud (flush). Overripe annual shoots, as well as overgrown flushes, cannot be collected - this worsens the quality of tea. It is forbidden to keep plucked leaves in the sun. To avoid spontaneous combustion, they are often stirred and stored for no more than an hour so that they do not lose their qualities. Tea leaf processing techniques have changed little since ancient times. For the manufacture of tea, only the tops of young shoots with leaves are used. Young tea leaves are densely covered, especially on the underside, with numerous white hairs (in Chinese "baihao" - a white eyelash; hence the Russian leaf teas got the name baikhov). Depending on the processing method, two groups of teas are obtained: black long leaf, the most common, and green long leaf. To obtain black tea, raw materials are subjected to a number of operations: withering, rolling, fermentation, drying and sorting. When withering, the leaf loses moisture, becomes soft, easily twisted, more than half of the chlorophyll is destroyed in it; under the influence of enzymes, complex proteins are broken down, the amount of water-soluble tannin decreases. Then comes the most important stage in the processing of the leaf - fermentation, in which the tea is heated to 22-24 ° C at a humidity of 95-98%. After fermentation, drying and sorting follow, and the tea goes to the tea-packing factory, where blending (mixing different varieties and brands of tea) is made to obtain the best taste and aroma. Tea dust, which is obtained in an amount of 5-10% when sorting black tea, is the main source of caffeine. In some countries, especially in China, tea is flavored by adding rose, jasmine, fragrant olive, tuberose flowers to the finished product, the aroma of which is transferred to tea, and the mixed flowers are then removed. Long leaf green tea, widely used in China and Central Asia, is produced without withering and fermentation of the leaf, by steaming it at a temperature of 95-100 °C. Pressed tea is obtained from tea dust and stem waste. Pharmacological studies of tea have identified more than ten major groups of substances, each of which includes many complex and simple elements. It contains phenolic compounds (tannins and P-active substances) and their derivatives, alkaloids caffeine, theobromine, theophylline, essential oils, sugars, proteins, fiber and minerals (iron, magnesium, manganese, sodium, potassium, calcium, silicon , phosphorus, fluorine). In addition, tea contains carotene, vitamins C and P. According to the content of vitamin P, tea has no equal in the plant world. The phenolic compounds of tea are superior in their activity to all known capillary-strengthening medications: citrine, rutin, esculin; have a beneficial effect on the digestive process, are able to bind and remove harmful putrefactive substances from the body. Tea alkaloids stimulate mental and physical activity, dilate brain vessels, relieve fatigue and headache. Moreover, they support the active work of the brain, blood vessels and respiratory organs for six hours. The amino acids contained in tea, along with essential oils and phenolic compounds, form a unique tart taste, aroma and color.
Tea is a great thermostat. Since ancient times, people have noticed that hot tea warms in winter and refreshes in the heat. Tea enhances respiratory exchange. Tea polyphenols, especially green tea, have antimicrobial properties. It has been noticed that brewed green tea on the second or third day has even greater phytoncidal activity. And, what is very important, all the listed components of tea are closely interconnected and form a single biologically active complex. A person who has drunk a cup of strong, properly brewed tea very quickly begins to feel its tonic effect. The medicinal properties of tea are successfully used in medical practice. Here are some "tea" recommendations that are useful for everyone to remember. Strong tea is good to give as first aid for poisoning that causes depression of the central nervous system, with a weakening of cardiac activity and respiration. Strong tea compresses relieve heat from sunburn. Tea should also be used in the form of lotions for inflammation of the eyelids. Tea has a calming effect on the vascular system, relieves spasms, dilates blood vessels and thereby facilitates the process of blood circulation. People suffering from hypertension can be advised to drink weak green tea instead of water during the hot season. It takes less to quench your thirst than water. You can reduce the amount of caffeine in tea (this is important for hypertensive patients) in a simple way: before breakfast, lightly rinse dry tea in warm water - and most of the caffeine will dissolve in it. The effect of caffeine is also mitigated in tea with milk. Infusion of strong hot tea is useful for the prevention of colds. Authors: Kretsu L.G., Domashenko L.G., Sokolov M.D.
Chinese tea, Thea sinensis L. Botanical description, distribution, chemical composition, features of use
The tea family is Theaceae. Evergreen shrub or tree. Under culture conditions, when pruned, it takes the form of a hemispherical bush 50-100 cm tall; the bush left without pruning grows in a tree up to 300 cm high. The leaves are alternate, shortly oblong-elliptical, dark above, light green below, 5-7 long and 3,5-4 cm wide, slightly pubescent when young. Flowers on pedicels are axillary, solitary or two to four together; sepals five - seven, almost rounded, unequal in length, remaining with fruits; corolla of five - nine petals; petals are white with a yellowish-pink tint. Stamens numerous, with small anthers. The fruit is a flattened tricuspid woody box. Seeds are round, dark gray-brown. Blooms from August to late autumn. The fruits ripen in October - December. Homeland - mountain forests of Southeast Asia (Indochina). It is widely cultivated in China, India, Japan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Georgia, Azerbaijan, in the south of the Krasnodar Territory of Russia. The leaves contain 9-36% tannins. Among them, up to 26% soluble and up to 10% insoluble, resins, nucleoproteins containing iron and manganese. The composition of soluble tannins includes gallocatechin gallate, L-epicatechin gallate, L-epigallocatechin, L-gallocatechin gallate and L- epicatechin, free gallic acid and other substances. The highest yield of tannins occurs in the middle of summer. Alkaloids found in the leaves - caffeine, theophylline, theobromine, xanthine, adenine, hypoxanthine, paraxanthine, methylxanthine, isatin and other organic bases. Flavonoids - kaempferol, 3-rhamnoglycoside kaempferol, quercetin, quercitrin, isoquercitrin, rutin, etc. were found. Stems, roots and seeds contain steroidal saponins. The seeds contain 22-25% fatty oil, 30% starch and sterols - stigmasterol and beta, gamma-sitosterol, up to 8,5% protein. The leaves also contain coumarins, vitamins - ascorbic acid (more than 0,230%), thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, phylloquinone, nicotinic and pantothenic acids, essential oil. The composition of the essential oil from fresh unfermented leaves (yield 0,007-0,014%) includes hexen-3-ol-1 (66%), methyl alcohol, hexen-2-al-1, isobutyric and isovaleric aldehydes, acetic, propionic, butyric, n-caproic and palmitic acids, salicylic acid methyl ester. Green fermented leaf oil (yield 0,003-0,006%) consists of beta, gamma-hexenol (25%), n-hexanol, methyl alcohol, n-octyl alcohol, geraniol, linalool, citranellol, benzyl alcohol, phenylethyl alcohol, secondary alcohols , butyl-isobutyl and isovaleric aldehydes, hexene-2-ala-1, benzaldehyde, acetophenol, n-hydroxybenzalacetone, cresol, phenol, acetic, butyric, caproic, salicylic and phenylacetic acids and methyl salicylate. The components of black tea oil are as follows: citronallol, geraniol, linalool, secondary terpene alcohol, benzyl, phenylethyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, isoamyl, hexyl, octyl and 3-methylbutyl alcohols, aldehydes (caproic, isovaleric, benzaldehyde), propionic, isovaleric, caprylic and palmitic acids, esters of these acids, cresols, quinoline, methylmercaptan, methanesulfonic acid, 2-acetylpyrrole, methyl-, dimethyl-, trimethylamines, ethylamine, n-propylamine, etc. The well-known dry tea used to prepare a tea drink is obtained from tea leaves through complex processing. The most important constituents of the tea drink (tea) are tannins, caffeine and essential oil. The taste, color, aroma and medicinal properties of tea depend on these substances. Tannins and catechins give the tea a bitter and astringent taste, while the essential oil gives it a delicate fragrant aroma. The invigorating effect of tea is due to caffeine.
The ways of drinking tea are peculiar. In Central Asia, pottage with salt, fat and milk (sometimes sheep's blood is added) is brewed from brick tea. In Central Asia, in some places they drink green tea with salt, in Tibet - with the addition of rancid oil. In England and in many regions of Russia, strong tea infusion diluted with milk or cream is preferred. It should be noted that large amounts of strong tea cause overexcitation of the nervous system and disruption of cardiac activity. Tea is used in the alcoholic beverage industry. A significant part of the leaves and branches of tea, cut during the care of tea bush plantations (during molding), as well as tea dust generated in tea-packing factories, are used as raw materials for factory extraction of caffeine and theophylline alkaloids. Caffeine is an important drug. It has a stimulating and tonic effect on the central nervous system, improves mental and physical activity, is a diuretic and a remedy for migraine. Theophylline is used as a means of improving coronary circulation, as a diuretic for circulatory disorders of cardiac and renal origin. Tea alkaloids are included in a number of drugs (eufillin, diuretin, etc.) used for coronary insufficiency, hypertension, bronchial asthma, angina pectoris, edema of cardiac origin, etc. In addition, a complex of catechins with P-vitamin activity is obtained from old tea leaves and tea dust, which is used for violations of permeability and increased vascular fragility, hemorrhagic diathesis, retinal hemorrhages, radiation therapy, hypertension, etc. Due to the presence of caffeine and tannins, the tea drink and the isolated caffeine alkaloid are used as an antidote for poisoning with poisons, narcotic substances and alcohol. Along with black, the so-called long leaf tea, green tea is widely used. For its preparation, along with flushes, there are young leaves that do not undergo fermentation. They are dried immediately after harvest. Green tea is less aromatic, but physiologically more active. Experimental studies have found that green tea has antimicrobial properties. Its decoction has been suggested to treat dysentery. Green tea is also indicated for whooping cough, enterocolitis and dyspepsia. It, in combination with other drugs, stimulates hematopoiesis, increases elasticity and reduces the permeability of the walls of blood vessels, and has an anti-radiation effect. In folk medicine, compresses from strong tea relieve pain and fever in case of sunburn, inflammation of the eyelids. Tea seeds in Japan and China are used to produce fatty oil. Refined oil is used for food, unrefined oil is used for technical needs. Authors: Dudchenko L.G., Kozyakov A.S., Krivenko V.V.
Tea bush, Thea chinensis L. Botanical description, habitat and habitats, chemical composition, use in medicine and industry
Perennial evergreen shrub up to 10 m high with erect branches, of the tea family (Theaceae). The leaves are alternate, oval or oblong-oval, short-petiolate, leathery, smooth, dark green above, light green below. The flowers are white, with a yellowish-pink tint, solitary or 2-4 together in the axils of the leaves. The fruit is a tricuspid woody capsule. Seeds are rounded, dark brownish, 10-13 mm in diameter. Blooms from August to late autumn. Fruits in October-December. Range and habitats. Place of appearance - tropical and subtropical mountain forests of Southeast Asia (Indochina). In the wild, the tea bush was found in Upper Assam and on the island of Hainan. The tea bush was first cultivated in China, from where it came to Japan. In 1824, the Dutch began to cultivate tea on the island of Java, and in 1834, the British began to cultivate tea in the Himalayas. At present, the main tea cultures are concentrated in China, India, Japan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Africa (Kenya and Natal), and South America. In Europe, it grows outdoors in Russia (Krasnodar Territory), the Caucasus (Georgia, Azerbaijan), southern England, Portugal, Sicily, and western France. Chemical composition. The leaves contain 9-36% tannins, among them up to 26% soluble and up to 10% insoluble, resins, nucleoproteins containing iron and manganese. The composition of soluble tannins includes gallocatechin gallate, L-epiatechin gallate, L-epigallocatechin, L-gallocatechin gallate and L-epicatechin, free gallic acid and other substances. The leaves also contain alkaloids - caffeine (1,5-3,5%), theophylline, theobromine, xanthine, adenine, hypoxanthine, paraxanthine, methylxanthine, isatin and other organic bases. Flavonoids were found - kaempferol, kaempferol 3-rhamnoglycoside, quercetin, quercitrin, isoquercitrin, rutin, etc. Stems, roots and seeds contain steroidal saponins. The seeds contain 22-25% fatty oil, 30% starch and sterols - stigmasterol and beta, gamma-sitosterol, up to 8,5% protein. The leaves also contain coumarins, vitamins - ascorbic acid (more than 0,230%), thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, phylloquinone, nicotinic and pantothenic acids, essential oil. The composition of the essential oil from fresh unfermented leaves (yield 0,007-0,014%) includes (Z)-3-hexenol-1 (66%), methyl alcohol, hexen-2-al, isobutyric and isovaleric aldehydes, acetic, propionic, butyric, caproic and palmitic acids, salicylic acid methyl ester. Essential oil from green fermented leaves (yield 0,003-0,006%) consists of (Z)-3-hexenol-1 (25%), hexanol-1, methyl alcohol, octanol-1, geraniol, linalool, citronellol, benzyl, phenylethyl alcohol , secondary alcohols, butanal, isobutanal, isovaleric aldehydes, hexene-2-ala-1, benzaldehyde, acetophenone, 4-hydroxybenzalacetone, cresol, phenol, acetic, butyric, caproic, salicylic and phenylacetic acids and methyl salicylate. The components of the essential oil from black tea: citronellol, geraniol, linalool, secondary terpene alcohol, benzyl, phenylethyl, butyl, isobutyl, isoamyl, hexyl, octyl and 3-methylbutyl alcohols, aldehydes (caproic, isovaleric, benzaldehyde), propionic, isovaleric, caprylic and palmitic acids and esters of these acids.
Application in medicine. A significant part of the leaves and branches of tea, cut during the care of tea bush plantations (during molding), as well as tea dust generated in tea-packing factories, are used as raw materials for factory extraction of caffeine and theophylline alkaloids. Caffeine is an important drug. It has a stimulating and tonic effect on the central nervous system, improves mental and physical activity, is a diuretic and a remedy for migraine. Theophylline is used as a means of improving coronary circulation, as a diuretic for circulatory disorders of cardiac and renal origin. Tea alkaloids are included in a number of drugs (eufillin, diuretin, etc.) used for coronary insufficiency, hypertension, bronchial asthma, angina pectoris, cardiac edema, etc. Currently, caffeine is obtained mainly synthetically. In addition, a complex of catechins with P-vitamin activity is obtained from old tea leaves and tea dust, which is used for violations of permeability and increased vascular fragility, hemorrhagic diathesis, retinal hemorrhages, radiation therapy, hypertension, etc. Due to the presence of caffeine and tannins substances tea drink and the isolated alkaloid caffeine are used as an antidote for poisoning with poisons, narcotic substances and alcohol. Other uses. Tea seeds in Japan and China are used to produce fatty oil. Refined oil is used for food, unrefined oil is used for technical needs. The well-known dry tea used to prepare a tea drink is obtained from tea leaves through complex processing. The most important constituents of the tea drink (tea) are tannins, caffeine and essential oil. The taste, color, aroma and medicinal properties of tea depend on these substances. Tannins and catechins give the tea a bitter and astringent taste, while the essential oil gives it a delicate fragrant aroma. The invigorating effect of tea is due to caffeine. The ways of drinking tea are peculiar. In Central Asia, pottage with salt, fat and milk (sometimes sheep's blood is added) is brewed from brick tea. In Central Asia, in some places they drink green tea with salt, in Tibet - with the addition of rancid oil. In England and in many regions of Russia, strong tea infusion diluted with milk or cream is preferred. Tea is used in the alcoholic beverage industry. Authors: Turova A.D., Sapozhnikova E.N.
Tea, Thea, Camellia. Methods of application, origin of the plant, range, botanical description, cultivation
Tea is a perennial evergreen tree or shrub in tropical and subtropical regions of the world that contains caffeine in its leaves. From young shoots - flushes - they make a product that is used for brewing and making tea - a well-known and most common drink. In the XV-XVII centuries. Tea was first brought to Europe by the Portuguese. It was used as a medicine, and only in the XVIII century. it began to be consumed as a drink. In Russia, tea appeared as a curiosity in 1638. It was brought from Mongolia as a gift to the grandfather of Peter I. For a long time, tea was imported to Russia from China by caravan route through Mongolia. For the first time in Russia, tea was planted by N.A. Gartvis in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden in 1814, tea was brought to Western Transcaucasia in 1846, and the first tea plantation was established in the 60s of the XNUMXth century. in the Ozurgeti region. Tea has been cultivated in Azerbaijan since 1912. Now more than 1,5 million hectares are occupied with tea in the world, the world production of dry tea is about 1,5 million tons per year. The largest areas are in India, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and African countries. Tea grows wild in India (Assam) and adjacent regions of Indochina. Cultivated tea probably originated from the domestication of the wild tea plant in China, where it was cultivated as a medicinal plant around 2500 BC. e. In the ninth century tea growing was mastered in Japan and Korea, then (at the beginning of the XNUMXth century) in India and on about. Ceylon. The tea plant belongs to the Tea family (Theaseae), to the genus Camellia (Thea L.). The Tea family includes about 550 species growing in tropical and subtropical countries, but especially widely in East and Southeast Asia. Tea is of economic importance as a tonic plant and some types of camellias as fatty and essential oil plants. The genus is monotypic, it is represented by one species - Chinese tea (Camellia sinensis L). Evergreen shrub or tree up to 10 m tall, in cultivation - shrub up to 1,5 m tall. The young blossoming leaves are covered with a silvery fluff (in Chinese "bai-ho", hence the name "beach tea", or "tea from young leaves"). Tea is a plant of tropical and subtropical origin, demanding on heat, the optimum temperature is 22-23 °C. Winters well under snow. Adult bushes withstand temperatures down to minus 14 ° C, sometimes up to minus 20 ° C. Demanding on moisture, increases leaf yield by 25-45% in Transcaucasia when irrigated by sprinkling, and in drier Azerbaijan - by 2-3 times. It is demanding on soils, does not withstand carbonate soils, prefers acidic red soils and mountain forest brown soils. Propagated by seeds, they are sown in spring or autumn on a plantation, or seedlings are grown in a nursery and planted on a plantation at 1-2 years of age. Vegetative propagation is increasingly being used by rooting semi-lignified cuttings and growing seedlings in plastic bags with a clod of earth. Forming and pruning of plants are carried out from 2-3 years to 8-10 years of age to obtain undersized and highly branched bushes. Plantings once every 10 years are greatly rejuvenated by pruning. In the Caucasus, tea begins to bloom from 2-6 years of age, in autumn before the onset of winter cold and in spring. The fruits ripen in autumn next year.
Camellia (Thea) sinensis L. is differentiated into a number of varieties:
Georgian tea is represented by hybrids that combine the characteristics of T. bohea, T. assamica and T. viridis. Over the past decades, up to 20 high-quality clones have been selected on the plantations of Georgia. Thus, the scientist K. E. Bakhtadze identified clone No. 257, large-leaved, high-yielding, with high biochemical qualities of the leaf, and a specific aroma. Researchers T.V. Mutovkina and M.V. Kolelishvili found a clone of Colchis that yields twice as much as common varieties. The new clone is characterized by frost resistance and other valuable properties. There are 5 varieties of tea in Georgian populations: Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Ceylon, tetraploid. The best infusion for color, strength and density gives Ceylon tea. The durability of the tea plant is over 100 years. From the 4th year of life, leaf collection begins; it is held annually from late April - early May to September at intervals of 10-20 days (on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus). In the tropics of South and Southeast Asia, the collection of tea leaves lasts about 275 days annually, or 3-4 months more than in the subtropics and the temperate zone. Moreover, the main crop is harvested in July, August and September. In especially favorable conditions (southern provinces of China, Sri Lanka, India, etc.), the collection of tea leaves begins in the 3rd-4th year, but in the best areas - 1,5-2 years after planting. The yield ranges from 1,5 to 4,5 t/ha of dry tea leaves. Young shoot tips of 2-3 leaves contain essential oils that are not found in older leaves. Each kilogram of raw materials is about 2500 flushes. To collect them with your hands, you need to perform the same number of movements. In addition to manual leaf picking, a tea picking machine is used. As they are harvested, the flushes are sent to tea factories. The Japanese tea picking machine used in China (Guangdong Province) increases labor productivity by 30 times, the yield increases by 28%, but its quality is reduced. The plantation is loosened several times in the summer, autumn plowing between rows is carried out and fertilized with organic and mineral fertilizers. Harvest processing. Fleches - processed by a special technology and dried leaves - give the product "tea". Dry tea contains 12% tannin, 16% proteins, 1,5% sugars, alkaloids (4% caffeine, theophylline, theobromine), traces of essential oil, vitamins C (up to 250 mg/100 g), P, PP, B1, B2 , K, carotene, trace elements, catechins, oxalic, succinic, citric and other acids. In total, the tea leaf contains about 300 elements. The color of tea infusion is due to the presence of oxidized tannins, the smell is due to volatile essential oils, and the tonic effect is due to the presence of caffeine. There are various forms of finished tea, which is due to the methods of processing raw materials: black long leaf tea - loose and slab; green leaf tea - loose and tile; brick tea. In the manufacture of long leaf black tea, young leaves are rolled and fermented, during fermentation, the tannins of the tea leaf are oxidized. Leaves turn black and fragrant. They are then dried, sorted and packaged. Tiled black tea is pressed from fines. Long leaf green tea is produced without withering and fermentation, but with the help of additional heat treatment, in connection with which the maximum amount of vitamins, tannin and other substances is preserved in the leaves and the products of the original taste and aroma are obtained. Brick tea (lao-cha) is made from old leaves and whole shoots obtained by pruning and shaping the bushes. Raw materials are fried, fermented, dried and pressed into 2 kg briquettes. Progressive technology of processing "city" tea with the use of special machines makes it possible to obtain finely granulated tea of the highest quality. Authors: Baranov V.D., Ustimenko G.V. Tea. The birthplace of the plant, the history of distribution and cultivation
Imagine a bush about a meter high with green oblong leaves. They are collected, dried, crushed, brewed in a special teapot. Ah, what a scent! What a taste! And what a benefit! An ancient Japanese legend tells a rather creepy story about the origin of tea. It was as if the hermit monk, glorified by holiness, who prayed at night, felt a terrible drowsiness. His eyes began to close on their own. In order not to fall asleep, he cut off his eyelids, threw them on the ground and continued his prayer. And - about a miracle! - the first tea bush on earth grew out of the monk's eyelids that fell to the ground, and the drink made from its leaves began to have unusual invigorating properties, to drive away sleep. Such is the Japanese tradition. However, is it possible to fully trust the Japanese, who, as the chronicles accurately testify, began to drink tea as early as 805 BC? Another thing is China. Tea is a native Chinese plant and a native Chinese drink. The tea bush was first mentioned in an old Chinese book dating back to 2700 BC. This is almost five thousand years ago! And another book said: "Tea strengthens the spirit, softens the heart, removes fatigue, awakens the mind and does not allow laziness to reign, lightens and refreshes the body and sharpens the attention." And there is no miracle here, it’s not at all a sleepless monk: it’s just that tea contains the invigorating substance caffeine; tea has more of it than coffee. I wonder what the Chinese said about the taste of tea? They said quite definite things about him - and even in verse: "The sweet taste that you
Poems were written not by anyone, but by Kien-Long, the Chinese emperor. And this is not accidental: for a long time, tea was the drink of rulers and high officials in China. The common people were not very accustomed to tea. Its widespread distribution in China dates back to the XNUMXth century and is associated with one medical history. A certain emperor suffered from a headache. The court physician recommended treating the disease with tea. And so they did. Heralds reported daily on the course of treatment and the state of health of the emperor in the squares. The recovery went well. The more tea Vladyka drank, the better he felt. The Chinese, as often happens, took an example from the ruler. So tea became the national drink of China. "Chinese ceremonies" - so they now say about unnecessary, even somewhat ridiculous manifestations of politeness. This expression arose because of the numerous rules of etiquette observed in China, obligatory ceremonies. Some of them were related to tea. For example, this wonderful drink was certainly served at official receptions. Imagine that you are a diplomat and come to visit a high-ranking Chinese official - a mandarin. By the way, in Chinese it is not called that at all. Mandarin is a Portuguese word: mandar - "to order". The Chinese leaders were called by the Portuguese "order-givers", tangerines. And only then the fruit of a wonderful plant from the country of tangerines, and this plant itself, also began to be called a tangerine. So, you came to visit the mandarin (not the one that is a plant). Tea has been served, a conversation is going on, cups are standing next to you. However, you do not drink from them - it was considered impolite and even indecent. But the mandarin offers you to drain the cup. This means the meeting is over. Suppose you do not know the Chinese rules or for some other reason do not pay attention to the offer made. Then the mandarin begins to tap his nails on his cup - this means the same thing as looking impatiently at the clock during a protracted European conversation. But you still keep talking. Then the mandarin very graciously invites you to have tea with him. Keep in mind that this courtesy is deceitful: such an offer means that the official is in the greatest annoyance of your protracted visit and resorts to the last resort to instruct you in the mind. Here it is better to remember the Chinese rules, quickly drink the cooled tea and bow. And then you never know what else the mandarin will come up with, angry that you are taking away his time!
By the way, about time. Over time, tea from the Celestial Empire gradually spread around the world: first to Japan, India and other nearby countries. Then - to Europe. The Portuguese were the first to recognize tea among Europeans - in 1517. The Dutch - in 1610. The first European tea bush was planted in Paris in 1658 and aroused great interest among the public - still, such a curiosity! What a beauty! (The sense of beauty did not let the French down: later botanists found out that tea is the closest relative of the camellia, a magnificent exquisite flower.) Tea was brought to England in 1664 - as much as two pounds, almost a kilogram! - and handed over to King Charles II at a solemn meeting. Since then, England cannot live without tea. The famous English tea parties at five o'clock in the afternoon are proverbial. The British also consider tea their national drink. They call it tea - "tee". But no matter what the British thought, but tea appeared earlier than theirs - "tee". And the difference in the name of the same drink did not come from the fact that Russian and English are different languages. Because different parts of China speak different dialects. In northern China, with which Russian merchants traded, tea is called "cha". And in the South, with which the British traded, - "those". That's all. So, back in 1638, the Russian ambassador to North China, Vasily Starkov, received "cha" as a gift from the Mongolian prince Altyn Khan - 200 paper bags of 400 grams each. At first, Starkov refused the gift, saying that Russia did not need this black powder, but Altyn Khan was persistent, and, returning to Moscow, the ambassador handed tea to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, the first ruler of the Romanov dynasty. Liked the drink. Palace documents preserved the opinion of that time about tea: "Drinking is good and, when you get used to it, much tasty." Of course, everything takes some getting used to. Soon the palace became addicted to tea. So-called "state caravans" began to be sent to China, bringing tea for the tsar and neighboring boyars. Powder from the leaves of a wonderful plant was exchanged for furs: for every 800 grams - one sable skin. And a hundred years later, 30 thousand pounds of tea were already imported to Russia annually - 480 tons! Russia was a huge country. It included vast territories, suitable for tea cultivation due to their climate. Not like England or Holland - it's too cold there. But the British and Dutch had southeastern colonies. This is what they took advantage of. So tea started its return journey from Europe to Asia: the Dutch planted tea on Java in 1824, the British in India and Ceylon in 1834 and 1842. The tea caught on right away. Now these countries are its main suppliers. And in the warm regions of Russia, in the Crimea and the Caucasus, tea bushes took root not so easily and simply. In 1817, the Governor-General of the Novorossiysk Territory, Duke Armand Emmanuel Sophie Septimani du Plessis Richelieu, the founder of Odessa, who did a lot for the development and improvement of the region, sent 10 tea bushes to the Nikitsky Botanical Garden, which still exists in the Crimea. But they did not produce offspring. In 1847, the governor of the Caucasus, Prince Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov, ordered to bring several bushes from the Nikitsky Garden to Sukhumi. It didn't make much sense either. Then they tried to buy tea seeds in China - brown, shiny, the size of a cherry seed - and again failed. Only individual shoots sprouted, weak and unviable. They began to inquire what was the matter, and found out that Chinese suppliers poured boiling water over the seeds so that they could not sprout. This was the unspoken decree of the government, which was afraid that China would lose its role as the largest supplier of tea to Russia. There was something to lose - by that time, trade was worth millions of gold rubles! The impetus for the development of our domestic tea-growing was the war. In general, tea and war, oddly enough, quite often turned out to be connected with each other. Here is one example. The British not only drank tea themselves, but also, exporting it from the southeastern colonies, imported it to their other possessions - North American. That tea was heavily taxed. This angered the American settlers. They announced a boycott of English tea - they stopped buying it. But England did not make concessions. Mutual discontent grew and grew. In 1773, members of the Sons of Liberty organization threw a cargo of tea into the sea that arrived at the Boston port. This event went down in history as the Boston Tea Party. In response, the British brought troops into Boston. The locals resisted them. So, step by step, the war began. It ended with the complete separation of the North American colonies from England and the creation of an independent state - the United States of America. And in 1854 the Crimean War was going on - between Russia on the one hand and France, Turkey and England on the other. Once, heading to the place of hostilities, an English warship crashed in the Black Sea near the Georgian city of Poti. The team was taken prisoner. Having settled in a new country, one of the officers, Jacob McNamara, married a local princess and stayed in Georgia forever. Like a true Brit, he could not live without tea. McNamara set up the first tea plantation on his estate by shipping seeds through England. And already in 1864, at the trade and industrial exhibition, the first samples of "Caucasian tea" - the prototype of modern Georgian tea - were shown. Author: Gol N. Tea. Interesting plant facts
"Tea" in Chinese means "young leaf" - tsai-ye. Tea originates from China, where it has been known for 5000 years. The Chinese poet Bo Juyi (772-846) in a poem called "I'm making tea by a mountain stream. My feelings" writes: // Turquoise-green dust. // Only, it's a pity, I can't // Pour a cup of delicious tea // And send it far away // To a person in love with tea." Tea plants with specific leaves have been carefully selected over the centuries. Another poet Lu-wu (XNUMXth century) made the following demands on tea leaves: "They must have folds, // Like leather boots on the feet of a Tatar horseman, // Curl like a buffalo's lip, // Unfold like fog that has arisen in a valley , // And shine like a lake, slightly touched by the evening marshmallow". In the Chinese chronicle, one can read about the beneficial effects of tea: "Tea strengthens the spirit, softens the heart, removes fatigue, awakens the thought and does not allow laziness to settle, lightens and refreshes the body and clarifies receptivity." The Chinese drink tea without sugar and skillfully prepare it. Tea is placed in a heated porcelain teapot. Having poured boiling water over it, the water is quickly drained, then it is brewed with boiling water and infused for several minutes, covering the kettle with a cotton cover. Tea should not be boiled: the aroma will evaporate with the steam. Tea was brought to Europe in 1517 by Portuguese sailors, but as a drink it became widespread only in the XNUMXth century. In 1638, 4 poods of tea were sent to Moscow as a gift to Tsar Alexei from the Altyn Khan "for the sake of brewing tea." The Russians liked tea: "drinking is good and, when you get used to it, it is much biting." Samovars for tea were invented in Tula. But, despite the widespread use of tea, the cultivation of tea plants and the production of tea was a secret of China, which became known only at the end of the XNUMXth century. The first tea bush as a curiosity was planted in 1818 in the Crimea in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden. From there, in 1833, several tea bushes were transported to the Transcaucasus. Amateurs, such as the famous chemist Butlerov, grew tea bushes in the Caucasus, but they did not know the secret of making tea. Attempts to plant tea plantations in Russia were unsuccessful for a long time. Seeds ordered from China and Japan turned out to be dissimilar and even rotten. The tea merchant Popov smuggled seeds and Chinese workers out of China, planted tea plantations, and organized the first tea factory in Russia near Batum. In 1895, the expedition of Professor A. N. Krasnov and agronomist I. M. Klinger brought tea plants and seeds from China, India, and Ceylon. However, the germination rate of the seeds was only 5 percent: they were doused with boiling water to prevent the cultivation of tea in Russia. As a result of the efforts of A. N. Krasnov in Chakva, near Batum, tea plantations of 1915 hectares were created by 500. "Batumi tea, with proper dressing, harvesting and care, will not only not yield to the best varieties of Chinese tea, but will even surpass it." These words of A. N. Krasnov came true. Currently, there are more than 60 hectares under tea plantations. Lots of tea factories. Breeders have bred new, excellent varieties of tea. Up to 3000 kilograms of tea leaves are obtained from one hectare. Botanists and agronomists working with tea use the Michurin method of acclimatization - a gradual advance northward of plants grown from seeds. At first, tea was grown in the southern part of the Caucasus, now tea grows in the North Caucasus. Worth a look at the tea bags. They say: "Georgian", "Azerbaijani", "Krasnodar". Tea grows in the Kuban, it is bred in the Crimea. Author: Verzilin N. The thorny path of tea. Featured Article
It is difficult to find a plant whose path to our table would be more thorny than that of tea. More than three hundred years ago, when the Moscow envoy V. Starkov was returning from Mongolia, the local khan presented him with a gift for the king - four pounds of tea. Two hundred voluminous bales. In Rus' at that time they did not drink tea, and Starkov accepted the load with annoyance - unnecessary trouble. However, the king approved the drink. The boyars also liked him. Since then, tea caravans have been stretching across Siberia to Moscow. They went on until the railroad was built. In the Trans-Baikal mountains, the tea route is still visible today ... The living tea bush itself came to our borders later, in the middle of the last century. His appearance dragged along a chain of events that have not yet been fully unraveled. Count M. Vorontsov laid the foundation for these events. He was fond of rare plants and ordered several bushes of tea from China for his estate in the Crimea and for the Nikitsky Botanical Garden. Of course, he was not going to develop the tea industry, but an evergreen bush in the Crimea was not superfluous. The moisture-loving plant did not take root in the dry Crimea. But in the humid Transcaucasia it turned out to be in its place. Especially in Georgia However, how tea got to Georgia - either from the Crimea, or it was delivered directly from abroad - is still unclear. And the early history of tea looks like a detective story. The controversy continues to this day. They were started in 1875 by the newspaper "Kavkaz". She decided to clarify the order of events and placed two letters from the Armenian Patriarch Nerses V, which describe the history of the Vorontsov bushes. In 1833 they were sent to the Caucasus from Odessa by sea on the ship "Sparrow". Not reaching the target, the ship got into a storm and crashed on the rocks off the coast of Guria (part of Georgia). The tea bushes were saved. They fell into the hands of the local prince M. Gurieli and were planted in his garden. This is the version of the newspaper. Opponents raised many objections to the facts mentioned in the article. Firstly, in the archives of the maritime department, there are no documents about the accident of the ship "Sparrow". Secondly, even if it crashed against the rocks, then, having fallen into salt water, the bushes would inevitably die. If the ship was thrown ashore, then why did the captain not send the parcel to the address, but allowed Prince Gurieli to take possession of the cargo? The comparison of dates is also puzzling. The ship crashed in 1833, and Prince Gurieli died in 1826, seven years before the wreck. Later it turned out that it was not the prince himself who stole the bushes, but they were simply planted in his garden. There are still many ambiguities. Patriarch Nerses wrote that he was sending cargo from Odessa, and Vorontsov bushes, in all likelihood, were grown in the Crimea. Why was it necessary to carry cargo from Crimea to Odessa, and then back again - past Crimea to the Caucasus? To crown it all, it turned out that Kavkaz published only copies of the patriarch's letters. The originals were not found. In general, they think that tea bushes came to the Caucasus later, when Count Vorontsov was visiting the house of Prince D. Dadiani. He subsequently sent an expensive gift to the prince. Several bushes went to Prince M. Eristavi, who subsequently set up a small plantation. He dreamed of getting his own Georgian tea. And achieved this. In 1864, the first batch of sheets was collected. Pleased with his luck, Eristavi invited members of the Caucasian Agricultural Society to a tasting. The guests sat on the terrace, drank a fragrant potion, praised. However, the outcome of the tea party was not as brilliant as the owner wanted. Those present could barely walk away. Some got sick. Others were dizzy and staggered, clutching the walls with their hands. Not knowing the secrets of leaf fermentation, the prince offered the guests a drink that was far from ordinary tea. The experimenter is not to be blamed. Even a more knowledgeable person, his contemporary and admirer of tea, the great chemist A. Butlerov, did not know the secret of making tea. Meanwhile, the Free Economic Society became interested in tea. Discharged from Hankow seedlings and seeds. The cargo arrived in Odessa in 1880. From there he was sent to the Kuban. They didn’t dare to send by sea: what if it breaks again on the rocks? But frost broke out on the way, and the seedlings died. Finally, the Caucasian Society of Agriculture got hold of five pounds of tea seeds and a dozen seedlings. They were handed over to the Batumi gardener Ressler. But the governor took pity on the land for plantations. All seeds are gone. Both A. Butlerov and geographer A. Voeikov advocated for tea. Did not help. The only thing that Butlerov managed to do was to grow several bushes in a flowerbed in his dacha near Sukhumi. Only at the very end of the last century, Professor A. Krasnov and agronomist I. Klingen managed to defend the tea business. They staged a grandiose expedition to the Asian subtropics. Twelve gifts of the East were taken out from there. The most important gift was tea. Years have passed. For a long time already the subject of general attention has taken a rightful place in the Caucasus. But until now, lovers of astringent drink are chasing Ceylon and Indian tea, brewing their own, Georgian (or Azerbaijani), last. "Not the flavor!" Refer to the climate. Tea is a child of the subtropics, and the Caucasus is their northern outskirts. There doesn't seem to be enough heat for a tender plant... I don't want to persuade non-believers. Let me give you just one fact. Not so long ago, a specialist from abroad came to Georgian tea growers. Subtle expert in his field. Over a long life, he tried thousands of varieties, knew the shades and nuances of each variety. He was brewed local tea and asked to evaluate. Where and what kind, while silent. The visitor without hesitation named one of the best foreign brands. And rated it with the highest score - 7! He hardly believed when he was told that he drank an infusion of the new Georgian variety Colchis. True, connoisseurs say that there are masterpieces and higher ranks, which are pulled by 8 and even 9 points. And that they are little known because they do not go into mass circulation and few people have tried them. I haven't tried it, so I can't judge. And who can guarantee that they even exist? As for Colchis, this thing is quite real. We found it by chance among seedlings of ordinary varieties. Even before the war. It was not possible to breed quickly, because the variety is preserved if propagated by cuttings. How many cuttings can you cut from a bush? For forty years, it was possible to breed the seven-point Colchis only on five hundred hectares. Now things seem to move faster. In nature, of course, this tree is spread by seeds. They look seductive. An exact copy of dragee in chocolate. As large as a hazelnut, round and with a noble chocolate gloss. It makes you want to put it in your mouth. However, isn't it strange? Local animals in Georgia do not show the slightest interest in the fruits. Even omnivorous goats do not touch tea seeds. It is not known, however, whether animals eat and spread seeds in the forests of China? After all, almost nothing is known about the tea tree itself. We only know that now it grows wild in the mountains along the upper reaches of the Mekong and Salween, in evergreen forests. Lives for three hundred years. It stretches for ten meters, like our mountain ash. The leaves are hard, like cardboard. Young, slightly hatched, silvery from dense pubescence (they are harvested for brewing). Whitish-pink fragrant flowers. Wild tea could not be found for a long time. It seemed that he disappeared, like many other relatives of cultivated plants. Finally found in Vietnam after World War I. And earlier - in the Indian state of Assam at the end of the last century. Real tea forests. There are almost no other trees in them - tea trees are so dense. They are not very tall, but they are so thick that it is difficult to grasp the other trunk with your hands. If it were not for the evergreen leaves, pubescent from below, the trees could be mistaken for birches. Both crown and bark color are very similar. The locals brew the leaves like regular tea. He, however, tastes and smells ... chicken broth! In the wild forests of Assam, residents have to climb ten meters high to pick a fresh leaf. How to save yourself from excess lasagna? The Assamese came up with the following. They hang blocks of stone from the branches, and the branches obediently bow to the ground. Wild tea also grows in Upper Burma. It is from there that Indian scientists are now drawing material for improving cultivars. And there is still a lot to be improved. Productivity. Taste. Aroma. There were many difficulties along the way. Let's start with productivity. Indian tea growers developed very productive forms. Now their average bush produces ten packs of tea a year. Experts believe that he can increase the same amount. The best bushes give their owners six times more - sixty packs! It would seem that the goal is close and accessible, but it turned out the other way around. We appreciated the quality of products from outstanding bushes and became discouraged. Alas, it is far from perfect. Regular tea is much tastier and more aromatic. Judge for yourself: a kilogram of ordinary tea costs one hundred rupees, and improved - only ... nine! How to resolve this contradiction? It must be resolved as soon as possible, because the geneticists of India have already developed a special form - "Sundaram-1", which gives a crop three times more than the modern one. Connoisseurs consider this form the future of Indian tea growing. But what about taste and aroma? Another difficulty is with fertilizers. In Georgia, high doses of fertilizers increase the yield by 10 times, while in India they reduce it. Not everything is clear and with quality. The Indians noticed that the benefits of fertilizers are noticeable if no more than one bag of nitrogen is applied per hectare. If two bags, the quality of the sheet deteriorates. Our tea growers were also alarmed and checked the Indian data for themselves. It turned out that the quality drops, but only if you apply six bags of nitrogen per hectare. Different climate. Various soils. Different varieties. And now about who drinks tea and how much. The world treats this drink differently. Italians don't drink it at all. But the Japanese, with their tea ceremonies, drink half a kilogram per brother per year (if you count by tea leaves). The English are the ones who seem to have surpassed everyone! They are just drinking tea. Hard to believe, but true. Residents of the British Isles absorb it ten times more than the Japanese - four and a half kilograms per capita! Until now, disputes have not subsided, is tea useful or harmful? Some say useful. At the same time, they remember the catechins that our everyday drink is rich in. Catechins increase the strength of blood vessels. There is another opinion. Its supporters cite tea tasters as an example. Even experienced tasters who follow safety precautions still sometimes suffer from insomnia and nervous breakdowns. They lose their appetite, dry mouth appears, and their heart begins to play pranks. There is another disadvantage of tea. At the bottom in the teapot for tea leaves there is always thick, sediment, which each time has to be thrown away. Nowadays, there are ways to dispose of tea waste. Polar explorers wintering at No Vola beyond the river in Antarctica experienced considerable difficulties when they tried to grow fresh vegetables there. Several houses on a rocky patch. Where to get fertile land? Few managed to capture with them from the mainland. It was mixed with sand and sawdust. Sprinkled with ash. And the topmost, most important layer was made from ... tea grounds mixed with local lichens. It went not so little - five percent of the total amount of soil. Then Murom cucumbers grew well on the sleeping tea. Author: Smirnov A.
Tea (tea bush, Chinese tea, Chinese camellia), Thea sinensis. Recipes for use in traditional medicine and cosmetology
Ethnoscience:
Cosmetology:
Attention! Before use, consult with a specialist!
Tea (tea bush, Chinese tea, Chinese camellia), Thea sinensis. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing
Tea (Thea sinensis) is a shrub whose leaves are used to make a popular drink. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing tea bush: Cultivation:
Workpiece:
Storage:
▪ Mango ▪ Lobelia swollen (lobelia swollen, Indian tobacco) ▪ Play the game "Guess the plant from the picture"
Energy from space for Starship
08.05.2024 New method for creating powerful batteries
08.05.2024 Alcohol content of warm beer
07.05.2024
▪ Zero Yield Aviation Fuel Production ▪ Global warming is accelerating the largest current in the Southern Ocean ▪ Kingston Digital KC3000 Solid State Drive ▪ Smartphone controlled by gestures
▪ website section Television. Article selection ▪ article Traumatic and harmful factors. Basics of safe life ▪ article Repair work on RPC equipment. Standard instruction on labor protection ▪ article Consumer electronics. Power regulators, thermometers, heat stabilizers. Directory ▪ article Spiral UHF antenna. Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering
Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews
www.diagram.com.ua |
We recommend interesting articles Section 
See other articles Section 
Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:
All languages of this page