Thinking about tea.

A lot of nonsense is spoken about tea. Can we really call it our national drink when it comes from India or China. Here’s a bit of information - I just looked it up: 

“The history of tea spreads across multiple cultures over the span of thousands of years. With the tea plant  Camellia sinensis native to  East Asia and probably originating in the borderlands of southwestern China and northern Myanmar One of the earliest accounts of tea drinking is dated back to China's Shang dynasty, in which tea was consumed as a medicinal drink. An early credible record of tea drinking dates to the 3rd century AD, in a medical text written by Chinese physician Hua Tua. It first became known to the western world through Portuguese priests and merchants in China during the early 16th century.[6] Drinking tea became popular in Britain during the 17th century. The British introduced commercial tea production to British India, in order to compete with the Chinese monopoly on tea by stealing green tea leaves from China, transporting them by train/road, resulting in them being fermented and thought fermented tea is the tea drunk in China. Hence the tea drank in the West is mostly fermented and not green fresh tea”

Camellia sinensis sounds as though it means Chinese camellia. 

After plain water, tea is the most widely consumed drink in the world

Michelle Francl, a professor of chemistry at Bryn Mawr College, upset people last caused a month after suggesting a pinch of salt would create the perfect brew.

Now she has a tip far less likely to reignite the biggest transatlantic row over tea since the American revolution: ways to prolong the pick-me-up. Speaking at an online webinar hosted by the Chemistry World magazine, she revealed fruit and vegetables can prolong, or shorten, the caffeine rush.

“If you eat a lot of grapefruit you can increase the time the caffeine remains in the system,” Francl said. “And if you add cabbage, broccoli and brussels sprouts to your diet you can clear caffeine more quickly.”

She said the reaction to the advice given in her book Steeped: the Chemistry of Tea had left her “bowled over” – especially the diplomatic interventions that ensued – and that the American approach to making a brew was not to her taste.

Her advice caused an outcry, and led the US embassy to London to post on Xthat “the unthinkable notion of adding salt to Britain’s national drink is not official United States policy. And never will be.” However, the otherwise reassuring post ended: “The US embassy will continue to make tea in the proper way – by microwaving it.”

Okay!

That’s all. I’m busy on a family visit to the Southern branch of the family.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!