Don't Se it to Sang Jin

Early morning sun streams in…the nose wakes up to assailing smells and the soundscape is unmistakable. In the midst of the din, the luring, full-throated cry of the ‘chaaaaai’ stands out. Who hasn’t experienced this unique Indian energy on an overnight train journey?
Taj Mahal tea bags are now conveniently stuffed in the vendor’s coat pocket. Racing against time, he fishes out a paper cup, pours a hot mix of water, milk and sugar and pops one of the bags in it. And rushes on. At best, a hygienic cup of something, at worst, an insult to tea. On the other hand, the romance of the platform chaiwalla emanates as much from the hiss of his stove as the aroma of boiling tea leaves…
To sift-or is it strain-facts from romance-
Tea is the most widely consumed beverage next to water, enjoyed world over for its sensory stimulation. This low calorie beverage is produced from the tender leaves of the evergreen plant Camellia sinensis. Of the plant foods, tea is the cheapest, pleasant and refreshing beverage possessing nutritional and pharmacological properties.
Besides, Tea also has history and geography ….For more than 4700 years since it was discovered by the legendary Chinese emperor Shennong, its health benefits have been written about. The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing claimed its taste and stimulative properties were useful for treating tumors, abscesses, bladder ailments, lethargy, among other conditions. There is archeological evidence that suggests that tea has been consumed for almost 5000 years, with India and China being two of the first countries to cultivate it. Green tea has been used as traditional medicine in areas such as India, China, Japan and Thailand to help everything from controlling bleeding and helping heal wounds to regulating body temperature, blood sugar and promoting digestion. The Kissa Yojoki, or Book of Tea, written by Zen priest Eisai in 1191, describes how drinking green tea can have a positive effect on the five vital organs, especially the heart. The book discusses tea's medicinal qualities, which include easing the effects of alcohol, acting as a stimulant, curing blotchiness, quenching thirst, eliminating indigestion, curing beriberi disease, preventing fatigue, and improving urinary and brain function.
Tea is grown in thousands of tea estates around the world, resulting in thousands of flavourful variations. Each tea takes its name from the district in which it is grown, and each district is known for producing tea with unique flavour and character. Tea is also chategorised by grades, determined by the particle size of finished tea. Smaller grade dust teas are used in tea bags while the larger leafy grades can be found in packaged loose tea.
Tea is colour defined too. White, black, green and oolong.Black tea undergoes a fermentation process as part of production. Green tea is not fermented while oolong is half way between the two. Flavours are qualified as strong, well-rounded, malty, delicate and full bodied, depending on their place of cultivation and method of processing.
Tea is an all-natural and environmentally reliable product from a renewable source. It is a refreshing beverage that contains no sodium, fat, carbonation, or sugar. It is virtually calorie-free with the synergistic effects of the unique combination of a large number of constituents contributing to the goodness of tea. Brewed tea contains Vitamin C,
Vitamin K, and
B Vitamins, which could provide 5 - 6% of a person’s Required Daily Allowance (RDA),
Fluoride at 3 – 5% of RDA, and
minerals such as, Potassium, Zinc and Manganese at 1 –5% of RDA. Tea is rich in polyphenols that are 200 times more powerful than Vitamin E in neutralizing free radicals.
Recent research has given not only given Tea a clean chit but The American Health Foundation has endorsed the traditional oriental therapeutic confidence reposed in Tea. From lowering cholesterol to keeping sugar under check, to preventing dental cavities and improving bone mineral density, tea is no doubt riding an all time high as the tasteful panacea to ageing.
For the Chinese, drinking tea is naturally a refreshing and purifying experience that clears the mind. It helps to rid the mind of wicked thoughts and to gain peacefulness, defining the spirit and philosophical ideas of the East. Some wise celebrity figures like to drink tea to pursue the perfection of enjoyment. The Chinese tea ceremony focuses on the tea, and not the ritual, and is a way of keeping the mind in balance. Tea promotes friendship and harmony.
Tea must surely be a precious beverage-every aspect of it is classified and defined. From 3 types of bitterness-(Se is a rough bitterness for example) of which only one is deemed ‘heavenly’ by the Chinese, to the right choice of cup to brew tea in…’Choose the right cup to brew your tea. Say, a white cup for Tie Guan Tin to show against the background, a glass for green Dragon Well to dance around and you will be able to enjoy your Chinese tea to the fullest.’
The Indian Kullad or clay cup specially designed for a cup of hot tea. Its sturdy earthiness adds to the flavour. Talking of flavour, Jasmine tea has a unique flavour. Flowers and tea are "mated" in machines that control temperature and humidity. It takes four hours or so for the tea to absorb the fragrance and flavour of the Jasmine blossoms, and for the highest grades, this process may be repeated as many as seven times.
Delicacy associated with tea extends to other areas: who has not heard of the Japanese tea ceremony? But did we know that Kimono, calligraphy, flower arranging, ceramics and incense and a wide range of other disciplines go with the Japanese Tea Ceremony? Even to participate as a guest in a formal tea ceremony requires knowledge of the prescribed gestures and phrases expected of guests, the proper way to take tea and sweets, and general deportment in the tea room.
The Indian chai is its boisterous cousin-the three to four tea breaks in the average Indian worker’s life no doubt ably destress him; accompanied by spicy snacks and itself spiced with a variety of condiments: cardamom, cinnamon, pepper, ginger, tulsi…boiled and reboiled in the fiercely hissing stoves of roadside eateries to the 100% inflated value when served in five star graceful ambience…
How strong is a cup of tea? Some people drink a cup of tea to go to sleep, others to keep awake. Some drink tea to calm their nerves, others for a lift. How can the same beverage possess such opposing qualities? Precisely because tea -- unlike coffee -- can produce both these effects upon the body, it is viewed as a wonder drink. Tea and coffee both contain the stimulating substance caffeine, but only tea contains both caffeine and tannin. The presence of these chemical compounds together in tea leaves allows tea to act as a calming or exciting agent. Isn’t that interesting? Once boiling water is poured onto tea leaves, in the first two minutes all the caffeine in the leaves is drawn out. At this point tea is at its most stimulating. Only during the next minute win tannin gradually be drawn out of the tea leaves. This will not only cancel out the effects of the caffeine but after five minutes will actually make a relaxing, calming tea.
While a whole host of factors go into deciding the personality of a cup of tea, the basic method is to put a teaspoon of tea in a cup and cover it with just enough hot water, neither too hot nor cold. Let it brew for three minutes. Then add water up to 70-80% of the cup and drink before it goes cold. Milk, sugar or honey should be added after the brew is strained.
Time to settle for my cup of cha…I may not yet know my Yat Pau Cha or possess a GaiWan for perfect tea-bliss, but I have surely learnt that I should not overbrew my tea so it gets Se because Se tea definitely won't Sang Jin*.
*"Stimulates Saliva". Saliva cells activated and working. To feel saliva flowing into the mouth is a wonderful feeling. Also, it is the best way to quench your thirst.
(Source-Dr rajalakshmi and Internet)