Twist in the Tale : Modern incarnation of the ancient Brew
It
has been a long
journey
for our favorite beverage “Tea” since its accidental discovery by
a Chinese King many centuries ago. Or, was it the great herbalist who
left this world and took along with him the knowledge of nearly 21000
medicinal herbs, that was known only to him? On his grave, it is
believed, grew a strange new plant – camellia sinensis. Our very
own tea Plant.
In
the early times, The plant was considered to be so sacred, that its
commercial cultivation could not even be thought about. In Japan, Tea
consumption is considered a ceremony. A ceremony of bonhomie
and contentment.
However,
the British and the Dutch saw tremendous potential in this “elixir
of the east” which gave “glowing health and longevity” to the
people and started its organized commercial cultivation in China.
Later it expanded to India,
Sri
Lanka and Kenya,
among several other smaller countries.
Since
then, there has been no looking back. Our brew has made the journey
through green to oolong to white to black. From Orthodox to Legg-Cut
to CTC
to Instant Tea to Premix...
From “natural” to “commercial” and now back to “organic”.
Along
the path have been innumerable changes, value additions and
improvements in the fields of cultivation, manufacture, blending as
well as packaging. The art of making tea is now largely standardized.
Vegetatively
propagated clones, bi clonal and poly clonal seeds, and region
specific planting material is now available to choose from.
Agrochemicals used in the fields are approved by scientists.
Equipments used are such so as to minimize wastage and conserve the
environment. Wood and Coal is now being phased out by Natural Gas and
Oil. Machinery and processes are computer controlled. Stalk and Fiber
in tea is a thing of the past, with the advent of high tech machines.
The traditional wooden Tea Chests have been replaced with multi
walled paper sacks. State of art, Ergonomically designed, StainlessSteel Blenders are used to blend delicate teas without bruising them.
Silk cloth wrappings have been replaced with staple
free tea bags made out of filter paper of natural origin, bleached
with liquid oxygen.
While
we may think that our brew has completed its journey, the latest
scientific research has opened a new door to exciting possibilities
and opportunities.
The
magic of tea comes from the tiny amount of caffeine, which is a mild
stimulant and from the antioxidants in the form of polyphenols,
mainly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin, epicatechin
gallate, and epicatechin. Tea is the richest source of such
antioxidants and works towards its extraction for fortification of
other food products has been a field of research by the scientists
since many years.
A
breakthrough has been reported by the Israel Institute of Technology,
who have presented a paper reporting
“nano-encapsulation
of EGCG intended for food application. It is apparently the first
EGCG nanoencapsulation method based on natural ingredients only.
Moreover, the extremely small nanoparticles developed (<50nm>, opens up unlimited possibility of addition of EGCG to mineral
water, ready-to-drink tea beverages, soft drinks, fruit juices, and
dairy beverages. In addition, sport drinks would be a great
application for this technology, as many of them are also enriched
with protein, particularly whey proteins.
All
things come a full circle, but our beverage, it seems has quite a
large circle to complete. Yet, Tea remains the drink of choice for
the majority of humankind. The most unpretentious and safe beverage
in the world. Its method of preparation purifies the water too!
