THE GRAND WAY OF TEA

It was more than just a cup of tea. Memory stirred into the milky oolong recalling a teabag in a mug of hot water.

- ANNA ISABEL C. SOBREPEÑA

My father had passed on the remedy to calm gastric discomforts that occurred frequently when everyone was asleep. I would heat water in his special teapot that was sufficient for one serving of Sir Thomas Lipton's infusion. Sometimes Dad would wake up and join me for light conversation or be a quiet presence till I was done. Caffeine notwithstanding, it always worked, and I would fall soundly asleep after he tucked me in.

STOLEN TEA

Tea has been known to soothe aching tummies owing to its anti-inflammatory properties. The Chinese knew of its therapeutic effects as far back as A.D. 3 and consumed the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant as a medicinal drink. This evergreen shrub is indigenous to southwestern China, as well as Myanmar and Northeast India, although it is now cultivated in over 60 countries. Historical accounts credit Robert Fortune for the expansion of the tea trade in the British Empire through the East India Company. He was a Scottish plant hunter and botanist who surreptitiously transported the tea plants, as well as skilled Chinese tea growers, to India in 1848. The theft contributed to the establishment of tea estates in East Africa as well as South Asia.

THE FLAVOR OF RESPECT AND HUMILITY

All tea preparations are made from the camellia sinensis, differing only in process to produce black, green, white, pu-erh and oolong. Young leaves are handpicked and are allowed to wither, causing the elimination of excess water. This is part of the oxidation process that determines the kind of tea will become. Green tea is less oxidized, resulting in lightness and a pale yellow-green color.

Black tea requires more oxidization and is darker and transforms into an amber or reddish-brown elixir with a stronger, bolder flavor. The others fall somewhere in between.