Tea has become entrenched in the British way of life. The British East India Company had a monopoly over the tea industry in England, tea became more popular than coffee, chocolate, and alcohol. Tea was seen as inherently British and tea-drinking was encouraged by the British government because of the revenue gained from taxing tea. But what are the molecules behind the taste of this beloved beverage?

          To answer that, it’s worth first trying to work out what it is exactly that makes tea taste the way it does. Tea’s flavor is intimately affected by how it is grown, processed, and brewed. Tea bushes are grown in terraces all over the tropics and subtropics. But if the intent is to make certain kinds of green tea from them, like matcha, growers will make sure they are carefully shaded with nets or mats. Less sun causes them to produce more chlorophyll as well as fewer polyphenols, a class of molecules that imparts tea’s singular astringency.

          Some of us may like that taste, and tea processing can amp it up. After the new leaves and buds have been plucked from a bush, they are laid out to dry. How long they lie again depends on the kind of tea intended. For green teas, the leaves are almost immediately tossed in a hot pan or steamed. An oolong results when the leaves are dried a little, bruised, and only then cooked. And a black tea, which is the most popular variant, accounting for 78% of the tea drunk world-wide, results when the bruised leaves dry quite a long while before being finished in the pan.

          Given how much tea people drink, there's growing interest in understanding whether this habit has any medical benefits. It appears that molecules found in tea can protect cells in a dish from some kinds of damage, but despite copious research, there is conflicting evidence on whether tea-drinking provides benefits beyond warm hands and an alert mind.

          If you are looking to experience the British tea-drinking culture, the recommendation would be indulging in a spot of afternoon tea. It usually involves being served delicate finger sandwiches, scrumptious pastries as well as scones and clotted cream. There’s no shortage of places where you can partake in afternoon tea but small tearooms are usually the best.

Source:

https://greatbritishmag.co.uk/uk-culture/why-brits-love-drinking-tea-so-much/

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160602-why-do-the-british-love-the-taste-of-tea-so-much

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_in_the_United_Kingdom#:~:text=Because%20the%20British%20East%20India,revenue%20gained%20from%20taxing%20tea.

Pict source:

https://daily.jstor.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/english_teatime_1050x700.jpg