Tea is a drink wolrdwide reknowned for its benefits, varieties and flavors. It first started to be consumed in China, more than five thousand years ago, being included in European culture by the Portuguese and the indigens in Brasil, which had a medicinal and religious end, to be inserted as a symbolic drink in social gathering and personal life. In our contemporary time, tea is still very appreciated in the world’s four corners, being the second most consumed drink, after water.
In Religion
The Spiritism is an adept to the drink Ayahuasca, a drink known as tea of Santo Daime, a mixture of two plants (Cipó Mariri and Chacrona). The reason for its drinking is very simples, according to the religion leaders, the tea drank during the ritual produce hallucinations that may reveal past facts (like reincarnations), to furute predictions and even knowledge, which can be later interpreted by the local mester.
According to the website, santodaime.com, the drink is not merely a hallucinogen as people stigmatize, it is a drink from the group of entheogens, having the power to enlarge the physical and spiritual senses, due to natural internal chemical awakening, such as serotonin.
Fernanda Ribeiro, 20, had only one experience with tea Santo Daime and enthusiastic account of her experience “Well, after taking tea, I went to work where they were all singing. I felt dizzy, sick, so I left the place. After this a woman came to help me, she took me to a small room where I could lie down. I heard footsteps around me that followed the rhythm of the music, after that my eyes saw a little Indian boy crouched beside me and the other saw an avatar, those of the film (laughs ).”
In Altitude
Bolivia and Peru are examples of coca leaf growers for over five thousand years. This mythology in these Andean regions – four thousand meters above sea – preaches that when chewing the leaf, and spit it in your palm this way can bring some reading on the future of the person. Furthermore, the leaf has been widely used as an offering to the god Inti (Sun God) also responsible for the harvest and prosperity.
Currently tourists unaccustomed to the effects of altitude are advised to make use of the leaf as in the case of David Kanda, 31, who was surprised with its help regarding the shortness of breath and also with its flavor
“My relationship with tea coca started a few weeks before my first trip to Peru. my wife, who is Peruvian, told me about the sights we would visit, noting that some of them were located more than four thousand meters above sea level. She did not fail to mention the side effects that altitude could cause those, like me, who were not used. Headache, fatigue and nausea were some of the possibilities that could harm very one not used to the height the solution, she said, was trying coca tea before and during our stay in high altitude cities. ” In Brazil, the consumption and possession of coca leaves is prohibited, Brazilian law only allows the use of the plant for therapeutic purposes, that is, with the authorization of ANVISA (National Health Surveillance Agency). As it is the raw material for cocaine, the plant is loaded with many stigmas regarding its side effects, but it is noteworthy that the industrial products like coca candy, soda and the very leaf of coca and its tea has no similar effects to the drug itself.
Love
Have you ever met any tea lover? The ancient drink is becoming more popular in our country, often breaking the hearts of coffee fans, and even replacing the dangerous soda in the daily meals. Luis Mauro Sa Marino, professor of the Faculdade Casper Libero, says it is his favorite drink during a good conversation. The teacher mentioned that his love for tea comes from his childhood, it was common for the boy to go to Rei do Mate with his father and enjoy the tea tap at the store, his dream today is to have one of these at home. What would be better for Luis Mauro than going to England? Well, the teacher had the opportunity to go to the tea capital and meet various tastes of the drink, but when asked if he met the tea with milk in the British country he denies, says that the merit of knowing this variety comes from his grandmother.
Vanessa Roith, 22, is also a lover of tea and says that in her country the contact with the drink begun very early. Vanessa consume tea due to the benefits and varieties of flavors, and prefers it, because it doesn’t have the coffee energy surges. The economist also says that it is tradition to have tea withh friends at any time of day and to take different types of teas and talk.
Health
Daniele Lieuthier, a specialist in tea, founder and designer of of Instituto Chá and Caminho do Chá, expanded her interest in the tea around 2010/2011 when she moved to Argentina to study patisserie. During her stay in the country she noticed an increase of teahouses, realizing a major trend in the foreign market, what inspired her to open a new business and give courses and lectures that help spread the tea culture throughout the Brazilian territory.
This March, Daniele started a course for those who wish to become tea sommeliers. She explains that a sommelier knows all beverage processes, from production to the tea culture in different cultures of the world, and learn to harmonize them with other foods and cook using them as an ingredient.
The professional also states that the preparation of tea is not as simple as it sounds, as there are several factors that can alter the taste and even influence the quality of the beverage. It is necessary to pay attention to temperature and sheets concerned, since softer teas, such as green, requiring a lower temperature, while the black (more oxidized) requires more heat.
The calming tea usually advised by grandmothers are not a legend. Daniele explains that the tea has tein caffeine, the same as coffee, but which is absorbed by the body in a different way, also containing the amino acid L – Theanine responsible for reducing stress and relax. It is due to this combination of materials that allows the tea to be alering and relaxing at the same time.
In addition to these two substances, teas contain antioxidants that slow the absorption of caffeine and therefore do not generate power surges, causing their effect to lasts longer and be less harmful to the body. Tea is also composed of fluorine, which helps protect teeth and in preventing caries, some amino acids that improve memory, lower blood pressure and balance the intestinal flora. In addition to also help reduce the accumulation of fat in the walls of arteries.
In the Rising Sun Land
For Japanese tradition: tea means light energy. For science: prevention of heart disease, stimulating the immune system, the owner of anti-cancer properties and advanced cholesterol reducer. Well, it is still a form of light that green tea brings, is not it?
Interestingly, the Camellia sinensis is native to China and is probably the first type of tea coming from the world. Around 400 BC Japanese monks went to China to study the repeito of Buddhism, the return of these tea began to be cultivated in the country Nipponese at the behest of Emperor Shomu in 805, but in a break from official missions by Japan made that relations between countries lessened, making tea something very restricted in the country.
The Ceremony of green tea Chanoyu call is a ritual held for millennia and is the result of the shogunate of Ashikaga family, who created and encouraged the proliferation of the ceremony among the Japanese, by the year 1330, reaching this to even be taught in local schools and Buddhist centers.
The tea ceremony is not only because of who is making the tea, the guest in question also plays a role at the time of the ceremony that is not simple at all. Well, to get an idea there are eleven necessary items to achieve Chanoyu.
Fukusa (silk scarf); Chawan (cup); Natsume, or Cha-ire (jar for powdered tea); Chasen (batter to prepare tea); Chashaku (spatula to serve tea powder); Chakin (cloth to clean the glass); Hishaku (bamboo shell); Kensui (container for dirty water); Tana (small shelf to put the utensils); Kama (iron pan); Hole (brazier).
In Africa
The hibiscus tea was popularly known due to its diuretic function, which helps you lose weight and prevent fat accumulation and fluid retention. In addition to helping assist in weight loss, it is also an antioxidant and controls cholesterol, blood pressure and is a rich source of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium.
The drink that has origins from Senegal and is prepared with the cup of dried flower button Roselle, different from hibiscus which can usually be found in the gardens. But excessive use of tea can bear fruit the opposite effects, intoxicating the body and eliminating substances important for the functioning of the body and the female hormone regulation. Being naturally sweet, it is not necessary to add sugar in tea, which can be consumed in different ways, using cinnamon, horsetail, lemon and orange.
In Brazil
The most popular tea in Brazil, chá mate, is nationally known. With a low price, every supermarket has its version and the iced version is pure delight. Raw material Tererê and mate has admirers all over the country, the most “authentic” say the right is consuming it without sugar, while others do not risk a sip in the bitter drink.
For those who does not like coffee, here’s a tip: the mate tea is stimulating, moreover, burns calories, prevents fatty liver, slows aging (cosmetic for what ?!), fight cancer and prevent heart disease.
References: ttps://institutocha.com/ http://caminhodocha.com.br/ Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/daniespecialistaemchas/?fref=ts