Afternoon Tea in United States and United Kingdom
Afternoon tea doesn’t simply mean the beverage of tea. Afternoon tea is rather a light meal, a snack traditionally taken during the late afternoon. The origin of the habit of drinking tea in England is credited to Portugal’s Catherine of Braganza (1638 –1705) who was given in marriage to England’s Charles the second by the Portuguese royalists in the year 1661. The Portuguese royalists and nobility had then acquired a custom of drinking tea brought from Portuguese colonies in Asia as well as from China and Japan.
Then again during the first half of the nineteenth century Anna Maria Russell, 7th Duchess of Bedford (1783 –1857) a lifelong friend of Queen Victoria of the Great Britain elevated the habit onto a tradition of Afternoon tea. She is said to have complained of “having a sinking feeling” during the afternoon. It was the period in which the day was anchored to the main meal at breakfast. The next port of call would be sighted only following sun down: dinner. A pot of tea with a light snack in her boudoir during the afternoon would breathe fresh wind reviving the Duchess.
The private habit of the Duchess spread onto her friends whom she invited to join in her chambers. In time she upgraded the unofficial verbal invitations to the invitation cards: tea and a walk in the fields. In no time the society ladies of England shifted the idea from inner chambers to the drawing rooms: nibbling sandwiches and sipping tea in the middle of the afternoon took root. When non other than her Majesty Queen Victoria embraced the practice and gave her endorsement, Afternoon tea became a world wide tradition.
Afternoon tea parties have always been a prominent feature during the Victorian age as well as the Edwardian age in the United Kingdom. These formal tea parties characterized by fine china, good manners, and polite conversation served more than just a cup of tea. Tea, coffee, sandwiches and pastries make up the traditional British light meal in the afternoon, popularly known by Afternoon tea. The low table called Coffee table set amidst arm chairs and sofas in the living room and parlors give credence to the alternative name Low tea.

Afternoon tea during the Second World War
Such was nature of established custom of drinking tea in England, it spread to the English communities living in foreign lands too. Such was the social significance of Afternoon tea during the run up to the Second World War, a semi-autobiographical tale from the early life of director Franco Zeffirelli set during pre-WWII Fascist Italy is woven around an occasion of Afternoon Tea with Mussolini. The community of Englishwomen called Scorpioni at Florence was at peace enjoying a sheltered life. And at the tea party, the British ladies were assured of safe residence by the Mussolini. Everything was fine for the ladies for a little while.
Then once again true to his duplicity, to his very boots-spit and shine-Mussolini made a bland face about with utter spite: the ladies were rounded up & interned. In May 1993, Mussolini signed Hitler’s Pact of Steel taking the side of Germany during the winds of war; in September 1939, Mussolini proclaimed Italian neutrality; in October 1939, then following German blitzkrieg into Poland & France, Mussolini made a face about and joined Hitler, labouring under the delusion that world could be torn apart and owned by the Axis powers. That was in the year 1940. The most formidable military power of the world hadn’t yet marched in: the Americans. To awaken the sleeping giant, it would take nothing less than Pearl Harbor. And an over ambitious Japan, in her fit of madness, would sail too far only to sink nuclear bombed at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Afternoon tea today
Afternoon tea has lost favor since the Second World War. The haste in the modern life styles has sidelined the traditional everyday light meal to be amidst hustle and bustle of hotels, cafes and tea shops. The world crisis is still on, yet afternoon tea has been making a comeback of trend and passion in the United States as well as in the United Kingdom. Tea rooms have begun springing up all the time, in all the nooks and crannies as well as in the center of attractions. Fine hotels are once again on an overdrive in promoting their new tea services; and with the world turning for good food habits choosing healthier lifestyles, the use of tea, Black tea, Green tea and White tea, from Sri Lanka (Ceylon tea), from India (Darjeeling tea) and from China (Yunnan tea) have taken the pride of place. In England Hazelmere Café which serves Ceylon tea is voted the venue that serves ‘the best cuppa tea’ in UK this year. The famous Claridges Hotel in London won the best Afternoon Tea.

Afternoon tea today in Sri Lanka Holidays
Afternoon Tea during Sri Lanka Holidays at some of the Jetwing hotels around the island is preceded by tea tasting ceremony that enable the guests to taste tea produced in each of the main six tea growing regions of Sri Lanka. Jetwing Hunas Falls in the hills of Kandy and Jetwing St. Andrews Hotel situated opposite the famous Nuwara Eliya Golf Club offer opportunity to taste varieties of Ceylon tea, the finest tea in the world. The refreshing experience is complemented with the traditional Afternoon tea brewed of highest quality Ceylon tea at Sri Lanka hotels during your touring Sri Lanka Holidays.

White tea is a product of evergreen tea plant Camellia sinensis, which produces traditional Black tea, Green tea and Oolong tea. White tea is rare & highly priced in view of the expertise, patience and effort required in the process of production. Subtle & sophisticated in aroma & taste, the product of White tea is manufactured manually: the beverage is enjoyed in its pure form without flavors. White tea is of higher concentration of antioxidants than Black tea as well as Green tea.

Excellence has no limits
According to the Chinese legends since the discovery of Black tea in China 5000 years ago, Chinese emperors unwilling to be satisfied with the numerous medicinal qualities of the beverage & steeped in the concept “Excellence Has No Limit” had become obsessed with producing the “most perfect tea”. The legends have woven around virgins dressed in white clothes cutting tea buds with golden scissors. Obsession of Chinese emperor Hui Zong (1105 -1125 AD) of Song Dynasty, one of the most famous imperial patrons of art, history, and ceramics is said to have resulted in loss of much of his empire. He has been credited with the development of many white teas including “Palace Jade Sprout” and “Silver Silk Water Sprout.” Since then for many centuries, White tea has been the premier luxury drink consumed by the Chinese royalists & nobility. In China, select varieties of the tea plant were developed for White tea in the year 1885.
Today White tea has become the most exclusive & most highly priced variety of tea: a luxury.

White tea is a luxury, a rarity and a medication.
The luxuries that carry health benefits to the human race are rarities. White tea stands out as such a rarity. The Superior means of manual cultivation & harvesting result in higher concentrations of flavonid (antioxidant) in White tea in comparison with Black tea & Green tea. Furthermore, White tea contains more of Amino acid (the building blocks of proteins) -Theanine that reduce mental and physical stress, and improves cognition and mood in comparison with Black tea & Green tea.

White tea producers
White tea is found in many varieties from the diverse area of Asia. White tea is produced in Central Highlands of Sri Lanka, Fujian Province of China & Darjeeling area of India.

White tea branded Silver tips (Ceylon White Tea) from Sri Lanka
The producer of “Ceylon tea”, the finest Black tea in the world, Indian ocean tropical island of Sri Lanka has also been a reputed producer of White tea of superior quality. Ceylon White tea branded & marketed “Silver tips” was first grown at Nuwara Eliya (2200 -2500 meters) near Adam’s Peak of Sri Lanka.
Silver tips, Ceylon White tea of Sri Lanka are manufactured solely of tender buds of the clone TRI 2043 of the tea plant Camellia sinensis. The selected tea bushes are tended for several years prior to yield of first harvest. White tea can only be picked for a short period each year, then again that too is when there is no rain: early spring provides the finest white tea.
The velvet-like Buds of the tea clone, the leaves that aren’t yet opened up carries a fine white hair (fuzz) that emits a faint silver glow lending the name White tea. The brew is of a slight golden tinge similar to white wine; the liquor to your pallet is delicious, delicate, & subtle. It is a premium light tea: its price tag is heavy. White tea is a luxury, a luxury with a high value.

Virgin buds: untouched tea
Unlike Black tea and Green tea, the bud is the one and only part of the tea plant picked to produce White tea. The buds are handpicked from select tea bushes just prior to the crack of dawn, carefully deposited in pouches made of raw silk so as to shield the yield from sunlight direct, well thinned out over trays made of bamboo, overlaid with black flannels, dried under the watchful eye of a Sri Lankan tea maker & then lightly baked.

Here lands the hardest part: It’s all in the “No Hands” Process. Human body mustn’t make contact with the buds at any point of the process of production. The reason being once the buds are exposed to the human touch, the fermentation takes over resulting in loss of silvery hair of the buds. No silver hair on the buds; no White tea.

Such is the process, it takes four kilograms of fresh buds to produce one kilogram of Silver tips. The total production of White tea in Sri Lanka is only 1500 kg per year. Such is the great effort taken in production of White tea in Sri Lanka, in the end cost goes up to USD 200 per 1 kg.
The product, in you hand, is golden coppery & velvet like; the beverage in your cup is tinged with yellow; the liquor to your pallet is delicate & subtle. It is a premium light tea: its price tag is heavy.

Ceylon White Tea branded Silver tips is produced by Dilmah of Sri Lanka, the tea planters & international tea marketers.

White tea has the highest antioxidant levels over Black tea, Green tea & Oolong tea.

During the conversion of nutrients into energy by the cells, a by product called Free radicals is created. In turn, the Free radicals react against the cells of the human body resulting in numerous diseases & ailments, the worst among these being cancer & heart diseases. Free radicals are absorbed & weakened by the Antioxidants. The capacity of human body to generate its own antioxidants being limited, for good heath, a continuous supply of strong antioxidants by means of good food habits is an essential requirement. Good food habits should be developed and practiced throughout the lifetime.

Vegetables, fruits, red wine, chocolate, coffee & tea contain Antioxidants. Tea is rich in antioxidants known as catechins also called polyphenols. Tea & Coffee are sources of Catechins in the human diet. White tea, the least processed tea, compared to Black tea, Green tea & Oolong tea is said to have the highest concentration of antioxidants.

Green tea is rich in polyphenols, which include the powerful antioxidants called catechins. Though these polyphenols are found in Black tea as well as in Oolong tea, some claim the polyphenols in green tea have superior cancer-preventing abilities. Polyphenol antioxidant found in Green tea, Black tea & Oolong tea, as all other antioxidant do, scavenge & seize free radicals (unstable molecules called oxidants) to inhibit specific enzyme activities that result in cancer. All varieties of tea from Camellia sinensis contain polyphenols. The polyphenol most widely recognized with prevention of cancer is EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate). Beverages Green tea as well as Black tea prepared with boiling water result in release of over 80 percent of its catechins.

Green tea: general perception against cancer
Numerous clinical studies based on segments of world populations have brought about the perception that Green tea helps protect humans against the onslaught of cancer. On worldwide level, it is observed higher intake of Green tea relates to lower percentage of cancer patients, the finest example being Japan. Then again, further studies on this general perception alone do not determine therapeutic & preventive qualities of Green tea against cancer. However emerging clinical studies still continue to suggest that the polyphenols in green tea may play an important role in the prevention of cancer.

Therapeutic & preventive qualities of Green tea: the Laboratory tests Vs Human studies
The laboratory studies on the medical properties of Green tea making use of animals provide proof to the effect that catechins reduce the number and size of tumors thereby inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. However, the human studies haven’t yet been conclusive most possibly owing to vital factors such as food habits, cultural habits, life styles, & living environment being at variance with different segments of populations around the world. Research is being continued on therapeutic & preventive qualities of Green tea on all types of cancer.
“Despite the large number of included studies, the jury still seems to be out on the question of whether green tea can in fact prevent the development of various cancer types,” Katja Boehm, a member of the Unconventional and Complementary Methods in Oncology Study Group in Nuremburg, Germany, said in the news release dated July 14, 2009 issued by The Cochrane Collaboration.

Green tea Vs. Skin cancer: Laboratory tests on mice
In the year 2000, based on mice model laboratory studies funded by National Institute of Environmental health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Cancer Institute led by Santosh K. Katiyar, Ph.D.University of Alabama reported that drinking Green tea may be useful in preventing and treating a variety of human skin disorders.
Antioxidant, epigallocatechin-3-gallae (EGGCG) contained in polyphenols protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation and prevent formation of skin tumor. “Green tea prevents UV radiation induced suppression of the immune system, which has been considered a risk factor for the development of skin cancer,” Says Dr. Katiyar.
“The next area of research will be to study whether the data we obtained in animal models is equally useful for human beings,” Dr. Katiyar says.

Green tea Vs. Breast cancer: Laboratory tests on mice
In April 2008, Jian-Wei Gu of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson presented a study with indications that Green tea antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) significantly slowed breast cancer growth in female mice.
Two groups of female mice selected for the study were injected breast cancer cells. While the control group of female mice was fed with drinking water, the test group was fed with a solution of the Green tea antioxidant in water for five weeks. The results showed that treatment with the Green tea antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) decreased tumor size by 66% and weight by 68% in comparison with the control group.
The results of the study suggested anticancer effects of high content of EGCG.

Green tea Vs prostate cancer: human studies
In a human study, Philadelphia-based researchers at Feist-Weiller Cancer Center tested 26 patients of prostate cancer, who were scheduled for radical prostate surgery with compound called Polyphenon E for an average of 34 days equivalent of 12 cups of Green tea. The study found a significant reduction, in some patients as high as 30%, in levels of biomarkers - molecules HGF (hepatocyte growth factor), VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), which are indicators of developing cancer. The team leader of the study Dr James Cardelli stated said the compound Polyphenon E, “may have the potential to lower the incidence and slow the progression of prostate cancer.”

Green tea Vs. esophageal cancer: human studies
During October 1, 1990, through January 31, 1993, Shanghai Cancer Institute Shanghai, People’s Republic of China carried out a study of Therapeutic qualities on 1016 patients diagnosed with esophageal (gullet) cancer. The findings in this test on protective effects of green tea consumption were consistent with studies in laboratory animals: Green tea can inhibit esophageal carcinogenesis. Further studies have been carried out since then.

Tea, a medium of spiritual enlightenment
Eisai’s unflagging devotion to studying the virtues & merits of tea led him to inscribe the first treatise on tea in Japan, a two-volume treatise entitled Kissa Yojo Ki (Preservation of Health Through Drinking Tea) in the year 1211. His outstanding promotion of the ritualistic preparation of tea was essentially the genesis of Cha-no-yu in Japan.
Eisai’s propagation of tea was to meet with glorious success. It even produced a result that wasn’t originally intended: his followers began to view the habit of consuming tea as an alternative means of spiritual enlightenment. It would, however, be another two centuries before an official Japanese Tea Ceremony would be formalized with a deep sense of aesthetics & the concept of humility imbued therein.

Zen & Samurai
With the spread of traditions, the reverence towards the Buddhist monks, the pioneers of traditions, by the populace begun to grow in leaps & bounds. As in china, the Japanese feudal lords were to become restless over the sphere of influence Buddhist Temples had over the populace. Eventually the Samurai were ordered to put the Buddhist temples to fire & sword. Ironically, the raging flames of insane violence made Buddhist monks even more influential.

The Samurai encounter Buddhist monks
The Samurai, the fierce warriors in calamitous era, honor bound to hold their lives subservient to the unwavering loyalty towards their feudal lords had assumed the Zen Buddhist monks would run for their lives at the first sight of blood. But then the Buddhist monks indoctrinated in the impermanence of all worldly matters couldn’t be ruffled from their serenity even in the face of mindless violence. The Samurai, who had been simmering with violence at all times, who had thought of the ordinary populace & monks as living testimony to cowardice, were taken aback to witness that there were means other than violence which would make one infused with indomitable courage.

Some of the Buddhist monks continued to meditate even as their temples were raging with fire & their fellow monks were put to sword. Such was the lasting impression of the phenomenon made on the Samurai, who aspired to be on par with the nobility & imperial court of Japan in terms of literary skills & intellectual faculties during the 11th & 12th centuries, took to Zen Buddhism with great fervor. During the 13th century, upper class Samurai were already highly literate as a result of introduction of Confucianism from China during the 7th to 9th centuries. The practice of Zen Buddhism by Samurai resulted in them overcoming the fear of death & tendency towards killing at a mere whim. The 13th century also saw the formalization of Bushido, the Japanese code of conduct of Samurai warriors. In time the Samurai were to become an outstanding community among the most zealous disciples of Zen and tea.

The Samuari takes to Zen & tea
The Samurai found Zen as well as tea served a purpose in their very existence, which could be cut short at any moment in the battle if not at a mere whim of their feudal lord. Feudal lords of Japan called Shoguns developed a practice of gifting special jars of tea to Samurai for exceptional display of valor in the battlefield so that they could invite his kith & kin to a tea ceremony celebrating the occasion.

Tea ceremony begins to take shape
In time the tea drinking habit of Zen Buddhist monks was to create an extension into the wider, secular culture of Japan in the form of tea rituals. The initial incursion of tea habits into aristocratic circles of Japan resulted in evolving the order, art and simplicity in Japanese tea ceremony encapsulating the four principals of Japanese code of ethics: harmony with people & nature; respect for others; spiritual purity & tranquility.
With aesthetics of tea ceremony on ascendance, the ritual was formalized by the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa in the 15th century. An everyday activity was brought up to a level of awareness that would detach all from the militarized feudal system albeit for a limited duration of the tea ceremony. Guests sat in serenity & took their own sweet time to taste & enjoy their tea in the calm atmosphere devoid of chatter & babble. Within the confines of the tea house, all guests were put on an equal footing: nobody carried arms. Social status & military statues of the guests seized to exist: the peasant was held in the same esteem that the emperor was held. Tea ceremony was a far cry from then existing feudal system, a far cry from today’s calamitous modern world.

Zen Buddhism
Zen Buddhism or as widely called Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism characterized by meditative techniques leading to enlightenment. The word Zen is a Japanese derivative of Chinese word chen, which in turn is Chinese derivative of Sanskrit word dhyana, one of the possible paths to Nirvana, the state following the achievement of the breakthrough of the cycle of birth & rebirth by means of shelving desire, the cause for existence of being. Dhyana is the cessation of all discriminate thoughts. Hence the word Zen in general could be identified as symbolic of total and supreme mind control.

Origin of Zen in China
According to Buddhism, supreme enlightenment could also be wordlessly transmitted from mind to mind. Buddhist literature narrates a close encounter of supreme merit in which Buddha’s disciple Mahakashyapa was fortunate to the extent of being able to grasp the truth by such means & that was at the occasion when Buddha, without preaching Dharma verbally, held up a Lotus flower to millions of humans & gods at the congregation. The occasion came to be known as Lotus Flower Sutra.
“I have the right dharma eye treasury, the wonderful mind of nirvana, the actual mark which is unmarked, transmitted outside teaching, the sealing of the mind by means of mind. I have just transmitted it to Mahakashayapa.” Gauthama Buddha.
Thus, Buddhism also developed a concept which focused on direct experience instead of rational creeds or revealed scriptures. Zen Buddhism is a form of meditative religion in search of supreme enlightenment as Mahākāśyapa experienced.

The cornerstone of Zen
It is interesting to note that “The Lankavatara Sutra” the cornerstone of Zen, a school of Mahayana Buddhism originated in Sri Lanka, which incidentally has been the cradle of the orthodox school of Buddhism for no less than a couple of millenniums: Theravada Buddhism. Ancient island of Sri Lanka, the land of delights could hardly be kept out of the theater of Asian history, far & away as well as recent & close: though the origin of tea was in ancient China, it was tea from Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon which took the modern world by storm during the British colonial era: Ceylon tea.
As the Buddhist literature narrates, the Lankavatara Sutra was a conversation between supremely enlightened Shakyamuni Siddhartha Gauthma Buddha & a Bodhisattva (Buddha to be born) by the name of Mahamati that took place in the ancient island of Sri Lanka, then called Lanka. “The Lankavatara Sutra” was translated from Sanskrit into Japanese and English by Japanese Buddhist scholar, the lauded exponent of Zen Buddhism, Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870-1966).

Difference between Mahayana Buddhism & Theravada Buddhism
Theravada Buddhism has established the concept that “Bodhisattva” is merely a being (human or divine) who devotes his entire cycle of life, death & rebirth to become the total embodiment of supreme virtues & merits, thereby ultimately becoming a supremely enlightened Buddha for the benefit of our world & other worlds while Mahayana Buddhism encapsulated a concept of numerous mystical Bodhisattvas benevolent towards mankind, which appealed to the frailty of human nature. Such is the popularity of Mahayana concept of numerous Bodhisattvas, even in Sri Lanka, the cradle of Theravada Buddhism, the influence of Mahayana Buddhism could be witnessed in the ancient cultural sites. Buduruwagala is home to the famous rock carved statue of Avalokitesvara Natha (Kuan-yin or Kuan-shih-yin), the most venerated Mahayana deity, the next Buddha to be. Still more, Kandy, the medieval royal city of Sri Lanka is also home to a shrine dedicated to this popular deity, among numerous Buddhist shrines & temples.

Establishment of Zen in China
In the year AD 526, following the decline of Buddhism in India, a Southern Indian Pallava prince turned Buddhist monk by the name of Bodhidharma, a contemporary of illustrious scholar Buddhaghosha (who translated the Sinhalese commentaries of Theravada Buddhism into Pali at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka) arrived from Kanchipuram, Southern India in Kwangtung (anglicized as Canton which also means quarter that provide housing for military personnel, the British barracks, the deep-water trading sea port of the British, Dutch & Portuguese during the colonial era or the industrial city of Guangzhou as known today), China, which was also home to about 5000 Indians, to teach a “special transmission outside scriptures” which “did not stand upon words”. The first documentation on emergence of Zen Buddhism as a distinct school of Buddhism in China was recorded in 7th century CE.

Bodhidharma at Shaolin temple, China
Bodhidharma, crossing the Yangtze River on a reed (boat) arrived at the Shaolin Temple which was destined to become famous in China in no time & renowned in the world over in good time. Having become disconcerted that the resident Buddhist clergy at the Shao-lin Temple had been vulnerable to plunder & pillage at the hands of gangs of bandits on rampage, Bodhidharma took it upon himself to put an end to intermittent disturbances. Bodhidharma wasn’t an ordinary Buddhist monk: he was a martial arts exponent, a master of staff fighting. He wasted no time: his system of 18 dynamic Muscle/Tendon tension exercises was to evolve into the famous Shao-lin style of martial arts. Then he set himself upon Zen: sequestered himself in a cave and sat gazing at the wall for nine long years without being disturbed. Since the life & times of Bodhidharma at Shaolin temple, martial arts as well as Zen became distinguished traditions of China in the 7th century. C.E. Close at the heels of Zen, followed the first treatise on Tea, “Tea Classic” by a Chinese poet named Lu Yu in 760 CE.

Black tea from Assam
The Indian state of Assam, comprising river valleys of Brahmaputra and the Barak, is located south of the eastern Himalayas sharing international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh. Assam, historically the second commercial tea producting region in the world after southern China, accounts for more than half the Black tea grown in India. Black tea in Assam is grown at the sea level with the exception of Kopali Black tea grown at an elevation of 2500 ft (750 m).
Assam, one of the most beautiful regions of India is blessed with nature as well as culture. With numerous tourist attractions of nature scenery & cultural treasures & culture, among the Indian states, Assam is second to none in terms of variety & color.

Black tea from Nilgiri
Nilgiri literally meaning Blue mountains are located in the Nilgiri district of South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Nilgiri is the beneficiary of Indian sub continent’s North-East monsoon as well as South-West monsoon. Nilgiri is home to the famous hill resort of Ootacamund (Ooty).
The picturesque range of mountains at the biodiversity hotspot of South India, with elevation in the range of 1000m to 2500m & annual rainfall between 60 to 90 inches is one of the prime areas of Black tea cultivation in India. The combination of elevation & annual rainfall has resulted in a fine flavor and brisk liquor of Nilgiri Black tea. The bulk of the Black tea at Nilgiri is produced by means of CTC (Crush, Tear & Curl) process of manufacture. High quality Black tea of Nilgiri is also available in versions of high cost Orange Pekoe or O.P. which is Hand sorted full leaf & low cost Broken Orange Pekoe or B. O. P. which is machine sorted semi-full leaf.

Black tea from Darjeeling
Darjeeling district of India is located in the Shiwalik Hills, West Bengal on the lower range of the Himalaya, at an average elevation of 2,100 m. Darjeeling, a colonial health resort, has earned a worldwide reputation for its industry of Black tea. Unlike most of the Black tea of India, which is manufactured of the Indian variety of Camellia assamica, Black tea of Darjeeling is produced from Chinese variety of Camellia sinensis.

Recent scientific studies on Black tea have begun to unravel the specific beneficial effects on the human body & mind.

Black tea is rich in antioxidants
Black tea, Green tea & Oolong tea are excellent sources of Antioxidant called polyphenos: catechins, flavonols, theaflavins and thearubigins. Antioxidants are substances that reduce, neutralize, and prevent the damage done to the cells of human body by Free radicals.
Highly reactive Free radicals- atoms, molecules, or ions with unpaired electrons- are borne out of oxidation process of our being. Left to its own killer sway, the Free radicals could injure surrounding cells & cause damage to DNA, resulting in cancer.
While human body regulates a complex system of multiple types of antioxidants, low levels of antioxidants results in damaging or killing human cells, the building blocks of the system.

Black tea helps prevent type 2 diabetes
That Black tea (the same green leaf Camellia sinensis is processed into Green tea, Black tea or Oolong tea by controlling biological oxidation) may help to combat type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease is discovered at the laboratory stage by a group of scientists led by Dr. Graham Rena of Neurosciences Institute of the University of Dundee, Scotland in March 2008. The discovery was made on a research to locate compounds with a potential to replace insulin in treatment of patients of diabetes 2. Diabetes 2 is a medical complication in which patient’s body cells become resistant to insulin, an essential regulator of blood sugar.
Dr. Rena found Black tea antioxidants theaflavins and thearubigins to mimick the insulin action on proteins known as foxos (forkhead transcription factor family O). Now it has been increasingly recognized that obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance & cardiovascular diseases are varied manifestations of a multifaceted medical complication: metabolic syndrome. It seems, at last, the western medical science has stuck a cord with ancient Ayurvedic treatments which boils down to three root causes with respect of all maladies & deceases: vata (wind/spirit/air), pitta (bile) and kapha (phlegm). So called metabolic syndrome is an aspect of Pitta (bile).

Publication: journal Aging Cell. March 2008
Lead scientist: Dr Graham Rena, Caledonian Research Foundation Fellow & Lecturer.

Black tea helps prevent Heart strokes
American Heart Association’s annual International Stroke Conference in San Diego, California was presented with human observational results of 9 studies across 195,000 individuals & 4378 heart strokes. The research was carried out by UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) & sponsored by The Unilever Lipton Institute of Tea funded this study.

“What we saw was that there was a consistency of effect of appreciable magnitude,” “By drinking three cups of tea a day, the risk of a stroke was reduced by 21 percent. It didn’t matter if it was Green tea or Black tea” said author Lenore Arab. Although a randomized clinical trial is needed to confirm this effect, the findings suggest that drinking three cups of Green tea or Black tea a day could help prevent an ischemic stroke- blockage of an artery in the brain. It has been speculated antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) or the amino acid theanine is responsible for the effect.

Publication: online edition of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, February 2009.
Lead scientist: Dr. Lenore Arab, a professor of biological chemistry.

Black tea helps reduce the risk on breast cancer
Based on a case-control study across 5000 women aged between 20 & 74 who had been treated for breast cancer & 4500 healthy women, it was claimed reduced risk of cancer in women under 50 who drank three or more cups a day. Younger women who consumed large amounts of tea each day cut their chances of developing any type of breast tumor by about 37%.

Publication: online edition of Stroke: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, a peer-reviewed medical journal January 2009.
Lead scientist: Dr Nagi Kumar of the Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida

Blended Black tea
Blended Black tea is precisely what the name carries with it: a blend of Black teas grown & manufactured in different areas of the world. Low quality Kenyan Black tea is often blended with Ceylon tea, the finest tea in the world. If you go for high quality stuff in life, such blends aren’t what you would enjoy.
Then again there are high quality blended Black teas marketed by the blenders by blending Black teas from Sri Lanka (Ceylon tea-finest tea in the world) & Assam of India. Assam of India produces high quality Black tea too. You would definitely go for the blend of Ceylon tea & Assam tea if you like superior stuff.

Pure Black tea
Pure Black tea is plucked in the same country. Then again, you could have a tin container of Pure Ceylon tea with its metal printed label indicating it’s a blend. Very true, that’s definitely a blend, but with the unmistakable Lion logo of Ceylon tea, there’s no need for you to get upset. You have just bought a blend of Ceylon teas grown and manufactured in different parts of the island of Sri Lanka exclusively. You are someone who would go for nothing less than The Real McCoy.
Blended Ceylon tea brings off the best in the distinctive flavors & aromas of all the teas involved in the blend. The concept would a ring a bell: Blended Scotch Whisky.

Black tea branding by the region of origin
Flavor, aroma & quality of Black teas, as in the case of wine, vary on the climatic & geographic conditions of the area of cultivation. Pure Ceylon teas grown & manufactured at different elevations in the beautiful tropical island of Sri Lanka are called after the area: Nuwara Eliya (2000 meters above sea level), Dimbula (1200-1700m), Uva (1000-1700m), Uda Pussellawa (1200m), Kandy (650-1300 m), Ruhuna (sea level to 600m) each have its own distinctive taste & aroma.
Among the varieties of Black tea from all tea producing countries, quality & popularity of Ceylon tea from Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka is akin to the standing of Champagne among wine.
High quality Black teas are grown & manufactured in Indian provinces of Darjeeling, Assam, and Nilgiri too are known by their respective provinces of cultivation & manufacture.

High Grown Ceylon tea, Medium Grown Ceylon tea & Low Grown Ceylon Tea from Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s tea plantations are mainly located in the Central Highlands of the island stretching from Kandy of Mediterranean climate to Nuwara Eliya of salubrious climate. Black tea is grown in Ruhuna of Sri Lanka too. Dimbula, Uva, Nuwara Eliya & Uda Pussellawa of higher altitude produce High Grown Ceylon teas of Sri Lanka. While Black tea produced in Kandy is called Middle Grown Ceylon tea, Black tea produced in Ruhuna is called Low Grown Ceylon tea.

Ceylon tea: Black tea to suit every pallet
Sri Lanka’s production of varieties of Black teas to go with every pallet has been the hallmark of Ceylon tea, the Black tea industry of Sri Lanka. Dimbula & Nuwara Eliya teas are sought after by blenders from all over the world; Uva Black teas too are used for high quality blends mainly in West Germany & Japan; medium grown Ceylon tea is popular in Europe, Australia, Japan & North America; low grown Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka is popular in Western Asia & Middle Eastern countries.

Black tea from India
The main areas of Black tea cultivation in India are Darjeeling, Assam & Nilgiri. Black teas produced in these areas vary with one another in terms of aroma & flavor. In India Black tea is also grown in Arunachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim, Orissa, Bihar, Nagaland, Mizoram & Meghalaya Tripura, Manipur Dooars and Terai of West Bengal.

Tea gradings By the processing method
The main products of evergreen tea plant (Camellia sinensis) are fermented (black tea), producing an amber-colored, full-flavored beverage without bitterness; semi-fermented (oolong), a slightly bitter, light brownish-green beverage; and unfermented (green tea) a mild, slightly bitter, pale greenish-yellow beverage.

Black tea gradings by the size of leaf processed by orthodox method as well as CTC (crush, tear & curl) method
Teas are also classified by the size of the processed leaf. Orthodox manufacturing method as well as CTC manufacturing method produces larger leafy grades and smaller broken grades. These grading terms are usually used for teas from Sri Lanka & India. The system is based solely upon the size of the processed and dried black tea leaves. The size of the processed Black tea leaves is determined by the means of sifting teas on wire meshes.

Orange Pekoe (O.P) is the main grade in tea production. Orange Pekoe consists of long wiry leaf with tips (buds). The High Grown Orange Pekoe consists of long, thin & wiry leaves containing tip or bud.

Broken Orange Pekoe (B.O.P) with superior color & flavor consists of smaller leaf & tip.

Pekoe Fannings which are smaller than B.O.P. brew quickly & give a liquor of good color when the beverage is prepared.

Dust, the black tea with smallest particles is very useful for quick brewing. The liquor produced by the Dust gives strength as well as color.

Blended Black tea
Blended Black tea is precisely what the name carries with it: a blend of Black teas grown & manufactured in different areas of the world. Low quality Kenyan Black tea is often blended with Ceylon tea, the finest tea in the world. If you go for high quality stuff in life, such blends aren’t what you would enjoy.
Then again there are high quality blended Black teas marketed by the blenders by blending Black teas from Sri Lanka (Ceylon tea-finest tea in the world) & Assam of India. Assam of India produces high quality Black tea too. You would definitely go for the blend of Ceylon tea & Assam tea if you like superior stuff.

Pure Black tea
Pure Black tea is plucked in the same country. Then again, you could have a tin container of Pure Ceylon tea with its metal printed label indicating it’s a blend. Very true, that’s definitely a blend, but with the unmistakable Lion logo of Ceylon tea, there’s no need for you to get upset. You have just bought a blend of Ceylon teas grown and manufactured in different parts of the island of Sri Lanka exclusively. You are someone who would go for nothing less than The Real McCoy.
Blended Ceylon tea brings off the best in the distinctive flavors & aromas of all the teas involved in the blend. The concept would a ring a bell: Blended Scotch Whisky.

Black tea branding by the region of origin
Flavor, aroma & quality of Black teas, as in the case of wine, vary on the climatic & geographic conditions of the area of cultivation. Pure Ceylon teas grown & manufactured at different elevations in the beautiful tropical island of Sri Lanka are called after the area: Nuwara Eliya (2000 meters above sea level), Dimbula (1200-1700m), Uva (1000-1700m), Uda Pussellawa (1200m), Kandy (650-1300 m), Ruhuna (sea level to 600m) each have its own distinctive taste & aroma.
Among the varieties of Black tea from all tea producing countries, quality & popularity of Ceylon tea from Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka is akin to the standing of Champagne among wine.
High quality Black teas are grown & manufactured in Indian provinces of Darjeeling, Assam, and Nilgiri too are known by their respective provinces of cultivation & manufacture.

High Grown Ceylon tea, Medium Grown Ceylon tea & Low Grown Ceylon Tea from Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s tea plantations are mainly located in the Central Highlands of the island stretching from Kandy of Mediterranean climate to Nuwara Eliya of salubrious climate. Black tea is grown in Ruhuna of Sri Lanka too. Dimbula, Uva, Nuwara Eliya & Uda Pussellawa of higher altitude produce High Grown Ceylon teas of Sri Lanka. While Black tea produced in Kandy is called Middle Grown Ceylon tea, Black tea produced in Ruhuna is called Low Grown Ceylon tea.

Ceylon tea: Black tea to suit every pallet
Sri Lanka’s production of varieties of Black teas to go with every pallet has been the hallmark of Ceylon tea, the Black tea industry of Sri Lanka. Dimbula & Nuwara Eliya teas are sought after by blenders from all over the world; Uva Black teas too are used for high quality blends mainly in West Germany & Japan; medium grown Ceylon tea is popular in Europe, Australia, Japan & North America; low grown Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka is popular in Western Asia & Middle Eastern countries.

Black tea from India
The main areas of Black tea cultivation in India are Darjeeling, Assam & Nilgiri. Black teas produced in these areas vary with one another in terms of aroma & flavor. In India Black tea is also grown in Arunachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim, Orissa, Bihar, Nagaland, Mizoram & Meghalaya Tripura, Manipur Dooars and Terai of West Bengal.

Tea gradings By the processing method
The main products of evergreen tea plant (Camellia sinensis) are fermented (black tea), producing an amber-colored, full-flavored beverage without bitterness; semi-fermented (oolong), a slightly bitter, light brownish-green beverage; and unfermented (green tea) a mild, slightly bitter, pale greenish-yellow beverage.

Black tea gradings by the size of leaf processed by orthodox method as well as CTC (crush, tear & curl) method
Teas are also classified by the size of the processed leaf. Orthodox manufacturing method as well as CTC manufacturing method produces larger leafy grades and smaller broken grades. These grading terms are usually used for teas from Sri Lanka & India. The system is based solely upon the size of the processed and dried black tea leaves. The size of the processed Black tea leaves is determined by the means of sifting teas on wire meshes.

Orange Pekoe (O.P) is the main grade in tea production. Orange Pekoe consists of long wiry leaf with tips (buds). The High Grown Orange Pekoe consists of long, thin & wiry leaves containing tip or bud.

Broken Orange Pekoe (B.O.P) with superior color & flavor consists of smaller leaf & tip.

Pekoe Fannings which are smaller than B.O.P. brew quickly & give a liquor of good color when the beverage is prepared.

Dust, the black tea with smallest particles is very useful for quick brewing. The liquor produced by the Dust gives strength as well as color

Black Coffee from Ceylon
It was with Coffee that the high yield plantation industry of Sri Lanka (forced change-over from subsistence crops to commercial crops) began in the year 1825. By 1867, acreage under coffee rose to 162,700. The Central highlands of Sri Lanka being ideal for coffee growing, at the peak of the Black coffee industry, the highest annual production exceeded 50 million kg of highest quality Black coffee.

No shade, no protection: failed mono culture
The British having set up plantations of mono culture coffee without shade, the conditions resulted in the emergence of a devastating leaf disease known as the “coffee rust” Hemileia vastatrix, in the year 1869. During the next twenty years, in spite of a frantic effort to arrest the spread of decease, the Black Coffee industry declined. The lionhearted planters of Ceylon wouldn’t be denied by the calamitous misfortune. In an attempt to avoid financial ruin, the planters converted their decimated acreage of Black coffee to Black tea: millions of infected bushes were uprooted & set fire with untold heartache. With awesome courage Black tea was planted in every inch of what were once hills of Black coffee. Black tea of Ceylon took root: Ceylon tea. Today, Sri Lanka is the producer of finest Black tea in the world. Coffee production in Sri Lanka today is a low-key industry geared solely for the purpose of local consumption.

Snowballing Folly of US AID & World Bank
In traditional wisdom, Coffee is grown in the shade under protection of forest canopy. In the 1950s USAID & World Bank launched a project in under-developed countries to promote so called sun-grown coffee. In order to secure bank credit, the planters were required to cut down the trees & switch over from their traditional shade grown coffee to modern sun grown coffee. It was to turn into a major folly.

The shade trees were cut down depriving the birds their habitat. Loss of bird population caused the spread of worms: infestation of worms called for pesticides. Then again the plants stressed by the exposure to direct sun & sprays of pesticide, in turn required chemical fertilizers. Moreover direct sun resulting in increased weed growth necessitated the use of weed killers. At last, but not least, with coffee berries getting ripened quicker in the direct sun, the quality of coffee was called into question.
Then again the farmers without the know-how of using chemicals safely were exposed to vapors & fumes resulting in health complications; groundwater began to be contaminated; the pulp of the coffee berries, which constitutes about 60% by weight, thrown into the rivers deduced the pH wreaking havoc on the marine life. Next to Tobacco, Coffee is the most chemical intensive crop consumed by the humans.

Once again Ceylon Coffee in Sri Lanka: developing poly culture
In Poly Culture, farmers provide shade for the coffee plantation with particular tree and plant species, including fruit and vegetables for the farmer as well as for the market. At present, it is estimated that there are over 3000 farmers of shade-grown Coffee in Sri Lanka. Spurning pesticides & chemical fertilizers, Lawrence Goldberg of Sri Lanka’s Hansa Coffee has been engaged in the industry of Ceylon coffee regain the reputation for quality won and lost nearly a century & half ago. The concept herein is termed Analog Forest Garden.

Quote Hansa Coffee of Sri Lanka
An Analog Forest Garden is a tree dominated environment established on the principals of Analog Forestry, where crop plants are grown so that they form a physical structure to the original forest. This planting exhibits ecological relations that are also analogous to those of the original forest and provides micro-habitat to many species that could not exist without it. Unquote

Live & let live: co-exist with other living beings; go with the concept of United Biology. That is to go with the God.