Tea is a big part of the day to day life in Pakistan. It is routinely served in the morning at breakfast and in the afternoon with delicious snacks. It is customary to always serve tea accompanied with snacks and sweets to guests at any time during the day or evening. Tea is served with a lot of pride and great emphasis is placed on the way it is served; in a nice tea set accompanied with a tray and a beautiful tea cozy. Often on Sunday mornings, I like to take the time to make a ‘proper’ pot of tea, it is quite enjoyable.

Some of my very fond memories were of hearing the tea-trolley delivered to my parents bedroom or outside, on to the porch during warmer months, every afternoon. I could hear my parents chatting about their day and enjoying a nice cup of tea. Sometimes, I would join them and share a cup of tea. It was fun!

At my workplace, here in America, I love to make a pot of tea and offer it to my coworkers in the afternoons. It is a nice time to take a little break and I enjoy our new tradition. Some of my coworkers never used to drink tea before I started making it. Now most of them wait for me to make it and sometimes I get special requests too, I am quite flattered! That is what it is all about really, enjoying little things in life with people that we care about.

Enjoy your cup of tea with your loved ones!

Huma Siddiqui
President

History of Tea:

It is usually believed that tea was discovered accidentally by emperor Shen Nung in 2700BC. One day after a large meal, the emperor was relaxing in the garden with a cup of boiling water. Some leaves from a nearby tree fell into the cup that the emperor failed to notice and flavored the drink. He enjoyed the taste of the tea so much, that the cup of tea was born.

Types of Tea:

All real tea comes from the leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis. Tea can be grouped according to the degree of fermentation into three types, black, green and oolong. The most widely consumed teas in the western countries, India and Pakistan are the variety of black teas. These are withered, rolled, sifted and fermented until they turn a bright copper color. Green tea is most popular in China and Japan, it is the least processed of all and is gaining popularity in the western countries because of its potential health benefits. However, Oolong tea is semi-fermented; more processed than green tea but less so than black tea. its leaves turning a greenish brown.

Tea and Caffeine:

Tea contains less caffeine than coffee. Caffeine levels are affected by the blend, preparation method and brewing time. A typical eight ounce cup of tea prepared from one tea bag brewed for three to five minutes contains 40 milligrams of caffeine, compared with 100 milligrams in a typical eight ounce cup of brewed coffee.
Extensive research has shown that moderate caffeine consumption is not a health risk. For an adult, a moderate daily caffeine intake is generally understood to be about 300 milligrams a day, which is approximately six cups of brewed, hot tea or three cups of coffee a day.

How to Brew a Perfect Cuppa!

• Pour fresh water into the kettle and allow the water to come to a running boil
• Pour a half a cup of the boiling water into the teapot, rinse and discard
• Add tea to the teapot, we recommend one teaspoon of loose tea per person, plus one for the pot. When using teabags, use the same measure
• Add boiling water
• Cover the teapot with a tea cozy and allow the tea to brew for 3-5 minutes.
• Stir it once and brew for another minute or so
• Pour tea into tea cups and serve with cream and sugar. Can substitute lemon instead of cream

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