Last year, I went on a holiday to India, and on the chill December mornings, it surprised me to see women gossiping over a recent drama over a cup of tea, sitting outside their quaint little houses, enjoying life. They were so relaxed, their faces merry and their laughter resounding the entire village. Intrigued, I watched more closely, and to my surprise, men of different age and sizes joined these ladies as well. They sat around each other in a very neighborly manner and each had a cup of hot simmering tea in their hands a while later.

When I recall the first time when I drank my first cup of tea, I remember my grandmother and her tea. She made the best ‘masala’ tea that I have ever had. I savored every drop to the bottom. My mind relaxed by reflex.

That would probably explain why people love tea world over. It is taken by itself or in various other forms with a variety of combinations. There is iced tea, hot tea, tea with milk and ginger and the list goes on.

The word “Tea” is derived from many languages but very famously from the “Chinese-Amoy” dialect, “Cha”. Tea goes back to 4,700 years ago, when Emperor Shen Nung discovered that tea made a very refreshing drink when a few tea leaves fell into his cup of boiling water. The earliest record of tea cultivation can be found way back in the 4th century Chinese documents. It is also said that the culture of brewing and drinking tea had started years ago.

Drinking tea was first used for medicinal purposes. A cup of freshly brewed tea has half the amount of caffeine in a coffee and more nutrients. Green tea leaves were grounded and made into small cakes, roasted, and cut into small chunks in the earlier centuries. Although tea is frequently drunk by the elderly, people of different ages can drink tea as well - unlike coffee. Children below fifteen who drink coffee in a regular basis are more prone to illnesses such as insomnia, diabetes, gout and so on. Tea, on the other hand, contains more antioxidants, fights AIDS, Leukemia, boosts immunity and reduces risks of hypertension.

Tea was used to predict your thoughts, and is, interestingly, still used to do so today. According to psychologists, reading tea leaves is very much like the “ink-blotch” test and telling fortunes through the reading is most probably a myth as well.

All teas come from a species of plant known as “Camellia Sinensis”, a tropical evergreen plant with glossy dark-green leaves. It grows best in tropical regions. It comes in all different kinds of varieties such as black (red) tea, oolong tea and green tea. Other teas like “peppermint tea” and “chamomile tea” are not exactly “teas ” but are herbal infusions. Tea is grown and processed in Asia, Africa, and Australia, but teas of better standard and flavor come from five Asian countries: India, China, Sri Lanka, Japan, and Formosa. The taste of tea depends on the soil, climate, the amount of sunlight and all the usual growing factors.

A good cup of tea can boost your day, make you feel good and and happy. I love having tea in the morning, and let me tell you, it gives you a wonderful start to your day.