FOR THE RECORD -- 24
GLOBAL TEA DIGEST 2016 RELEASED
BY P S SUNDAR
Tamil Nadu Government’s Additional Principal Chief
Conservator of Forests and Managing Director of Tamilnadu Tea Plantation
Corporation (TANTEA) Dr Rajeev Srivastava has dedicated the ‘Global Tea Digest
2016’ to tea industry and trade.
“I have not come
across elsewhere such a comprehensive publication which is a storehouse of
statistical data and a micro-encyclopaedia on tea industry. This will be of use
to tea industry, trade, exporters, academicians and researchers”, Dr Srivastava
told me.
“As the only
authentic publication on tea statistics, Global Tea Digest (GTD) is used by
policymakers in the industry and Government for taking decisions on vital
matters”, acknowledged Mohamed Iqbal, Chairman Nilgiris Planters’ Association
(NPA) who received the first copy.
“This is the sixth
annual edition and we have incorporated several charts and diagrams to make
this more user-friendly”, said H P Gupta, Chairman, Global Tea Brokers (GTB),
who published the GTD.
“The 164-paged GTD
has over 120 statistical tables on global tea industry. It has also updated international Tea Grades,
Tea Codes, Tea Timeline, Tea Tasting Terminology and Tea glossary”, GTD
compiler Rajesh Gupta said.
“GTD is distributed
free of cost as an activity of our corporate social responsibility”, GTB
Director Rakesh Gupta added.
TANTEA General
Manager Rakesh Kumar Jagenia IFS was present on the occasion.
“Some facts about tea are as fascinating as the very
beverage. We have recorded many
less-known facts about tea production and drinking round the world”, Rajesh
Gupta noted.
“Fermented or pickled tea is a national delicacy of
Myanmar. It is eaten as Tea Leaf Salad”, records Tea Glossary section.
China tea compressed into a ballot protect it against
atmospheric changes is ‘Ball Tea’.
Taiwanese tea-based milk shake added with fruit jellies
and tropical balls creating bubbles is ‘Bubble Tea’.
Chinese green tea from Zheijiang province is rolled into
small pellet-size ball and dried. So, it is called ‘Gunpowder’.
This tea’s colour is also like gunpowder.
The 7th Duchess of Bedford gave birth to
‘afternoon tea’ drinking practice in the 19th century as she drank
tea to stave off hunger pangs between lunch and dinner. Finger
sandwiches, cakes or pasties accompanied the ‘afternoon tea’.
Chinese and Japanese tea mixed with stalk and dust and
moulded into bricks under high-pressure were carried by Asian travellers to
drink tea on their way and it was called ‘brick tea’.
‘Handkerchief tea’ got its name from large silk
handkerchiefs which Chinese tea growers used to collect their very tippy tea.
‘Chunmee tea’ is Chinese green tea resembling the shape
of human eyebrow.
Tea transported on camel from China to Russia in the past
was called ‘Caravan Tea’.
In Tibet, ‘Butter tea’ is boiled tea mixed with salt and
soda, strained into an urn containing butter and dried barley and
churned. It is served is a basin with lumps of butter.
(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)
