Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai

Beverage

The Term Beverage has originated from the Latin word “bever” which means “rest from
work”. It refers to all kinds of potable drinks which have thirst quenching, refreshing,
stimulating & nourishing qualities. Beverage has been classified in to two categories i.e.,
a) Alcoholic
b) Non alcoholic

Non Alcoholic Beverages

Stimulating
(Tea, Coffee, cocoa)

Nourishing

Hot Cold
(Hot Chocolate) (Milk shakes, Lassi,
Flavored Milk)

Refreshing

Crushes Squash Pulp Syrup Aerated Tonic water Juices Mineral water
water water

Fresh Canned

a) Stimulating beverage: These are drinks which increase our heart beat & blood pressure
for a while & thus, stimulate our mental and physical activities by stimulating the central
nervous system of our body. For example: Tea, coffee, etc.

b) Refreshing beverage: These are drinks which replenishes the loss of fluids (due to
perspiration like sweetening, urinary excretion etc.,) in our body. For example: Fresh lime
soda, soft drinks, etc.

c) Nourishing beverage: These are drinks which provide nourishment to the body. For
example: health drinks, milk shake, etc.

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F &B SERVICE- TEA 18th SEPTEMBER, 2018
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Tea

Traditionally the term beverage on a menu referred to coffee but it has become more common
now it for encompass tea, tisanes, milk drinks & proprietary drinks such as, Bovril or
horlicks.Tea is the most preferred beverage in the world & about more than half of the
world’s population drinks tea. Physicians at large, consider drinking tea is better than coffee
as it has half the caffeine content of coffee. China, India, Kenya, Indonesia, Sri Lanka &
Japan are the main tea producers.

According to legend, Tea was discovered accidentally 5000 years ago, during the reign of
Chinese Emperor Shen Nung, when leaves from a tea bush fell into boiling water &
delicately flavoured the liquid.

Tea was originally drunk for its medicinal benefits. Tea was first introduced to Portuguese
priests & merchants in china during 16th century. Later, Dutch brought Tea to Europe from
china, where it was grown in abundance. The British introduced it to India. Tea became the
most popular beverage in a comparatively short period. Today the tea is the most widely
consumed beverage.

Tea is an aromatic healthy beverage commonly prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over
cured leaves (especially top leaf & leaf bud) of the “Camellia Sinensis”, an evergreen shrub
(bush) native to Asia. It aids muscle relaxation & stimulates the central nervous system for
which it is called Stimulative Beverage.

Tea Plant

➢ Under storey trees

➢ Evergreen bush
➢ Temperature: 18-30°C (warm climate)
➢ Leaf growth stops : Below 13°C & above 35°C
➢ Rainfall : at least 100-130 cm of rainfall
➢ Soil type : Acidic soil (pH 4.0 to 5.6)
➢ Soil should have good water holding capacity
➢ Good drainage facilities is required, no water stagnation near tea plant, as it affects the
growth of tea plant.
➢ Grown generally on hill slopes.
➢ Generally, tea plant gets ready for harvesting after 3 years.

Tea Harvesting (Plucking)

➢ Harvesting is mostly done by hand

➢ After maturation of tea plant, the Pluckers pluck the top leaves & the flower is called
pekoe.
➢ Tea bud only gives best product

➢ Types of tea plucking:

a) Fine plucking: most common, tea bud plus 2 leaves
b) Coarse plucking: tea bud plus 3 tea leaves
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c) Imperial plucking: only tea bud, takes place in China during month of may

Note: After harvesting, it is important to begin the tea processing quickly.

Types of Tea & their production process:

(a) Black Tea:

➢ More than three quarters of the tea harvested in the world is made into black tea.
➢ It is fermented tea & consumed by most people in India, USA & Europe.
➢ It has a thick consistency but is not very well flavoured.

Processing steps:
Soon after plucking, all the tea leaves are gathered at one place and sent for withering process
(making any things weak & drier). Here the tea leaves are spread on a perforated rack
under the sun till their moisture content comes down to 50 % (percent). During the rainy
season, leaves are sent to withering rooms & dried by blowing dry warm air.

The next step is Rolling/Cutting. Here the tea leaves are passed through a crusher. There tea
leaves get ruptured & the juice (Tannins) starts coming out & makes the leaves moist again.
The leaves rapidly turn into deep copperish red at this stage because of oxidation, i.e., tannin
started reacting with atmospheric oxygen. This is known as fermentation in the tea industry
despite the fact that no action of yeast or microbes takes place

Finally, firing/heating is done where leaves are exposed to dry warm air till the moisture
content comes down to 3 % (percent). Firing is done to prevent further oxidation & improves
the shelf life. The leaves acquire black colour & thus, results in black tea, which is then
packed & sent for sale.

Processing steps summary:

(a)Harvesting (b) Withering (c) cutting/rolling d) fermentation (e) firing/heating
(f) packaging
Brands: Tetley, White Cloud, etc.

CTC: Crush, tear, curl (sometimes cut, tear, curl)

It is a method of processing black tea in which the leaves are passed through a series of
cylindrical rollers with hundreds of sharp teeth (grooves) that crush, tear, and curl the tea into
small, hard pellets or granular leaf particles.This replaces the final stage of orthodox tea
manufacture, in which the leaves are rolled into strips. Tea not only get cut & torn but they
also get cured. Tea produced using this method is generally called CTC tea or mamri tea.

CTC reduces the fermentation time to 1/3. It is the best method but not applicable for green
tea & Oolong tea. Today, most black teas produced use the CTC method. CTC was invented
by Sir William McKercher during 1930-1931 & rapidly spread in India & Africa. CTC teas
continue to be the most highly in demand in the Middle East, United Kingdom and Ireland.

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F &B SERVICE- TEA 18th SEPTEMBER, 2018
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(b) Green Tea
➢ It is unfermented tea.
➢ The leaves undergo less processing as, they are only heated & dried to retain their
green colour.
➢ Green Tea has a medium consistency but has the best flavor.
➢ It is favoured by the Japanese & the Chinese
➢ Green tea by itself is a potent source of healthy antioxidants known as Catechins (a
weight loosing element).
➢ Considered as best tea for health.

Processing steps:
a) Harvesting b)Withering c)Steaming (Japan in bamboo tray) /pan frying(China in woks)
d)Drying, rolling & shaping f) Packaging

Brands: Tetley, Rain Flower, etc.

(c) Oolong Tea

➢ It is mostly made in Taiwan.
➢ It is semi-fermented tea & fermented at about 70 %.
➢ It is form of halfway between black & Green Tea.
➢ During the plucking process, tea leaves are snapped into two, and because of this, a
little bit of tannin starts coming out & hence oxidation starts.
➢ It has a watery consistency and is medium flavoured.
➢ Oolong teas contain less moisture and have a longer shelf life than green teas.

Processing steps:
(a) Harvesting (b) withering (c) bruising leaf edges (tossing them in the basket) (d) short
fermentation (e) pan frying (f) drying & packaging
Brands: Red Robe, Gold Turtle, etc.
Note: Oolong teas contain less moisture and have a longer shelf life than green teas

(d) White tea: This tea is grown exclusively in Fujian province of China. In this tea the
leaves are allowed to whiten in sunlight before they are processed. It is lightly
oxidized.

Processing steps:
(a) Harvesting (b) withering (c) drying
Brands: White Peony, Silver Needle, etc.

❖ Tea Blends:

➢ Assam Tea: strong full bodied. It is usually taken with milk. Ideal for breakfast.

➢ Darjeeling Tea: thin, light coloured, delicate flavour. Best enjoyed without milk.
Also known as “Champagne of Tea”. Best suitable during afternoon and evening tea
time.

➢ Earl grey: blend of Darjeeling & China tea, flavoured with oil extracted from the rind
of Bergamot Orange (a small yellowish, sour, citrus fruit similar to oranges). Best
taken black with or lemon
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➢ Jasmine Tea: green or white tea dried with jasmine. Taken without milk to appreciate
flavour
➢ Rose: mixed with rose petals during oxidation. May be served with or without milk
➢ Lotus: green tea is mixed with fragrant stamens of lotus allowing it to absorb lotus
flavour. Vietnam is known for the lotus Tea. Taken without milk

➢ Mint: green tea is flavoured with the herb mint. This tea is very popular in the
middle- east & desert area of North Africa. Best enjoyed without milk.

➢ Sri Lanka: also known as Ceylon Tea. Slightly lemon flavour & are generally
regarded as excellent afternoon tea.

➢ Lapsang Souchong: Chinese black tea, smoked dried over pinewood fire, which
gives a smoky flavour. Taken Black

➢ Masala chai: tea flavoured with spices such as cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, black
pepper, fennel etc., It is popular in India & the Middle-East. Served with milk:

➢ Russian tea: it is served with lemon

❑ Tea preparation steps

❖ Rinse the pot with hot water to make the pot warm & through away the water.
❖ Take measured quantity of good quality tea leaves.
❖ Use freshly boiled water, don't use over boiled water as it makes tea insipid.
❖ Allow the tea to brew for 3-6 minutes (or recommended time).
❖ Remove the tea leaves at the end of the brewing period, if required.
❖ Use short pour method (short distance while pouring tea from tea pot to the cup, in
order to avoid loss of heat).
❖ Add cream, milk and sugar to taste.

Note: 45 to 60 gram of tea leaves per 4.5 litres of tea, hence allowing 4.5 litres per 16 cups is
recommended.

❑ Brewing temperature and time for different types of tea:

Type Water temperature for Brewing time

brewing
White tea 66-70 °C 1-2 minutes
Green tea 77-82 °C 1-2 minutes
Oolong tea 82-88 °C 2-3 minutes
Black tea 95 °C 3-5 minutes

Tea leaf grading

The leaf particle size is referred to as grades. The main ones are:

➢ Pekoe (pecko): the delicate top leaves

➢ Orange pekoe: Highest grades, a rolled leaf with a slim appearance, -
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➢ Fanning or dust: Lowest grades, the smallest particle of leaf size. Used by small tea
stalls

Tisanes
These are fruit flavoured and herbal infusions teas which are often used for medicinal
purposes and are gaining in popularity with trends towards healthier eating and drinking.
They do not usually contain caffeine. In Egypt, herbal teas such as hibiscus tea (karkade) are
very popular. Tisanes are commonly known as liang cha in china.

Tisane can be made with fresh or dried flowers, leaves, seeds or roots. They are made by
pouring boiling water over the plant parts and letting them steep for a few minutes. Seeds and
roots can also be boiled on a stove. The tisane is then strained, sweetened, if desired, and
served. Many companies produce herbal tea bags for such infusions.

Herbal teas should not be confused with true teas (e.g., black, green, white, yellow, oolong),
which are prepared from the cured leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis), nor
with decaffeinated tea, in which the caffeine has been removed. Like beverages made from
true teas, herbal teas can be served hot or cold. Examples are:

Herbal teas Fruit teas

Camomile (chamomile) Cherry
Peppermint Lemon
Rosehip Blackcurrant
Mint mandarin orange
Tulsi Orange & Gooseberry

❑ Service of tea
➢ Tea should be served fresh as possible without Re-heating.
➢ Tea should be served at temperature 82 degree Celsius.
➢ Milk temperature should be 68 degree Celsius.
➢ Teaspoon on the saucer should be resting at right angle under the handle of the cup.
➢ Tea should be placed on the table from the right hand side.
➢ It is advisable to check with guests as to how they prefer to have their tea served.
➢ Don't stir the tea & don’t fill the cup full.

❑ Storage of Tea
❖ Tea should be stored in airtight container in a well ventilated room.
❖ It should be kept away from excess moisture and strong smelling foods or
commodities.

❑ World best tea:

➢ Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) is a Wuvi rock tea grown in the Wuvi Mountains. It is
a heavily oxidized, dark Oolong tea. It is known for its curing effects that can save
life.
It is considered the king of Chinese teas & is the costliest tea across the globe. Ming
Dynasty most loved tea & thus all this made the price tag reach one million dollars.

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➢ Makaibari tea: a tea from Darjeeling. One of the most finest tea of the world
Makaibari tea Estate is believed as the world's first tea factory and was established in
1859.

❑ Benefits of drinking tea

❖ Tea can make people in high spirits.
❖ Enhance thinking and memory ability.
❖ Tea can reduce fatigue, promote metabolism, and maintain the heart, blood vessels,
gastrointestinal and other normal functions.
❖ Tea of great benefit for the prevention of dental caries. According to a British survey
shows that children often drink tea dental caries can be reduced by 60%.
❖ Tea contains many trace elements beneficial to humans.
❖ The role of tea inhibit cancer, tea can significantly inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
❖ Tea excitatory central nervous system, and enhance exercise capacity.
❖ Tea contains tannic acid can kill many bacteria
❖ It can prevent stomatitis, pharyngitis, and prevent prone to dysentery and so on.

❑ Disadvantages of Tea
❖ Fasting should not drink tea, fasting drinking tea can be diluted gastric juice, to reduce
digestion function, coupled with the water absorption rate is high, resulting in a large
number of undesirable components in tea into the blood, causing dizziness,
palpitation, weakness in limbs and other symptoms.
❖ After a meal should not drink tea, tea contains large amounts of tannic acid, tannic
acid can react with the iron in food to produce new substances difficult to dissolve,
the human body over time causing iron deficiency, and even induced anemia.
❖ The most important disadvantage of drinking tea is that too much of the beverage
brings the chance of gastric ulcers. Person should remember that tea has lesser amount
of caffeine than coffee.
❖ Gastric ulcer patients should not drink tea, because caffeine in tea may promote
gastric acid secretion, increasing gastric acid concentration, induced ulcer or even
perforation.
❖ Lastly, if person consume too much tea then he may experience different diseases
like kidney disease and liver disease.

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F &B SERVICE- TEA 18th SEPTEMBER, 2018