And that’s how Douglas Adams concludes his hilarious essay on how to make a decent cup of tea.

Tea for many people around the world is a comfort beverage. There is comfort in the routine of making yourself a cup of tea, inhaling the aromas of the brew, and finally sipping the hot elixir that makes you feel like all is well with the world.

The journey of tea probably started in China, in the times of Emperor Shen Nong (2737-2697 BC), who was also known as Divine Healer. To prevent illness, he had ordered that all water be boiled before consuming. It is said that tea was discovered when some leaves accidentally fell into the boiling water, giving it colour, aroma and flavour, which later people discovered to have invigorating properties.

In the early 1820s, the British as a part of the East India Company started large-scale tea plantations in Assam to dislodge the Chinese monopoly on tea. Towards the turn of the century, Assam was the leading tea-producing region of the world.

And as of 31 December 2013, Assam is still the single largest tea-growing region in the world, at 304,400 hectares. Its unique geography and climate gives the tea its well-known characters. Assam Orthodox Teas qualify as a GI—Geographical Indication—which, according to the Indian Tea Board, is defined as “teas grown and manufactured out of the basic Camellia sinenses var. assamica and other variants in tea estates located in the Brahmaputra or Assam Valley in North East India”. Darjeeling, Kangra tea and Nilgiri are the other teas from India with the GI tag.

Other than Assam, the major tea plantations include Darjeeling, Dooars and Terai in West Bengal; the Nilgiris, Annamallai, Wayanad, Munnar and Chikmagalur in South India, and the Kangra Valley in Himachal Pradesh. All-India production of tea in 2014-2015 was 1,197.18 million kg, with an estimated apparent consumption of tea in India being 911 million kg (teaboard.gov.in). As of 2012, China was the leading tea producer in the world.

The tea bush, Camellia sinensis, has three primary varieties—China, Assam and Java bush. There are several local hybrids developed for vigour, disease and weather resistance. The same variety growing in China, India or Japan gives a different tasting cup of tea due to variables such as soil, altitude, temperature, rains, habit and pruning of bushes, picking times, weather during harvest, processing, etc.

The ideal temperature to grow tea is between 20 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius, with reasonable rainfall throughout the year. It is best grown on hill slopes where excess water drains off. The bushes are regularly pruned to keep a height and width of 1m, which facilitates easy hand-plucking. Pruning also ensures regular growth of new shoots for plucking.

Tea seeds are germinated and allowed to grow into saplings in a sheltered environment. The saplings are planted in the monsoon under the shade of trees. Extensive irrigation is required for tea plantations. In around two-three years, the plucking resumes. The leaves are hand-plucked, mostly by women, as deft hands are required to pluck two leaves and a bud at one time, which are called “flushes”.

After plucking, the leaves are weighed and they go through a process called withering by drying for 16 hours or so, in which around 15% of the moisture is lost. From this point, the further processes depend upon the type of tea that is to be manufactured. To obtain the commonly used CTC tea, the leaves are further shredded and passed through a crush-tear-curl process, which yields a low-cost tea. CTC gives a stronger brew in the shortest time, and is most popular in India. It is also the most widely used in teabags. This process is followed by oxidation, which turns the green tea leaves into a dark brown/black colour, and this is responsible for the colour and body of the infusion. After the oxidation, the tea is dried, where most of the moisture is removed, giving it a longer shelf life.

White and green teas are minimally processed. For example, green tea involves steaming the leaves, rolling and drying them. They do not pass through the oxidation stage, which is why they retain their green colour.

Before packing, tea is sorted and graded. Some of the grades are whole leaf, broken (smaller broken leaves), fannings (very small broken leaves) and dust (smallest particles left over after sifting used in tea bags). Larger leaves are graded as pekoe or orange pekoe. Blended teas bring together characters of multiple teas, while connoisseurs take pride in drinking a single-origin/single-estate teas.

Gong Fu Cha is a method of brewing tea in China that goes back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 AD). This is said to be an art form of brewing and serving tea in special porcelain pots and cups. The ceremonial preparation and presentation of tea exists not only in China and Japan, but also in Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. There exists an 8th century monograph called The Classic of Tea documenting this tea ceremony.

A whole range of specialized equipment is a part of these elaborate tea ceremonies—such as a hemp cloth to wipe the tea bowl, a special tea bowl, caddy, scoop and whisk. Tearooms where these ceremonies are held are special tourist attractions in Japan.

The term “high tea” evolved from the custom of the English working class in the 1800s when a late afternoon-early evening teatime used to be the main evening meal. This meal had hearty filling foods along with tea, which the people had sitting around a higher table. To quote from The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide (Mary Lou Heiss, Robert J. Heiss), “Tea drinking is a tactile sensory activity that provides both intellectual stimulation and aesthetic inspiration during times of social gathering or solitary contemplation.”

In India, tea is consumed in many homes at least twice a day, one cup in the morning and another as a late afternoon pick-me-up, often served with teatime snacks or biscuits. It is also served as a welcome drink for guests; tea stalls make popular addas where people gather round to discuss politics, movies or current affairs.

Apart from the “chai ki potli” or tea bags that are used while cooking chickpeas or chhole to give it a rich brown colour, tea is used in quite a few gourmet dishes. Ground tea leaves mixed with spices can be used as a rub or crust on meat or tofu. Brewed tea can be used as a poaching liquid for chicken, fish or as a base for soups and stews. Teas such as Lapchang Souchang that have an intense smoky fragrance are used to flavour strong tasting meats like duck. Matcha, or finely ground green tea, is used in desserts like macarons and cupcakes, in the filling and frosting, respectively. Pairing tea with food is not very different from pairing wine with food. Milder teas such as white tea with milder tasting food and stronger teas like a dark oolong with stronger flavours are considered ideal.

SUPERB VARIE-TEA

White: Minimally processed, wilted but unoxidized, loose leaf tea, mild colour and flavour

Green: Tea leaves plucked, steamed and dried to prevent darkening by oxidation

Oolong: Wilted, bruised and partially oxidized, full bodied, strong fragrance and flavour

Pu-erh: Green tea that is allowed to ferment turning into black tea, compressed into cakes

Black: Wilted, crushed and fully oxidized, high caffeine content, good for masala chai

Earl Grey: Black tea blend with a citrus flavour and aroma from the rind of the Bergamot orange

Jasmine: Green tea scented with jasmine flowers

Lapsang Souchong: Black tea smoked to varying degrees, usually over green pinewood or pine needles, giving it a smoky fragrance

Genmaicha or brown rice: Green tea mixed with toasted brown rice, nutty and earthy flavours

Matcha: Green tea ground to a bright green powder, to be kept refrigerated in airtight container, extremely short shelf life

A doctor turned nutritional consultant, culinary trainer, food writer and columnist, who’s learning to grow the foods she likes to eat, Nandita Iyer lives in Bengaluru and is mom to a five-year-old gourmand son.