Milk in Tea …

How do you take your tea?  With milk … or without?  This isn’t the debate about whether milk goes in first or last.  That is a topic for a different day.  This discussion is about why are we adding milk to tea at all!  Many people would never think of having a cuppa tea without adding milk. For me, it can vary.  If its a cold, rainy day and I need a hearty Assam, then, definitely ‘yes’.  Otherwise, I’ll take my tea — green, black, or white — as is.  Steeped perfectly with no milk or sweetener.  There are many theories as to the origin of adding milk to tea, but would you like to know the REAL story?

Let’s start at the beginning …. as we all know, tea originated in China about 5,000 years ago.  And contrary to many beliefs, adding milk to tea actually began in China.  Over the centuries, tea evolved in its processing and in its enjoyment.  Although written documents do not go back quite that far, we do know that in the beginning tea leaves were pulverized into a paste and used primarily for medicinal purposes.  By the 8th century, however, tea became much more ceremonial and reserved only for nobility.  The Imperial Court started enjoying its tea pulverized and prepared by boiling in hot water.

By the 12th century, the preparation had changed again as tea continued to be pounded into a powder, but now it was frothed up in hot water before serving.  A method that found its way to Japan and is still practiced today.  As Japan was embracing this style of tea preparation and enjoyment, the Chinese Imperial Court once again changed the way they prepared tea.  Now preparation was to infuse the whole tea leaves in water, just as we make tea today.  The pressed powder tea vanished entirely from Chinese tea culture (not from Japan).  But when did milk come into play?

Across northern China, along the Mongolian and Siberian borders, lie the Wuyi Mountains, where it is said some of the best teas originated.  The tradition of adding dairy to tea was actually invented by people who live in this stark, frigid landscape.

During ancient times, as a means of preservation, tea was compressed into blocks or bricks.  The leaves, either whole or pulverized, would have been pressed into molds to shape them, and then left to dry until all the moisture was evaporated.  The bricks themselves were very primitive and could take on many different sizes and shapes … over the years some of the molds became quite decorative and elaborate.  These tea bricks were also traded as a form of currency (but we’ll leave that discussion for another day).


The Mongols from the north had no use for the Chinese and from the days of Genghis Khan in the 13th century, began conquering this vast region.  As the Vikings did when conquering Great Britain, the Mongols traveled with their nomadic families, subsisting entirely on the meat and the milk from their herds.  These new rulers of the land drank this coarse dark brew made from the tea bricks.  They enriched the brew by adding the fermented milk from their mares and yaks.

Enjoying yak milk tea and tea balls in a yurt in Mongolia.

To prepare the tea, pieces of the bricks were broken off, boiled with water or milk, and then mixed with butter and a little salt, making it a healthful, filling beverage.  This style of tea preparation with its high fat content, was needed for people who faced the brutal climate of this region.  Many times the cooked tea leaves would then be formed into balls and eaten as food.  Both of these styles of preparation continue today.

By the 17th century when the Manchu tribesmen began moving down from the north to retake their country, tea growers were already selling teas … to the Dutch.  Once again, contrary to popular beliefs, it was the Dutch who began buying tea and introduced it to Europe … not the English.  Although Portuguese, Italian and Spanish explorers tasted tea and wrote about it, it was the Dutch who began the tea trade.  The Dutch East India Company was formed in 1605 and began trading with China, bringing the tea leaves to Amsterdam.  In 1655, when the Dutch ambassador travelled with the Company to the port city of Canton, he documented that milk was “given with his tea”.  This is the first evidence of Europeans adding milk to tea.

Tea was known in France by 1636, but didn’t enjoy a big following.  In Russia, tea was given as a gift to Czar Michael in 1618, but he rejected it.  Tea also appeared in Germany around this time, but also wasn’t widely accepted.  But, when tea first appeared in England thanks to Portuguese Princess Catherine de Braganza, aristocrats took to it immediately.   It was through coffeehouses in England in the 1650s where tea first appeared publicly.  From there it was introduced to the British colonies in America.
When tea was introduced to Britain in the middle of the 17th century, it was green tea from China … gunpowder green, served without milk.  But, by the 1720s, although very expensive, black teas from China had taken over in popularity and were outselling green teas.   And it was not the best quality, so adding milk to the cup just made sense.  And that’s when British tea drinkers began adding milk and sugar for enjoyment.

As Sam Twinings, director of R. Twinings and Company, says:  “There is no doubt tea is, on the whole, improved by milk.  It smooths the taste, and is often referred to as ‘creaming’, giving a more pleasant, gentler, softer result.  Teas like Gunpowder, Green and Jasmine, however, are not good with milk.  Assam type teas cannot be drunk without it.”  I couldn’t agree more!

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References:  Siam Teas, Teapedia, Wikipedia, Harvard Business School, That’s Mandarin, Atlas Obscura, Teasenz
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Not for “All the Tea in China” . . .

Who remembers this phrase?  “No way, no sir, not for all the Tea in China!”  That phrase was not to be challenged.  You meant ‘no’ and you were standing firm.

I believe the phrase began around the turn of the century.  China was the largest producer and exporter of the world’s most popular beverage and everyone knew it.  With more than 45 countries producing tea today, China still continues to produce more tea than any of the other tea-growing countries.  They have, however, dropped to No. 3 in exporting.  India, Kenya and Sri Lanka have taken over as the largest exporters of tea. These three countries alone produce the more popular CTC (crushed, torn, curled) grade of tea, which is blended and appears in your grocery stores as tea bags.  But apparently India, Kenya and Sri Lanka are producing too much black tea because now there appears to be a glut of tea in the marketplace and prices are falling.  It seems consumers (especially Millennials) are finally demanding higher-quality teas, green teas, oolongs and specialty teas.

Who is drinking all this tea?  According to Quartz, the biggest tea drinkers in the world live in Turkey!  Which is amazing to me.  I would definitely have thought it was the U.K.  Having been to Turkey, I did not notice an overwhelming tea-drinking culture.  Tea was served in restaurants, cafes, and always offered in upscale retail shops and tourist areas, but statistics don’t lie.  They report that each person in Turkey drinks, on average, 6.96 pounds of tea each year, whereas a U.K. tea drinker enjoys 4.83 pounds each year.  Could it be that in Turkey they use twice as much “tea” to make a cup?

So how much tea does the average American drink?  In 2014 AmFotolia cover man drinking teaericans enjoyed over 80 BILLION cups of tea!   But this research is also flawed, because Americans drink more ready-to-drink bottled tea than any other country, not to mention powdered tea-drink mixes. According to the Tea Market Report by the American Botanical Council tea-drinking Americans still prefer black tea –  84% drink black tea – while only 15% drink green and the remainder drink oolong, white, etc.

It’s almost impossible today to watch television and not see an advertisement for one bottled tea or another.  Lipton may be the leader in most ad dollars spent, but six years ago Snapple introduced an ad that had everyone talking about tea.  See if you remember this ……

The ready-to-drink, bottled tea market is huge today and negatively impacting the soft drink market.  Sales of carbonated soda beverages have dropped steadily for the past nine years as consumers are choosing healthier alternatives in a ready-to-drink beverage.  Chai concentrates are another way of enjoying convenient, prepared tea and are very popular.  Another fast growing segment of today’s tea drinking society is actually not tea at all, but herbal beverages.   (Yes, I know, everyone still calls it “tea”.)  The herbal ready-to-drink market is also growing rapidly, with the most popular herbs being chamomile, ginger, echinacea, mint, dandelion and valerian root.

Matcha-flavored KitKat Bars

Matcha-flavored KitKat Bars

But it’s not all about tea drinking.  When was the last time you went into CVS or Target and noticed all the ‘tea-related’ products.  Not only can you buy green tea concentrates and capsules to supplement your diet and help you lose weight, you can choose from a variety of green tea shampoos and conditioners.  Green teas and white teas are incorporated into soaps and body washes, face and body creams.  Have you tried green tea ice cream?  It has been around for years and is delicious!  How about Earl Grey-infused truffles?  Matcha-infused KitKat bars?  Not to mention Tea-smoked duck and Lapsang Souchong bbq sauce?

Green Tea Mint Julep

Green Tea Mint Julep

Mixologists in all the upscale hotels and restaurants are using tea concentrates in their cocktails.  Tea-tini anyone?  According to the Sterling Rice Group, a Boulder, Colorado-based communications firm, TEA is one of the top food trends this year.  Chefs everywhere are incorporating TEA into their recipes.  If you haven’t already, you’ll soon be seeing tea on menus in everything from appetizers to entrees.

There are cookbooks now dedicated to using “tea” as an integral part of the recipe.   CULINARY TEA by local chef Cynthia Gold is fabulous with over 150 recipes using “tea”.  TEA COOKBOOK by Tonia George is another great cookbook using whole leaf tea in its recipes.  Whether sweet or savory, tea is a versatile ingredient that can be used in many recipes …… and we haven’t even talked about how good it is for you!

So jump on the “tea trend” and enjoy your tea.  It’s not just about “All the Tea in China” anymore.  It’s tea anyway you can get it!

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Top 10 Tea Producing Countries

and the amount of tea they produce*

1. China = 1,000,130 tons  –  2. India  = 900,000 tons  –  3. Kenya = 303,000 tons
4. Sri Lanka = 295,000 tons  –  5. Turkey = 175,000 tons – 6. Indonesia = 157,000 tons
7. Vietnam  = 117,000 tons  –  8. Japan = 89,000 tons  –  9. Argentina = 69,000 tons
10. Iran = 84,000 tons

* These figures are lower than the overall high production of 2013.

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References:  World Tea News, Tea Market Report, Quartz, TEA USA