Jenny Downing
India, Japan, the Middle East, parts of Africa….a cup of hot afternoon tea is a normal part of the daily routine in these countries. But most of them enjoy constant heat and humidity throughout most of the year. How does hot tea fit into that world?
When we think of afternoon tea, most of us may think of old English silver-service with a side of crumpets and jam. True, a nice cup of tea would be a welcome break in the rainy and unexpected weather of England. Journeying through the island, many cafes and restaurants might offer you something like the spread below…
Cross Duck
Warm. Comforting. Delicious. But what many people don’t realize is that the English had to get their tea from somewhere. And it wasn’t in its rugged mountains or rugged shorelines. It was from a much more tropical (and hotter) part of the world: India. If you’ve ever heard of the English East India Company, much of the tea that was transported to Europe was by this joint-stock company. Much to the efforts of early Dutch exploration and English colonization of the East Indies, European traders saw within the Indian tea leaves a great and profitable business. Before tea in much of Europe, there was either wine or ale. And none of this break-time in the afternoon for a sit-down snack. Upon observing the health benefits of tea and the ritualistic tea ceremonies in Hindu culture, the leaves and drying methods were brought back to Europe for the consumption of royalty and the upper classes. With a few exotic blends and the addition of cream and sugar, there was no looking back.
But if there was ever a traveler journeying through India, Africa, or any of the Pacific islands, hot tea might not be the first drink to come to mind when there is heat, humidity, and thirst always nagging you. Upon a second look, having tea during the time of day when the heat is at its highest (late afternoon), might be just what you need. Granted, ancient cultures drank tea at various times throughout the day, but the concept is still the same.
Tea Harvest in Kenya by Franz88
With the way we physically work, a warm drink could be a solution for an overheated and exhausted body. When our body becomes hot, its first reaction is to cool down. So we sweat. But we also need to replace the liquids we lost. So we need to drink. An icy cold drink is usually our first choice, as we assume it is going to cool us down faster. Rather, in order for our body to accommodate the cold liquid we just put in our body, it has to work more to get back to an equilibrium. Ever heard of someone feeling faint on a hot day, even though they’ve been drinking glasses of ice water? Instead, if one has a warm, (not boiling hot) cup of tea, the body is not shocked into a different temperature and is more likely to cool down faster. When body heat encounters more heat, the natural reaction to get back to equilibrium is to cool itself down. So instead of using something else to cool us down, we let our bodies get back to normal on its own.
So to endure the African desert, the Indian heat, or the Pacific humidity, it is no wonder that its native peoples drank a cup of tea throughout the day. So next time you find yourself panting, try a warm cup of tea and you’ll get back to your comfortable self in no time.
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