why do the british love tea so much?

Why do the British love tea so much?

Learn and Talk III – Lesson 8

© 2016 Acadsoc Limited

Words

1. entrenched /ɪnˈtrentʃt/ [adjective]entrenched ideas are so fixed or have existed for so long that they cannot be changed

2. molecule /ˈmɒl.ɪ.kjuːl/ [noun]the simplest unit of a chemical substance, usually a group of two or more atoms

3. intimately /ˈɪn·tə·mət·li/ [adverb]in an expert and detailed way

4. astringency /ə'strɪndʒənsi/ [noun]the quality of tasting or smelling dry, sour, and slightly bitter

5. intrinsic /ɪn'trɪnsɪk/ [adjective]being an extremely important and basic characteristic of a person or thing

Expressions

humble tea / high tea

in a dish

pick-me-up

conflicting evidence

corresponded with

Preview

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Whether they take their tea with milk, sugar, lemon or justplain, it’s clear that the British have a fondness for itsflavour.

Tea has become entrenched in the British way of life, fromthe humble tea break to the high tea to be enjoyed – in ajacket and tie, of course, gentlemen – at the very swankiestof London hotels.

But what are the molecules behind the taste of thisbeloved beverage? And does the way you take your tea saysomething about who you are?

Why do the British love tea so much?

Article

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Tea’s flavour is intimately affected by how it is grown, processed, andbrewed – beginning with the light. But if the intent is to make certainkinds of green tea from them, like matcha, growers will make surethey are carefully shaded with nets or mats. Less sun causes them toproduce more chlorophyll as well as fewer polyphenols, a class ofmolecules that imparts tea’s singular astringency.

Given how much tea people drink, there's growing interest inunderstanding whether this habit has any medical benefits. Itappears that molecules found in tea can protect cells in a dish fromsome kinds of damage, but despite copious research, there isconflicting evidence on whether tea-drinking provides benefitsbeyond warm hands and an alert mind.

Brewed tea has roughly half the caffeine of an equivalentvolume of coffee, but it is still plenty for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up. You might have heard that caffeine in tea gives adifferent high from the caffeine in coffee. Many studies havefound that if this is the case, it’s because of an amino acidcalled theanine, which occurs in tea.

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When volunteers consume both caffeine and theanine – versuscaffeine and other tea molecules – they show moderately morealertness and better ability to switch between tasks than withcaffeine alone. The amount in a given cuppa may not be thesame as the doses given during a study, however, and the effectof theanine is not enormous. But all on its own, the caffeinewill give you a nice lift.

A food scientist I once corresponded with pointed outsomething that seems to apply here. “In my opinion, foodchoices are driven by one’s environment – the context,” hewrote. You like what you like not necessarily because of anyintrinsic quality, though obviously one can develop a taste foralmost anything. A food or drink’s real importance in your lifemay be because of everything that surrounds it – the culture ofit.

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Discussion

1. What do you like drinking? Talk about it.

2. Do you care about the medical functions of the food ordrink you have?

3. Talk about some drink culture that you are very familiarwith.

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Further Reading

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http://www.51voa.com/VOA_Special_English/will-chinese-drink-coffee-over-tea-60692.html

http://www.51voa.com/VOA_Special_English/will-chinese-drink-coffee-over-tea-60692.html

why do the british love tea so much?

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