Twinings English Breakfast Tea
History
"Who Invented Tea?" Teaplays.com, I.
Chinese legend states that Emperor Shen Nong (2737-2697 BC) was boiling water when some leaves were blown into the water by the wind. The curious Emperor tasted the concoction and was elated, later declaring that "Tea gives vigour to the body, contentment to the mind and determination of purpose."
Emperor Nong commonly boiled water, as he believed that doing so would preserve one's health.
The word tea originated from Mandarin and Chinese, evolving as it was spread throughout Europe by Dutch traders. Two words were actually used, cha, which was used for tea coming by land, and tea, for tea brought by sea.
Tea was introduced to Japan in the late 12th century. It later made its way to Europe and New Amsterdam by way of Dutch traders.
When tea made its way to Britain between 1652 and 1654, it was reserved for royalty. Charles the Second grew up in Holland, which was the first area in Europe to receive tea. As word of tea spread around Britain, people were eager to start consuming the beverage to impress their King.
The British continued trading with China for tea, eventually realizing that it would be cheaper to trade using opium than silver. The Chinese quickly became addicted to the drug, and despite the Chinese government outlawing opium trade in the mid 18th century, the trading continued. Tensions rose between the countries as a British corporation called "the East India Company " began paying smugglers to keep the Chinese addicted. In 1839, the Chinese government destroyed over 1400 tons of British opium, in an attempt send a message. This action sparked the First Opium War, which lasted until 1842, with a British victory.
Below is a map detailing the spread of tea from China:
"The Tea Classification." Bidorbuy.co, I.
There are six types of teas, which vary based on how long their leaves are allowed to ferment.
White, yellow, and green teas are not fermented at all, oolong is semi-fermented, and black tea is completely fermented. Dark, or Pu-erh tea is completely fermented and aged. Certain varieties of Pu-erh are sold in Asian specialty shops for thousands of dollars.
Contrary to popular belief, herbal teas are not actually tea, as they do not actual tea leaves.
"Camellia Sinensis." Plantsoftheworld online, KewScience, I.
Tea comes from an evergreen called the Camellia Sinensis.
The three original tea tree varieties include the Assam, China, and Cambodian types. These trees have been heavily crossbred to create new varieties.
Some varieties can live for hundreds of years.
Tea is best grown at between 1000 and 7000 feet above sea level, with higher grown tea having stronger flavors. Temperatures should be between 50 and 85 degrees.
Facts
- The United States consumes over 1.42 million pounds of tea every day. That 1.585 lbs of tea per person per year.
- Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world after water.
- 85% of tea consumed in the US is iced.
- China is the worlds largest producer of tea. In 2009, they produced 1,359,000 tons.
Twinings
Twinings is a well known English tea brand that was first introduced in 1706. Twinings tea tasters created English Breakfast, a type of black tea, over 80 years ago, and it is still one of their best selling teas. Ever since then they have been at work creating new varieties at their factory in Andover, England. Pictured below is a Twinings professional tea taster.
"Twinings Tea Tasters - Gunpowder Green Tea." Youtube.com, TwiningsTeaUK, 23 Nov. 2011, I.
In 2011, Twinings restructured, moving most of its production to Swarzedz, Poland, though Twinings does still produce some tea in its Andover location. Pictured below is the outside of their factory in Andover, England, where much of the tea the UK consumes is produced.
“Tea Rooms in Hampshire.” Pinterest.com, I.
Production
Production of tea begins with manual picking. Women and children are often chosen for this work, as they are believed to be more gentle with the tea bulbs. Mechanical harvesting is almost nonexistent in the tea industry, as tea bulbs can be easily damaged.
Workers pick a bulb and two leafs from each stem. During peak harvesting season, a plant can produce a new bulb every 7-15 days.
"Tea Picker." 500px.com, 24 Oct. 2015, I.
The tea leaves and buds are then laid out in the sun, in a process called solar withering. At more advanced tea farms, this step occurs indoors in buildings with glass or plastic roofs. Solar withering begins the oxidization process and starts to dry out the tea.
Indoor withering occurs shortly after this. In this step, the tea leaves and buds are placed on bamboo trays, which are left to ferment. This solidifies the flavor of the tea, and the duration of this process depends on the type of tea that is being produced.
"Caiqing – The Original Withering Process for Tieguanyin." Fuzhouteaand me.com, Bethanjthomas, 17 Oct. 2012, I.
After the withering processes, the tea is brought to a drying and sterilizing machine. This step is crucial, as it "locks in" the fermentation of the tea, preserving its flavor.
For Twinings, all the steps performed up to and including this step occur locally at the tea plantations where the tea is sourced.
Finally, the tea is packaged in bulk, sealed in containers, and shipped to the Twinings' factory in Poland for mixing and packaging.
Dong, Shan. "Industrial Conveyor Belt Type Microwave Oven for Drying and Sterilizing Tea." Diytrade.com, Jinan Adasen Trade Co, I.
When the tea arrives at the Twinings' factory in Swarzedz, Poland, it is sorted based on leaf size. The largest leafs are used for premium teas, while smaller leafs are set aside for tea bags. The tea is then mixed using Twinings' proprietary recipe. Spices are added for flavor. Finally, the tea is packaged in tea bags and sealed in Twinings tea boxes.
Commodity map of Twinings English Breakfast tea showing the locations where Kenyan, Sri Lanka, and Assam tea are grown, all of which are primary ingredients in Twinings English Breakfast.
Following the packaging stage, Twinings then seals pallets of tea into shipping containers which are loaded aboard ships on route to the Port of New York and New Jersey, the largest US east coast port.
Lampen, Jerry. "The World's Biggest Container Ship." Grist.org, AFP, Getty Images, 29 August 2018, I
The container is then offloaded and transported by rail or semitruck to your local distribution center. For Albuquerque, the nearest one is Walmart distribution center #6084 in Los Lunas, New Mexico.
"Walmart DC Employees Honored for 20 Years of Service." acommunitythatworks.com, Village of Los Lunas, 22 Feb. 2019, I
The tea makes its way via semitruck from Los Lunas to Walmart in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My nearest Walmart Supercenter is at 8000 Academy NE.
Below is an image of Twinings on a Walmart shelf similar to the ones in Albuquerque.
Dann, Caron. "Is Every Tea Bag the Same? Read on to Find out..." Carondann.com, 14 June 2015, I.
My mother, a fan of Twinings English Breakfast tea, and the subject of my food interview, travels from her house in Albuquerque to Walmart, one of the stores where she purchases Twinings.
Industry Issues
While this commodity chain may seem fairly simple and straightforward for the consumer, it can be quite hard on farmers. Below is an image from BBC, which was published as part of a report on tea labor conditions. They found that conditions have remained very poor, despite improvement plans by major tea brands.
"The Traditional can Mask the Very Difficult Conditions Some Face." Bbc.com, Getty Images, 12 Nov. 2016, I.
Twinings released a list of their tea suppliers in 2018, after several nonprofit organizations called for a crackdown on poor labor conditions in the industry. Twinings has released a yearly report as part of a movement called Sourced With Care.
"Livelihoods." Sourcedwithcare.com, I.
While Twinings reports that they have made major strides in the industry, critics are weary. As BBC reporters noted, tea laborers continue to struggle to exit a cycle of dependence they have been stuck in for years.
"Our Progress in India." Sourcedwithcare.com, I.
An image of my mom and I. Courtesy of her scrapbook.
Sources
Bruu Gourmet Tea Club. “How Tea Traveled Around the World” Bruutea.co. www.bruutea.co.uk/pages/how-tea-traveled-around-the-world .
"Caiqing – The Original Withering Process for Tieguanyin." Fuzhouteaand me.com, Bethanjthomas, 17 Oct. 2012, I.
"Camellia Sinensis." Plantsoftheworld online, KewScience, I.
Dann, Caron. "Is Every Tea Bag the Same? Read on to Find out..." Carondann.com, 14 June 2015, I.
Dong, Shan. "Industrial Conveyor Belt Type Microwave Oven for Drying and Sterilizing Tea." Diytrade.com, Jinan Adasen Trade Co, I.
Lampen, Jerry. "The World's Biggest Container Ship." Grist.org, AFP, Getty Images, 29 August 2018, I
Lehnardt, Karin. Sip-a-licious Tea Facts” Factretriever.com, 4 Oct. 2019.
"Livelihoods." Sourcedwithcare.com, I.
Ohio State University. “Tea Commodity Chain” U.osu.edu. u.osu.edu/teacommoditychain/manufacturing-process/ .
"Our Progress in India." Sourcedwithcare.com, I.
Pletcher, Kenneth. “Opium Wars” Britannica.com,
Saberi, Helen. Tea : A Global History, Reaktion Books, Limited, 2010. ProQuest Ebook Central, ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/unm/detail.action?docID=692189.
"The Tea Classification." Bidorbuy.co, I.
"Tea Picker." 500px.com, 24 Oct. 2015, I.
“Tea Rooms in Hampshire.” Pinterest.com, I.
Teng, Shunan. “The History of Tea.” Youtube.com, Ted-Ed, 16 May 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaLvVc1sS20 .
"The Traditional can Mask the Very Difficult Conditions Some Face." Bbc.com, Getty Images, 12 Nov. 2016, I.
"Twinings Tea Tasters - Gunpowder Green Tea." Youtube.com, TwiningsTeaUK, 23 Nov. 2011, I.
"Twinings Classic Naturally Decaffeinated English Breakfast Tea --25 Tea Bags." Vitacost.com, I.
Twinings UK. “English Breakfast” Twinings.co.
"Walmart DC Employees Honored for 20 Years of Service." acommunitythatworks.com, Village of Los Lunas, 22 Feb. 2019, I
Weil, Andrew. “What is Pu-erh Tea?” Drweil.com, 28 May 2012.
"Who Invented Tea?" Teaplays.com, I.
