In this article we will discuss about the two most commonly found beverages that are found in India.
1. Tea (Hindi – Cha or Chat):
Botanical Name:
Camellia sinensis (L). O. Kuntze (Syn. Thea sinensis L.)
Family:
Theaceae
1. It is the most common non-alcoholic beverage, used by more than one-half of the world’s population.
2. It is obtained from the dried leaves of Camellia sinensis, a native of Assam or China.
3. Tea plant is a small shrub with leathery, lanceolate leaves having serrate margin and many oil glands (Fig. 94).
4. A volatile oil, tannin (13 to 18%), and an alkaloid theine (2-5%), are present in tea.
5. Tea leaves, when infused in hot water, dissolve their alkaloid and oil, and the beverage thus resulted has a stimulating effect. If boiled for a longer period, tannin dissolves making the beverage less beneficial.
6. India is a leading tea-exporting country.
7. For preparing green tea, the leaves are steamed and dried without fermenting, while for black tea the leaves are withered, rolled, fermented and dried.
8. Tannins of tea waste are used in plywood industry.
9. Assam, Darjeeling, Nilgiris, Dehradun and Kumaon are the main tea-producing regions in India.
2. Coffee (Hindi – Kafi):
Botanical Names:
Coffea arabica (Arabian Coffee); C. canepbora syn. C. robusta (Congo Coffee); C. liberica (Liberian Coffee).
Family:
Rubiaceae
1. It is an important non-alcoholic beverage, like tea.
2. More than 90% coffee is obtained from the berries (Fig. 95) of Coffea arabica.
3. Coffee beans are roasted for developing the aroma, flavour and colour and finally ground before they reach to the consumer.
4. “Beans” contain caffeine (0.75 to 1.5%), a volatile oil, glucose, dextrins, proteins and a fatty oil.
5. Caffeine provide stimulating effect while the volatile oil (caffeole) is responsible for aroma and flavour.
6. Leaves and fruits of Coffee also contain some alkaloids.
7. In India, C. arabica is grown in Nilgiris and Kamataka.
8. Seeds of C. canepbora (syn. C. robusta), a robust evergreen shrub, are used in making “instant coffee”.