What is the purpose of adding sodium carbonate to the brewed tea prior to extraction?
In this brief article, we will provide you with the answer to the question: “What is the purpose of adding sodium carbonate to the brewed tea prior to extraction?”, and discuss what tea is and the origins of this drink.
What is the purpose of adding sodium carbonate to the brewed tea prior to extraction?
Sodium carbonate is added to the brewed tea prior to extraction to guarantee that the acidic components in the tea leaves remain water-soluble and that caffeine is the free base.
Sodium carbonate is a strong alkaline base that is utilized in eco-friendly cleaning solutions. It is often available in powder form and is utilized as a fungicide, microbicide, herbicide, and pH adjuster in a wide range of sectors, including cleaning and personal care products.
Caffeine dissolves in hot water, but so do certain other tannin-containing substances (a type of carboxylic acid). These tannins must be converted into insoluble salts by calcium carbonate.
What is tea and how did it originate?
Tea is a drink created from the infusion of the Camellia sinensis plant, a plant species native to Asia, with the subspecies endemic to China and India – Camellia sinensis sinensis and Camellia sinensis assamica – being the most commonly utilized for tea manufacturing.
The tea plant’s leaves and buds may be used to create six distinct variations with distinct chemical and sensory properties, known as tea types or families.
Thus, white tea, green tea, yellow tea, black tea, oolong tea, and dark tea or fermented tea are all sorts of tea that come from the same plant species, Camellia sinensis, through subspecies, varietals, and cultivars.
There are hundreds of sorts of teas with remarkable sensory properties within each variety of tea. This implies that each tea in our mouth is a universe of sensations and experiences.
Tea is unquestionably an infusion, but not all infusions may be referred to as tea. As previously stated, the Chinese drink known as tea is manufactured only from the infusion of the leaves and buds of Camellia sinensis.
As a result, any other beverages derived from the infusion of any other plant cannot officially be termed tea. Unlike what we call them in our everyday lives, herbal infusions or tisanes are the actual names for these other liquids.
The origins of tea
Tea consumption began many thousands of years ago in China. Tea’s origins may be traced back to ancient Chinese culture, and its discovery is recounted in the form of stories.
The most well-known one is that the usage of Camellia sinensis as a drink was an unintentional discovery of the fabled Chinese monarch Shen-Nung.
According to mythology, Shen-Nung, a brilliant researcher of plants and their health effects, was wandering through his palace’s grounds when he chose to relax by reclining under a tree.
Those following the emperor promptly gave him a pitcher of water to relieve his thirst. From ancient times to the present, it has been usual in China to drink hot or lukewarm water, and the water provided to the emperor was no exception.
A breeze swept across the tree at this point, causing some of its leaves to fall into the bowl of hot water presented to Shen-Nung.
Shen-Nung, who was quite curious, chose to consume this cocktail and discovered that it had very intriguing effects on him: he felt alert and energized. Check here other effects of tea consumption.
According to mythology, tea was found as a result of the emperor’s fascination for the infusion of the leaves of this tree, which we subsequently learned to be the Camellia sinensis species.
In addition to China, Camellia sinensis infusion began to be drunk in many other areas of the world, and the names given to this drink in each of these cultures are tied to the many ways that tea came in these regions.
In his renowned book Cha-Ching – “The Classic of Tea,” recognized as the patron saint of tea, Lu Yu (733-804), suggested that the origin of the Chinese character for this drink might be tied to the symbol of the term “bush/herb” or “tree/wood,” or perhaps the combination of these two components.
However, how this term was spoken varied greatly depending on the dialect used in each region of China, and so we understand the origin of the various names given to tea.
While in Fujian province, this drink was pronounced “tay,” in other locations where Mandarin or Cantonese was spoken, the identical beverage was referred to as “cha.”
The Dutch, who were in charge of spreading tea in most European nations, first encountered tea in Fujian.
Conclusion
In this brief article, we will provide you with the answer to the question: “What is the purpose of adding sodium carbonate to the brewed tea prior to extraction?”, and discuss what tea is and the origins of this drink.
References
“Tea Shop.” Accessed March 11, 2022. https://www.teashop.com.br/o-que-e-o-cha-apresentamos-a-camellia-sinensis.
“Qual é o Propósito de Adicionar Carbonato de Sódio Ao Chá Preparado Antes Da Extração? | Como Zed.” Accessed March 11, 2022. https://comozed.com/qual-%C3%A9-o-prop%C3%B3sito-de-adicionar-carbonato-de-s%C3%B3dio-ao-ch%C3%A1-preparado-an.
