It’s Tea Time: Pirates, Polyphenols, And A Proper Cuppa (encore)

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This week Gastropod tells the story of two countries and their shared obsession with a plant Camellia sinensis otherwise known as the tea bush The Chinese domesticated tea over thousands of years but they lost their near monopoly on international trade when a Scottish botanist disguised as a Chinese nobleman smuggled it out of China in the 1800s in order to secure Britain s favorite beverage and prop up its empire for another century The story involves pirates ponytails and hard drugs and to help tell the tale Cynthia and Nicky visit Britain s one and only commercial tea plantation tucked away in a secret garden on an aristocratic estate on the Cornish coast While harvesting and processing tea leaves we learn the difference between green and black tea as well as which is better for your health Put the kettle on and settle in for the science and history of tea encore edition Learn more about your ad choices Visit podcastchoices com adchoices