Published on Apr 02, 2024
Tea can be described as an agricultural plant, that is industrially important because of the produce of its leaves, when immersed in hot water. Tea, however is an aromatic beverage, that can be prepared in several different ways.
Each method of preparation has a certain effect on the acidity of the beverage Our aim in this experiment is to capture the difference in the acidity of the beverage by analyzing the mixture in different ways. Hence, we prepare the beverage in different popular forms, and check its acidity by using a universal indicator.
Tea, after water, is the world’s most popular beverage of consumption, as it is not extremely expensive, and has a pleasant texture and aroma. The leaves of the tea plant (Camelia Sinensis) are oxidized and cured. The leaves are then introduced into hot/boiling water, which causes a release in the flavor and color contained in the leaf of the plant. Some people prefer to drink tea in this form, while others prefer it with milk. Some people add sugar. All these activities cause different outcomes in the pH value of the beverage. That is where we come in. We are to analyze these different preferences and find each preparation’s respective resultant acidity/basicity
There are tens of hundreds of different species of tea. However, due to unavailability, we can only test a certain limited amount. However, I wish to discuss several popular species and their uses. Normal tea is your everyday garden variety leaf, that has been oxidized and cured into either dark black, lighter black or even white varieties. This type of tea is usually drunk for the purpose of the drug present in it (the stimulants, ‘Caffeine’ and ‘Theanine’) which increases human activity and reduces stress respectively. White Tea: This tea is wilted and the leaves are unoxidized Yellow Tea: This tea is unwilted and unoxidized. The leaves are, however allowed to turn slightly yellow. Green Tea: This tea is also unwilted and unoxidized. It is usually herbal (has herbal additives). Unlike yellow tea, it is not allowed to turn yellow. Oolong Tea: This is traditional Chinese tea. The tea is wilted and bruised and allowed to undergo partial oxidization Black Tea: This tea is wilted, sometimes crushed and generally highly oxidized. This tea is probably the most consumed.
Tea may be consumed in several different ways. As stated earlier, each method of preparation may impact the acidity and basicity.
1. Additives: Additives are elements that are added to tea, after it has been prepared. The addition of additives make tea tastier, healthier, longer lasting, more expensive, etc. and hence alter the pH value
2. Oxidation: The levels of oxidation of the leaves also affect pH value. Highly oxidized tea (e.g. black tea) has different acidity compared to unoxidized or lightly oxidized tea (e.g. Green Tea, Oolong Tea).
3. Addition of Milk: Milk is a colloid that comprises of lactic acid, and hence is responsible for an increase in acidity in tea.
4. Addition of Sugar: Sugar is also responsible for the change in pH value in beverages, as we will find experimentally
5. Type of Water: Boiled tap water in Kathmandu compared to Filtered Water and water that has undergone “Reverse Osmosis” also has different pH levels.
Tea can be described as an agricultural plant, that is industrially important because of the produce of its leaves, when immersed in hot water. Tea, however is an aromatic beverage, that can be prepared in several different ways. Each method of preparation has a certain effect on the acidity of the beverage
