FOR TEA LOVERS, THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A GOOD BREW

Trisha Wischmann pours tea with the best of them.

She and her husband operate Trisha's Bed & Breakfast, Tea Room and Gifts in Jackson.

She holds at least two tea parties a week. She has poured tea for as few as six guests and as many as 30.

She holds cream teas and high teas. Cream teas include a thick cream and scones. High teas are more elaborate affairs with plenty of "small and dainty" finger food, such as cucumber sandwiches and sweet cakes.

High tea was devised by Anna, Duchess of Bedford in the 1700s as an afternoon snack for the royalty, who often ate a late dinner.

Wischmann has held tea parties for all ages since opening her Tea Room four years ago.

Girls' birthdays and Girl Scout outings all have centered on tea time. Women's groups also have come for tea.

Guests not only sip tea. They are encouraged to dress up in old-fashioned hats and gloves, part of Wischmann's collection of vintage clothing.

"I try to create the atmosphere for the way it used to be done," said Wischmann, who dresses up for the occasions.

She talks lovingly about tea. To Wischmann, tea is more than just a drink, it's a social occasion that offers people a break from the hustle and bustle of life.

"Tea is a great stress reliever," she said. The act of stirring the tea with a spoon is part of the slowing down process, she said. Even the sounds of tinkling tea cups can be soothing, Wischmann said.

Grace Parry also toasts the merits of tea. She sells a wide variety of teas and tea-based products in her Cape Girardeau shop, A Touch of Grace.

"Tea invites you to slow down," said Parry, who makes it clear that tea should be sipped rather than gulped.

Tea is taken around the world. It reaches across cultural and economic boundaries.

Tea has played a role in world politics, wars, literature, romance and cuisine.

To tea devotees, it is the nectar of life.

Tea is enjoyed throughout the world.

India is the leading tea producer, generating more than a billion pounds of dried tea annually.

The three main categories of tea -- black, green and oolong -- all begin with the Camellia sinensis plant. The versatile plant grows in tropical and subtropical climates.

The three categories of tea differ in how the tea leaves are processed.

Black teas are leaves that have been through a fermentation process. Iced tea is made from black teas.

Green tea is made by exposing the leaves to hot steam to destroy the enzymes that otherwise would cause them to ferment.

Oolong is a semi-fermented tea first manufactured in Taiwan. It generally is produced with larger tea leaves. As a result, it is the one used for reading people's futures, Parry said.

There are herbal teas too. Herbal teas are made from an almost endless variety of plants. Stems, seeds, berries and flowers can be used to make tea.

Parry said a mixture of basil and spearmint makes a nice cup of tea.

Wischmann makes her own blend of herbal tea using rose hip, hibiscus, raspberry and a touch of lemon grass.

"I wanted something different and unique,' she said. "I wanted something caffeine free."

Tea time is a way of life in Great Britain. About seven pounds of tea per person is consumed there annually.

Despite the colonists' tea-dumping exploits, the United States has enjoyed its share of tea.

Tea rooms used to be common. In Cape Girardeau, a Park Street tea room was a popular spot for Southeast Missouri State University students and faculty members into the early 1950s.

But society changed. "When ladies started working, nobody had time for it," said Wischmann.

But in recent years, Americans have rediscovered tea time, Wischmann and Parry said.

Some businesses and offices have started scheduling an afternoon tea break for their employees, she said.

Two sisters in Georgia teach tea etiquette to corporations.

While tea bags are convenient, die-hard tea takers like to put the dried tea leaves in an infuser or brew basket inside the tea pot.

Said Parry, "Purists want it in the tea pot."

Tea isn't just a refreshing drink. It's also touted for health reasons.

According to one tea company, components of tea have been shown to reduce cholesterol, boost white blood cell production, lower blood pressure and decrease the risk of some types of cancer. The caffeine in tea also helps fight fatigue.

Parry said green tea, in particular, is touted for helping to boost a person's immune system.

Tea also is used in jams, soaps skin care products.

For both Parry and Wischmann, there's nothing like a spot of tea.

A brief history of tea

-- The first tea was brewed by accident by servants of a Chinese emperor around 2737 B.C.

-- Tea appeared in Chinese literature around A.D. 350.

-- The custom of drinking tea spread to Japan around A.D. 600.

-- The first shipment of tea to Europe was made in 1610 by Dutch trades who imported it from China and Japan.

-- By 1650, the Dutch were importing tea to the American colonies.

-- In 1657, tea was sold for the first time in the coffee houses in England. It subsequently became the national drink of Great Britain.

-- In 1767, Britain placed a tax on the tea being used by the American colonists. Colonial resistance led to the Boston Tea Party in 1773 and contributed to the American independence movement.

-- "Tea for two" was an expression shouted by 18th century street vendors to advertise tea for two pence.

-- The first iced tea was served at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.

-- New York merchant Thomas Sullivan developed tea bags in 1904.

-- Instant tea was developed in the United States and first marketed in 1948.