May all keep warm (or cool, if appropriate) and enjoy our favorite
sometimes-fermented beverage.

(ObTea) On that note, http://www.etymonline.com offers the following:

~~~~~~

Steep
"to soak in a liquid," 1390, of uncertain origin, originally in ref. to
barley or malt, probably cognate with O.N. steypa "to pour out, throw"
(or an unrecorded O.E. cognate), from P.Gmc. *staupijanan.

Ferment
late 14c., from L. fermentare "to leaven, ferment," from fermentum
"substance causing fermentation, leaven," from root of fervere "to boil,
seethe" (see brew).

Brew
O.E. breowan (class II strong verb, past tense breaw, past
participle browen), from P.Gmc. *breuwan "to brew" (cf. O.N. brugga,
O.Fris. briuwa, M.Du. brouwen), from PIE base *bhreue- "to bubble, boil,
effervesce" (cf. Skt. bhurnih "violent, passionate," Gk. phrear "well,
spring," L. fervere "to boil, foam," Thracian Gk. brytos "fermented
liquor made from barley;" O.E. beorma "yeast;" O.H.G. brato "roast
meat"), the original sense thus being "make a drink by boiling." The
noun is 1510, from the verb.

~~~~~~

Setting aside for the holidays all argument over the legitimate uses of
/ferment/ and /oxidize/, what a fitting convergence of descriptions,
technologies and products. One can only wonder what terminology we might
be using to describe beer, wine and spirits had tea been discovered first.

May the incoming year bring more of whatever you want, and less of
whomever you don't.

-DM

How about all the terminology borrowed from coffee and various
fermented drinks and associated with tea? Like tea latte, etc. I can't
think right now to come up with a large list.


> One can only wonder what terminology we might
> be using to describe beer, wine and spirits had tea been discovered first.