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Our story begins over four and a half thousand years ago. According to Chinese mythology, Before 618 A.D (probably around the year 2737 B.C), leader famous herbalist and scholar, Shen Nong, known for teaching Chinese people a new agricultural way of working the land gave another gift to his country. One day, while he was boiling his drinking water beneath a wild tree a leaf dropped into the water. Surprised by the smell that the leaf gave to the water, Shen Nong decided to try the beverage and gave birth to what has been China's national drink and one of the many gifts they will share with others countries.
From 350 to 600 A.D, the demand for tea dramatically increased and the supply of wild tea trees was not enough anymore. Farmers began to grow tea plants in the Sichuan province but soon the cultivation had spread throughout China.

During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D), tea drinking evolved into an art form.

A young abandoned boy named Lu Yu was adopted by Chi Chan, abbot of the Dragon Cloud Zen Monastery. The child was brought up in accordance with the Zen tradition but he decided to pursue the more poetic and scholarly ways of the Confucian tradition. After several years of studies, Lu Yu wrote "Cha Ching" (Classic of Tea), the firsts book about tea. This set of three volumes, published in 780 A.D, covered everything related to tea such as; the proper techniques to growing plants, how to brew the leaf, and how to drink tea. There was even a detailed description of the formal tea ceremony utilizing 27 pieces of equipment. Because of this book, Lu Yu is considered to be the first "tea sage" in Chinese history. Due to the complexity and the great number of accessories needed for the tea ceremony, only a certain class of the population could afford all the equipment and the servants needed to prepare the tea. Tea drinkers included, scholars, officials, and members of the royal court who studied the teachings of Confucius. As a result, the culture of tea contained a poetic aura. During this period, tea was only sold in a brick form. The leaves were steamed, crushed, fired, and crushed into a brick.

During the Sung Dynasty (690-1279 A.D)

During the Sung Dynasty (690-1279 A.D), every aspect of tea was further refined. Harvest became carefully regulated affairs. Before the harvest began, sacrifices were made to the mountain. After a specific day was chosen to harvest the leaves at their peak, the tea farmers would pick the leaves to the rhythm of a drum. The tea pickers were usually young girls who had to keep their fingernails at a certain length so the leaves wouldn't touch their skin while picking. The freshly harvested leaves were sorted by grades with the best grades sent to the emperor as tribute. A cake of high grade tea could be worth several pieces of gold while one of the highest grade would be priceless. During this time, tea was made by breaking off a piece of a tea brick and grinding it into a powder. This powder was then added to hot water and whipped with a bamboo whisk. The first tea rooms and houses were built in order to enjoy tea at a social and spiritual level. There were even competitions among tea connoisseurs who were judged on the way they conducted their ceremony and on the quality of the tea leaves, water, and brewed tea. The art of making ceramic tea equipment was fairly developed during this period. Tea bowls became deeper and wider to aid in the whipping. Since the prepared tea had a very light green hue, black and deep blue glazes were used on the bowls to enhance the tea color. The most famous style was the black bowl with lines running down the bowl called rabbit fur. Zen philosophy dominated this period and tea preparation became less complicated and more peaceful. The Japanese art of tea has its roots from this era after a Chinese Buddhist monk brought to Japan the first tea leaves.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, tea became a beverage to be enjoyed by everyone, rich and poor, Chinese and Europeans. It was made from loose leaves steeped into hot water, but different types of tea, such as green, oolong, and black were introduced. It is during this period that the first mention of tea in Europe was written by the secretary of the Venetian Council of Ren. Already, the health enhancing properties of tea were mentioned and in 1606, the Dutch East India Company imported the first shipments of Chinese tea. From that day, tea consumption spread throughout Europe, Africa, and the rest of Asia. One of the most popular story about tea in the western world took place in 1773 when a group of colonists protesting the taxation of tea by Great Britain boarded a ship from the Dutch East India Company and dumped its cargo of tea over board. Because of that "tea party", that happened in Boston, tea is not subject to import taxes today in the USA.

Today, tea is the second most widely consumed beverage in the world after water. China has seven families of tea: white tea, yellow tea, green tea, oolong tea, red tea, black tea, and scented tea. If you had the herbal teas, also called tisanes, you could just like with cheese in France, enjoy a different tea each day of the year.

 

 

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