According to bountiful legends tea came to existence because of an accident. My favorite story goes like this … Shen Nong, the father of agriculture and herbal medicine in China, who found how various herb work by trying them all. Shen Nong had a super human power – his stomach was transparent so he could observe reactions each plant had on human body. But, one day he tried 72 different types of poisonous plants, that had almost killed him. As he lied weakened on the ground, he noticed a pleasantly smelling leaves falling nearby him on the ground, curious he picked up some and chew them. Soon he felt energetic again and kept eating more of the tea leaves, which cleared all of the toxins away from his body. In his book Shen Nong Herbal he writes: “Tea tastes bitter. Drinking it one can think quicker, sleep less, move lighter, and see clearer”.
Tea plantation in China
Believe the tale or not, one thing is quite sure – Southwest of China (today mainly the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces) is geographically, where the greatest of grandfathers of tea came from. Still today over 1, 000 years old wild tea trees can be found in these areas.
Lu Yu: the Saint of tea
The chinese have also identified their “Saint of tea” Lu Yu (around 733-804 AD), who wrote the first commentary on tea “The Book of Tea” that is known in the world. Lu Yu was an orphan raised in a Buddhist temple by a monk named Zhiji. Nevertheless he run away from the temple while still a teenager and was lucky to be helped by an official who got him educated. Later he travelled around China, learned about tea and wrote the famous book.
The father of tea
Tea and wine during festivities
In China tea was served at banquets during the rule of the Wei (220-265) and Jin (265-420) Dynasties. As Liu Tong in his book Chinese Tea writes “people preferred teas’ freshness and purity to wine’s violence and intoxication” at that time. The author further praises the benefits of tea and wine companionship “because tea can quench one’s drunkenness”. Later many scholars and even emperors wrote about tea. Yet, tea was popular not only at the royal courts, but also at the temples, where the monks created one of the first customs – ceremonies – of tea drinking. It was later that the tea ceremonies – the ways tea was prepared, served and drunk – were tailored according to local Chinese minorities with each of them having its own specifics.
Not only Asian food can be enjoyed with both wine and tea with the same meal
Tea crossing the Chinese borders
Tea spread across China and Asia mainly because of Buddhism and Taoism and later from East to West because of an abundant trade. At first Buddhist monks brought tea with them to Japan, then trade between Russia and China moved tea across the borders towards West with India and Middle East following the suite. Tea was transported via the “Tea-Horse Road” leading from Yunnan through Tibet to the Western countries. The road was established because of the needs of the Chinese princess Wenchang, who married to Tibet, so she needed a frequent supply of tea. The East India Company imported tea leaves from China since 1637. First a green tea was imported to England, but because it perished and lost its quality black tea took precedence later. Tea became a major import item for Britain and facing a huge trade deficit with China, the British taxed tea heavily. The East India Company was thus looking for other countries to produce tea. India was under the British influence and the British governor managed to send one of his people to smuggle some tea seeds from China. These were planted mainly in Assam, Kumaon and later also in Sri Lanka. Today, India is currently the number one producer of tea in the world.
Unlimited choice of tea-based drinks at a modern tea shop in Singapore.
Modern tea
With global economy blending ideas and millions of entrepreneurial minds, tea in the 21st century has many faces. The global giant Starbucks offers matcha (Japanese green tea powder) latte, steeped tea or chai (Indian black tea with spices). There are thousands of tea brands offering original blends such as chocolate tea, marshmallow or gingerbread tea. Tea rooms became the new cafés and hangouts for creative spirits – here tea is prepared and drunk properly and the choice can be wider than wine lists at most of the restaurants. What more ICE TEA is the new Coca Cola. The mastermind country behind the most original ice teas is Taiwan. There the milk tea, bubble tea (tapioca starch based round pearls in tea – also called pearl tea), ice jelly, pudding tea and many other perhaps more ridiculously looking teas. From Taiwan the frenzy swept China, Japan, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and recently became a staple of Hollywood stars at the jet set LA-based organic Urth Café. At Urth you can also buy finest teas as well as their own tea blends.
I will try to review all of these fancy teas and places you can get them across the globe here at Winebeing in the new TEA section I have created. I must admit – I got hooked up on these fun ice teas so much – that every day whether I am in Singapore or in Los Angeles I crave these and often end up buying at least one.
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