| The Origins of TeaAccording to mythological fables, | | | | into cakes and then roasted to a reddish color. These |
| there are many tales of the origin of tea. The first | | | | cakes were crumbled into the water and boiled, |
| one comes from over 4500 years ago. The Second | | | | meanwhile adding onion, ginger, and orange peel. This |
| Chinese Emperor Chen Sung(circa 2737-2697 BC) was | | | | tea was considered to be a good remedy for |
| sitting beneath a tree while his servant was boiling | | | | stomach problems, bad eyesight and many other |
| some water. A leaf from the tree above fell into the | | | | diseases, but must have been a very bitter brew |
| boiling water and Chen Sung tried the brew and liked | | | | indeed.Around about the 8th Century the bricks of |
| it. The tree was a tea tree, of course.Another fabled | | | | tea were now boiled with only a little bit of salt. In |
| origin of tea comes from Bodhidharma, the traditional | | | | the Tang Dynasty, this tea recipe was the national |
| founder of the Zen school of Buddhism. The | | | | drink of the ruling classes. Tea was beginning to be |
| Japanese claim that he brought tea with him from | | | | exported to Tibet, Turkey , India, and Russia |
| India to China. The Indian legend proclaims that after | | | | because of its easy transportability.The first mention |
| 5 years of a 7 year sleepless meditation exercise on | | | | of tea outside China and Japan was by the Arabs in |
| the Lord Buddha, BoddhiDharma began to feel sleepy. | | | | 850 AD. Some say that they introduced it into |
| He immediately plucked a few leaves from a nearby | | | | Europe throught the port of Venice. The Portuguese |
| bush and chewed them which thereby kept him | | | | paved the way for the entry of tea into Europe also |
| awake. The bush was | | | | because of their exploration of the sea passages to |
| a wild bush tree. Another story along these lines has | | | | China as early as the 16th Century. Jesuit priests |
| him plucking off his eyebrows when they started | | | | coming back from the East brought back their tea |
| drooping and he threw them on the ground. It is | | | | drinking habits back to Portugal. The Dutch merchants |
| reputed that 2 tea trees sprang up that had the | | | | got in on the act as well. In 1610, regular shipments |
| power to keep him awake and alert.Whatever the | | | | of tea to ports in France and Holland were started. In |
| truth is, the raw leaves of the tea tree were | | | | the late 17th Century, the English East India Company |
| probably used as food from the earliest times by the | | | | entered the trade.Beginnings of the names for tea.In |
| native populations of Southern China. A chinese text | | | | the 4th Century in China, the Chinese word t'u was |
| of 50 BC mentions tea being prepared by servants. | | | | often used to describe shrubs besides tea. The |
| Historians and scholars have tea being cultivated in | | | | modern term for tea comes from early chinese |
| Szechuan around the 3rd Century AD. There are | | | | dialect words such as Tchai, Cha and Tay. These |
| many authentic references to tea in the Chinese | | | | words were used to pertain to both the drink and |
| dictionary circa 350 AD.In the 8th Century the | | | | the leaf. Tea is known as Cha or Chai in India to this |
| Chinese author Lu Yu wrote the first book on tea, | | | | day. In japan, the word Cha is used to describe both |
| the "Ch'a Ching". This book summarised all the | | | | tea and a hot broth.Early Benefits of Tea.From the |
| accumulated knowledge to date about tea growing | | | | earliest times tea was recognised and enjoyed |
| and preparation. There were many illustrations of tea | | | | because it is a healthy refreshing beverage. Made |
| making utensils. This book succeeded in giving a | | | | from the dried leaves of the camellia sinensis plant, |
| major impetus to the drinking of tea by the upper | | | | tea is said to have antioxidant properties, can fight |
| classes. Some say that this book inspired the | | | | the flu virus, and boosts the immune system. |
| Buddhist priests to create the Japanese tea | | | | Benefits of tea and the spiritual and health factors |
| ceremony.Early Processing of tea.In the 4th Century | | | | that add to our enjoyment of the refreshing taste. |
| the fresh green tea leaves were picked , squeezed | | | | |