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Tea – a drink consumed in households
and workplaces throughout the world – was first
discovered purely by accident. While many myths and legends
surround the discovery of tea, one story stands out most
accurately. According to the tale the history of tea originates
in the year 2737 B.C. during the reign of the Chinese
emperor Chen Nung. The Emperor was popularly known as
the “Divine Healer” as he was responsible
for identifying the medical properties of many herbs.
One day while the Emperor was on a journey he stopped
for a drink of water. While he boiled the water to purify
it, a few leaves from a nearby tea tree fell into the
imperial pot. The scent and flavour emanating from the
tea leaves was to the Emperor’s liking – and
with that first cup the humble tea leaf made its royal
debut.
For many centuries however, the only tea that was consumed
was dried green tea leaves, which originated in China.
Black tea was yet to be discovered. Until 850 AD tea was
also prepared by simply boiling the tea leaves in water,
not through today’s process of brewing. Traditionally
there were three methods through which tea was prepared:
Boiling Tea – Classical Period
Whisking Tea – Romantic Period
Brewing Tea – Naturalistic Period
The
Classical Period
This period in the history of tea lasted till about 850
AD. The tea leaves were first steamed and then ground
with a pestle and mortar, then mixed with rice, ginger,
salt, orange peel, spice, milk and onions and eventually
boiled. The resulting concoction was a syrupy mixture
of leaves. This form of tea bares a resemblance to the
tea served with yak butter in Tibet today. During this
period tea was also simply boiled and served.
The Romantic Period
During the Romantic period, tea was “whisked”
– a method made popular in the time of the Song
dynasty (960-1279AD). The dried unfermented leaves were
ground into a fine powder, after which it was added to
boiling water and whisked into a thick sauce, with the
aid of a bamboo brush. This form of tea preparation is
carried out with much flair even today at the world renowned
Japanese Tea Ceremonies.
The
Naturalistic Period
Tea “whisking” was replaced by “brewing”
during the Chinese “Ming Dynasty” –
the method of preparation that is practiced throughout
the world today. Black tea also surpassed green tea in
popularity during the Naturalistic Period. |
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