Tea Tales: The Weird History of Tea Explained

Imagine you go into the kitchen at four am because you can’t sleep. You shift through the cabinet and come across your sleepytime teas. At this time a night, your sleep-deprived mind might wander to many areas, one of them being where did this tea come from?

Well, we have the answer. For your late night reading Google searching pleasure, here is a brief history of tea.

1. The Birth of Tea

It’s 2732 B.C. and Emperor Shen Nung has just discovered tea when leaves from a wild tree fell into his hot pot of boiling water. He became lulled by the pleasant scent of the brew and drank some.

He described the brew as giving him a warm feeling as if it was investigating every part of his body, so he named it “ch’a” the Chinese term meaning to investigate. He researched further into tea and legend says he discovered the medical properties of herbs such as cultivated ginseng while he was at it.

2. China’s Tea History

The popularity of tea continued to grow rapidly from the 4th, all the way to the 8th century. At this point, it’s no longer being used just for its medical properties. It’s now become loved for its pleasure and refreshment.

Tea plantations began to start up all around China, tea merchants were living the high life, and elegant teaware became the symbol of wealth and status. It became such a big deal that only woman could handle the leaves and they had to keep strong spices out of their diet so they wouldn’t contaminate the precious with any strong odors.

3. The Invention of Black Tea

Up until the mid-17th century, all Chinese tea was green tea. As foreign trade increased, Chinese growers discovered that they could preserve the tea leaves with a special fermentation process.

This process resulted in black tea which could keep it’s aroma and flavor way longer than delicate green teas and could withstand the long travel to foreign lands better.

4. Tea in Modern China

The popularity and importance of tea continue to live on into today in China. It’s become a key symbol of the city’s culture, history, and religion.

Students actually compete to attend the very selective Shanghai Tea Institute. The highest level students are required to perform a flawless tea-serving ceremony, speak a foreign language to entertain guests and distinguish between 1000 different types of Chinese tea. To date, less than 75 students have actually been awarded the Tea Art Certificate.

There is actually an entire amusement park dedicated to tea called the Tenfu Tea Museum. It’s been described as the Chinese equivalent to Disney Land and honors Chinese tea-drinking traditions.

This Has Been a Brief History of Tea

We hoped you enjoyed this brief history of tea and will give more thought to the leaves that create it the next time you’re staring into an empty teacup. It has a rich history full of culture, religion, and legend. It’s more than just a simple herb!

For more information on things with health properties like tea visit the weird health section of our blog.

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