Many an absorbing tale is
related to the origin of tea based on religion, myth and philosophy.
The more famous story dates back to 2737 BC when the legendary
Chinese Emperor Shen Nung, on one of his long travels, rested
under the shade of a wild tea tree. A few leaves from this tree
had fallen into a pot of water, which was being boiled for drinking.
The glorious aroma attracted his attention, and on sipping this
brew he found it tasted as good as it smelt, and this delectable
drink was firmly launched in Courts of Cathay.
At the beginning
of the 17th Century tea reached the West and the first public
sale of tea in England took place in 1657, and swiftly became
an integral part of daily life of British society.
Tea History
Tea is simply an infusion made with the leaves from the evergreen
plant, Camellia sinensis. The plant is now widely grown in India,
Ceylon and east Africa as well as in its homeland, China. The
dark green glossy leaves are processed in a variety of ways
to produce teas with different flavours.
Green tea, like gunpowder, is produced by allowing the leaves
to dry or wither in the open air, then the leaves are steamed,
rolled and dried. Black teas such as Ceylon, Assam and Darjeeling,
are produced from picked and withered leaves which are then
broken to release the enzymes, the leaves are allowed to ferment
for 3½ - 4½ hours before being dried in a warm
air oven. By arresting the fermenting process for a black tea,
a semi-fermented tea is produced with a different flavour.
