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The thirst for inevitable pleasure has certainly taken over
on far more importance to the world than any considerations of diverse
beverages. Nothing on Earth justifies ‘refreshment’ better than a cup of
tea. Tea manages to secure its supremacy by waking the world with its
mesmerizing aroma and taste of completeness.
Drinking tea plays a central part in our lives; it is vastly a universal
phenomenon with millions of people over the world enjoying their tea on a
daily basis. And with its root spread far and wide, it is hard to imagine a
world without tea. Conspicuously, while the Eastern world had been using tea
for more than 4500 years, for most of this time tea was unknown to the
Western world on contrary. Tea was introduced into the west, a relatively
recent 400 years ago. Discovered in China, tea has exerted profound
influence on societies and cultures throughout the world so that there are
exhilarating ceremonies in various cultures and most part of the world have
social etiquettes concerning the preparation and drinking of tea as well as
social customs regarding how, when and where to drink it. Many myths,
legends, poems and proverbs surround tea and maintain its mystique. Tea has
always accompanied and influenced the uplifting of key historical events as
well as maintaining a presence when economic, technological or cultural
development took place. Today, tea enjoys an unparallel and enduring
popularity. The story of tea is truly intertwined with the story of mankind.
Hence, we humans are admonished to appreciate this amazing
synthesis since ages and through. Yet as we expand our awareness, we soon
realize that its full measure is beyond our appraisal.
The Origin Of The Word "Tea"
The word “Tea” proudly rides at the back of a Chinese horse. The Chinese
originally called it “Kia”. As far as it is known it was during the course
of the 6th century AD that the name evolved into "Cha". On its arrival in
the West it became “Té” which is still the name for tea in many countries.
The Discovery Of Tea
Out of the legendary purse comes out a story of the Chinese emperor, Shan
Nong, in 2737 B.C. who is believed to be the sole discoverer of tea. The
Emperor had the habit of boiling his drinking water. One day while he was in
his garden a few tea leaves fell by chance into his boiling water which then
gave off a rich, alluring aroma.
The Emperor, upon drinking this brew, found it to be
refreshing and energizing.
He then immediately gave the command for the tea bushes to be planted in the
garden of his palace. Thus the custom of brewing fresh tea leaves in hot
water began spread globally in the blink of an eye.
Since the discovery of tea and over the centuries the tradition of drinking
tea brewed from fresh tea leaves in boiling water has been firmly entrenched
in China.
The A.D. before fifth century practiced the custom of
using tea as a remedy due to the medicinal benefits attributed to it. From
this time onwards, China's upper class started the fashion of presenting
packages of tea as highly esteemed gifts and of enjoying drinking tea at
social events and in private homes. At around the same time the Chinese tea
ceremony began to develop and the prominence of tea began to hover around
until it reached the land of Japan.
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