Tea has been around for a long time. Although there is no doubt tea originated in China, nobody knows for sure how the first cup was brewed. However, there is a famous story about the origin of tea that dates back to the year 2737 BC, when China was under the rule of King Shen Nong.

Shen Nong

King Shen Nong was known as the father of agriculture and medicine. As the story goes, the king had made it a rule to boil water before drinking it because he believed this would make it healthier to drink. One day when the king was visiting a distant region of his realm, he decided to take a brake and ordered his servants to bring him water. As the servants started bowling the water according to the king’s rule, dry leaves from a nearby bush started to fall on the pot of water. The king became very interested in the infused water and found it to be very delicious and at once felt invigorated. Tea was born.

King Shen Nong was always very concern with his health and that of his people. He recommended tea to those around him, saying, “Tea gives vigor to the body, contentment to the mind, and determination of purpose.” Thanks to his concerns on health, he has been said to discover tea and its medicinal powers.

Even though many affirm that tea was discovered by King Shen Nong, chances are that a king by this name never existed. There used to be a primitive farming tribe in China by the name of Shennong. A clever chieftain is said to have invented plowing tools and to discover tea along with other medicinal herbs through personal experimentation. Legend has given him the status of divinity, the name King Shen Nong, and the title of Father of Tea.