Prince Siddhartha

We have mentioned before that nobody knows for sure when and where tea was first discovered. One of the most popular legends is of a Chinese King by the name of Shen Nong who is said to have discovered tea around 2737 B.C. More information about this legend can be found in the article titled Shen Nong - The Father of Tea. There is another legend that has spread throughout the Orient and traveling wherever tea and Buddhism went, gaining a large following in Japan. This legend is important to the Buddhist version of tea’s discovery because of its important to Zen Buddhist religious practice.

The legend says that a Prince with an Indian name called Siddhartha Gautama made a pilgrimage to China. To prove his faith he vowed never to sleep, not even in years, but one day when he felt really fatigued he fell into a deep sleep. When the Prince Siddhartha woke from his dream he was so ashamed at having broken his vow that he tore off his eyelids and threw them into the ground. His eyelids took root and from them a bush of green tea leaves sprouted. Prince Siddhartha started eating these leaves and it helped with his meditation and alleviated his weariness so he recommended it to his followers.

According to Indian tea origin theorists, tea was introduced to China by Prince Siddhartha in 519 B.C. However, tea had already been a part of China’s culture for at least one thousand years before Prince Siddhartha’s birth. It seems like the true origin of tea will remain unknown for the time being. Even though the legends of the origin of tea are wonderful in essence, they seem to hold some myth in them.

Join me in my next article as I explore the facts that allow us to determine the true origins of tea.

Green Tea

Green tea is most common in China. As with all other varieties of tea, green tea also comes from the plant Camellia Sinesis. Although black tea has been the most popular variety of tea in the West, recently green tea has been spreading in popularity.

Green tea consumption started in China almost 5,000 years ago and it is used for such things as healing wounds, stopping bleedings and regulating body temperature. The same is done in Japan, Thailand and India.

Green tea is now being acredited with providing many health benefits. There is already hard evidence that shows green tea helps reduce the risk of certain cancers and lowers cholesterol levels.

Black Tea

Black tea is one of the four main varieties of tea that exist today. The other three varieties are green tea, oolong tea and white tea. Black tea, as well as the rest of the varieties of tea, come from the plant Camellia Sinesis and one characteristic that distinguishes it from the rest of teas is its strong flavor. Black tea is known to retain its flavor for many years, while others will usually hold it for no more than two years. Black tea makes about 90% of the tea sold in the west.

Black tea is classified into four different grades: whole leaf, broken leaf, fannings and dust.

After the discovery of tea by emperor Shen Nung, as the story goes, it took a while for tea to become a popular drink in China. This was accomplished during the Tang dynasty (618-906 AD) when tea became the national drink of China.

Japan was the next country to fall in love with tea. With Budhist monks traveling to China to study, they would bring back to Japan the refreshing drink. Tea became part of Japanese culture as it is seen even today by rituals such as the Tea Ceremony.

Cup of tea in Holland

The history of tea in Europe began with the Portuguese, as they visited the East as traders and missionaries, they brought back with them new discoveries to the West, including tea. But it was the Dutch who truly introduced tea to Europe by establishing a trading post in the island of Java and commercially exporting the first batch of tea from China to Holland in 1606.

Tea soon became a popular drink in Holland and soon spread through continental western Europe, but because of its high price it remained a drink strictly for the wealthy.

Around 1675, as the amount of tea imported grew and prices dropped, tea became available to  common food shops and by that time, many well to do homes had exclusive tearooms.

A couple of nights ago I decided I wanted to make fried rice, so I went on the Internet, found a recipe and started looking for all the ingredients I was going to need. I soon realized there were a few things I was missing: green onions, carrots and celery. I went to my local grocery store, walked towards the fruits and vegetables section and bought the ingredients I needed.

Camellia sinensis

Making fried rice was pretty easy once I knew what I needed to buy, where to get it and how to make it. I would have never gone to an electronics store to buy the ingredients I was missing. Making sense of things by placing items into groups where they share commonalities makes sense, and that is exactly what scientists do with plants.

Camellia is the name of the genus (a group) from where the tea plant comes from. The name of the species where the tea plant comes from is called Camellia sinesis, but before I confuse you, here is the complete classification of the tea plant:

1- Kingdom: Plantae
2- Division: Magnoliophyta
3- Class: Magnoliopsida
4- Order: Ericales
5- Family: Theaceae
6- Genus: Camellia
7- Species: Camellia sinensis

All teas, whether they are green, black, white, etc., come from the same plant. What makes each type of tea different are characteristics such as the age of the leaves and how those leaves are processed before they make it to your cup.

So there you have it. I’ve introduced you to the queen of the dance floor. Don’t be afraid to introduce her to your friends and have your own party… a tea party that is.