In Chinese literature you can easily find references about tea that date back to some 5000 years but its use as a beverage is still not clear. Actually according to the ancient folklore in 2737 BC the creation of a brew took place.
In Chinese literature you can easily find references about tea that date back to some 5000 years but its use as a beverage is still not clear. In reality in line with the ancient folklore in 2737 BC the creation of a brew occurred. It all happened by chance when a camellia blossom was dropped into a cup of boiled drinking water which was belonged to Emperor Shen Nung. Reported by some scholars its reference was found in an historic Chinese dictionary named Erh Ya which dates back to 350 BC. In ancient period the tea was drunk for its herbal and medicinal properties. Given that the ancient time it has been regarded that tea assist in digestion and for this cause most Chinese people have a cup of tea right after meals. The concept of drinking tea during those times was to alleviate the nicotine content for the smokers. It was 8th century once the tea drinking grew to become an art form. This in fact led to the book of Lu Yu "The Classic Art of Tea". The first Buddhist and highly important poet used to be quite specific about the proper method of brewing, steeping as well as the method of serving. Initially it was prepared with a porcelain container with slow moving stream water.The only perfect environment for enjoying the finished product i.e. tea was simply a pavilion principally the one just about a water lily pond. This could be more enjoyable in the company of a desirable female. Some of his very useful tips on tea developing are still in practice. The Yu's publication enhanced the use of tea and it rolled down over the centuries. For that reason tea drinking became the hot matter for poems and books. Tea was then given as a reward by Emperors of those times. And, then tea houses began to surface in region. Tea plays a healthy role in the daily life of Chinese and that's why they value it unlike Japanese who celebrate tea ceremony. It is quite stunning to know that all categories of tea in truth come from one source i.e. Camilla Sinensis bush. To be precise there are four groups of tea but there are numerous types of Chinese tea available. White tea is considered the balanced one it is made from the immature tea leaves. The Chinese pick and pluck these leaves when they are in the budding stage and not when they are totally bloomed. The color of green tea leaves is saved as it is not fermented during processing. Dragon Well tea, is the most expensive and the most popular green tea.. It is produced in the foothills of Hanghou. The black tea which is also known as red tea is made from fermented leaves and it accounts for its dark colors leaves. The common types of black tea include Bo lei, that is a Cantonese tea. It is often drunk with milder tea, dim sum and luk on which are favored by the older people. You can also find oolong tea which happen to be partially fermented and results in a black-green tea. The Oolong tea also known as Soi sin have a bitter taste and is generally grown in Fukien. The 'scented tea' is the fourth category which is generated by mixing different flowers and petals or oolong tea. Among these the white tea and the jasmine tea are quite popular. Nowadays, most of us don't have a pavilion or a lily pond nearby our backyard but still we can get pleasure from this ancient beverage. All you need is little practice to brew a perfect cup of tea.
