Where did Tea Come From? The True Story
Greetings tea lovers and students of the Way of Tea. Please sit down with a pot of loose tea, pour yourself a cup, and pay attention. I shall impart to you the history of tea.
As you may have noticed, the arrogant Earl of Grey has on more than one occasion claimed credit for discovering tea. This is, of course, ridiculous. Tea has been around many more generations before the Earl was born—before his country even existed.
There are many different legends about how the first person took leaves from the tea bush and put them into a pot of boiling water. But all agree that it took place in China several thousand years BC. One story tells of a monk who saw monkeys eating flowers and leaves from a bush, and he put it into a pot of hot water.
Another story is about the Emperor saw leaves blow into a pot of water, and rather than throw it out, he sampled it. Still another, slightly more gross story goes that a meditating monk fell asleep. When he awoke he cut off his eyelids in disgust at himself, and where they fell to the earth, the first tea bush grew.
The tea culture and traditions were passed around the East for many centuries. It continued to grow in popularity, becoming very popular in Japan, Korea, and many other countries. It was eventually brought to the Western World many (many) years later in the 1600s as trade between East and West became easier and more common. At some point, it did make it to the royal courts, probably because they were the most exposed to other cultures. Perhaps even the Earl himself had something to do with its popularity in his country, but it was many (many!) centuries after we Chinese discovered it.
So next time, as you stir your tea bag in your hot cup of oolong tea, I hope you will send your gratitude to the Chinese, who discovered this delicious, healthy beverage for you to enjoy.
Tags: china, Chinese, earl grey, Earl of Grey, England, history, origin, tea
