It is said that tea was discovered by the legendary ruler Shennong. He sampled numerous herbs in order to find out their possible uses as food or medicine for his people. One day, he collapsed under a tree after tasting some poisonous leaves. Some water droplets happened to trickle down from the tree into his mouth and revived him. The tree was a tea plant. From then on, people knew about the detoxifying and curative effects of tea, and began using it as a medicine. Because it is refreshing, thirst-quenching and fragrant, tea gradually became an everyday drink.
The tea plant: In the old days, the tea plant was known as 'The Good Wood'; such was the high regard people had for tea. Tea originated in China, and could be found in the wild as early as a few thousand years ago in places such as Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan. In the jungles of Nannuo Mountain in Menghai, Yunnan, there is a wild tea plant that is over 30 metres tall and over 1700 years old. It is called the King of Tea Plants. Tea scholars travel great distances to view the plant, some coming from as far as Japan.
Tea plucking: The harvests of tea leaves can be classified by season: spring, summer, autumn and winter. The best green tea can also be divided into Ming Qian Tea (plucked before Qing Ming festival) and Yu Qian Tea (plucked before the rainy season). New Tea is freshly gathered from the tea plant. Mature Tea is tea that has been kept for a year or longer after plucking.
The word tea in English, thea in Latin and chay in Turkish all originated from the word cha in Cantonese or te in the Xiamen dialect from the Fujian province of China.
Legend: There is an interesting story behind the origin of the tea plant. One day, Da Mo, the founder of the Chan sect of Buddhism, fell asleep while meditating. In a fit of anger, he cut of his own eyelids. Suddenly, a tall tree with swaying leaves sprung out from the spot where the eyelids had landed. Da Mo plucked some leaves from the tree and boiled them in water. The drink energised him immediately. From then on, Da Mo never fell asleep again. The tree that grew from his eyelids was a tea plant, and tea became an indispensable drink in the temple. Of course, this is only a legend. The tea plant was around long before Da Mo's time.
Lu Yu: The Tea Master
During the Tang Dynasty, there emerged an expert on tea - Lu Yu. He wrote the Tea Classic, the world's first treatise on tea leaves. The book had detailed acconts on how to grow, prepare and drink tea; the varieties of prepare and drink tea; the quality of water used for brewing, aw well as the customs of tea drinking. It had a far-reaching influence on the development of tea culture, elevating tea drinking into a specialised art.
The classic also made Lu Yu the patron saint of tea merchants, who often decorated their desktops with porcelain statues of the Tea Master. When business was slow, the vendors would pour boiling water on the hole in the figurine's head, a ritual that was believed to improve business.
Legend: During the Tang Dynasty, a newborn baby boy was abandoned by his parents at the river-bank in Jingling, Fuzhou. His cries alerted a monk at the nearby Longgai Temple. The monk adopted the child and named him Lu Yu. Lu Yu was often bullied while he was at the temple. He couldn't take the bullying, and ran away. During his wandering days, he once acted as a comedian. But even in those difficult days, he never forgot to study, and learnt a great deal through self-study. Lu Yu befriended many of the scholars of his time, and met up with them frequently for tea drinking and poetry sessions. One day, he was entertaining a friend when his friend asked him why he did not get a scholar's title. He answered that he was not interested in government. To him a happy life, is one spent drinking tea and enjoying nature. His friend suggested that since he loved to drink tea, he should write a book on it. And so, Lu Yu began his journey all across the country to study the tea and water of various regions. He climbed high and low and travelled deep into forested areas to seek out all kinds of tea. He then retreated to Tiaoxi (now northwest of Zhejiang) to concentrate on writing his book. The government heard that he was a talented man and invited him to be an official. But Lu Yu's heart was in his book so he declined the offer. After years of study, Lu Yu finally completed the Tea Classic, the world's first treatise on tea.
Young buds were initially plucked from wild tea trees for use as medicine. They were chewed raw at first, and later boiled in water to make soup. The resulting tea porridge tasted like bitter medicinal soup, thus its name ku tu (bitter plant). Tea processing began after the Qin and Han Dynasties. Tea leaves were compacted into cakes and heated over fire until they red. The tea cakes could be cracked, ground into powder and boiled in pots to make tea. Shreds of scallion, ginger or tangerine were added as flavourings, and tea would be ready for serving. The process was further developed during the Tang Dynasty. Thus, the steps now include steaming, pounding, compacting, roasting, stringing and packing.
Loose tea was very popular during the Song Dynasty. It was made by steaming and then drying the tea leaves over a low fire. Not only was this method simple, it also preserved the fragrance of the leaves. During the Ming Dynasty, steaming was replaced by roasting. Tea leaves were roasted in hot, dry pans, which brought out the rich aroma of the leaves. This technique created the green tea that we commonly see today.
Rare and precious tea: In the Song Dynasty, there was a tea cake known as Longfengtuan. It was valued at two taels of gold a kati. Only a momentous occasions would the Emperor grant this tea as a gift, and each tea cake was shared by four persons. It can be seen how highly this tea cake was regarded. During another dynasty, tea could only be traded for exquisite silk materials. The palace at the time decreed that only officials above a certain rank, along with their families, were allowed to drink tea. Punishment would also be meted out to those who gave away tea leaves as gifts to others.
Modern tea making methods
Different types of tea require different processing methods. Here are the basic steps.
Plucking: Clamp the middle of the shoot between your index finger and thumb, and snap it. Different types of tea leaves require different ways of plucking. There are also leaf-collecting machines that are fast and efficient.
Withering: Fresh leaves are dried in the sun or using hot air.
Roasting: The eaves are dried at high temperatures.
Rolling: The dry leaves are pressed in a rolling machine twisted shape.
Drying: The leaves are dried in hot air inside the drying machine.
Curing: This is the key to leaves' aroma and taste. The correct curing method can improve the quality of the tea.
There are many different varieties of tea, which can be grouped into six main types:
Green tea: This is an unfermented leaf that gives a lovely jade green brew. They have a delicate scent. Longjing (dragon well) tea and Biluochun tea are both green teas. And they both come from regions with picturesque scenery - Longjing from West Lake in Hangzhou, and Biluochun, Tai Lake in Suzhou.
Black tea: This is a fermented leaf that draws well and gives a red beverage. Among the black teas, Qimen tea from Anhui is the most famous.
Oolong (black dragon) tea: This is a semi-fermented leaf. It's dryer and it keeps very well. Wuyiyan tea from Fujian is the best-known oolong tea.
Yellow tea: This is a lightly fermented tea. Its most striking feature is its yellow leaf and brew. It is very clear, light and fragrant. Among the better known yellow teas are Junshanbaizhen and Mengdinghuangta.
White tea: This is from a young leaves that still have fine white hairs on them. The famous Yinzhenbaihao is one of the varieties of white tea.
Dark tea: This is fermented for a longer time than other teas. Dark teas can be in the form of loose leaf or compressed tea, which is ea that has been compacted into the form of bricks. Renowned dark teas include Yunnan Pu'er and Cangwuliubao tea.
Other types of tea: Apart from these six main types of tea, there are some varieties of tea which have undergone further steps to become what is known as 'processed tea'. Scented tea is black, green and oolong teas blended with various flowers to create teas with lovely fragrances.
The Ten Famous Teas in China
Xihu Longjing: Produced near Xihu (West Lake) in Hnagzhou, in the province of Zhejiang, this is China's foremost tea. With its beautiful colour, appearance, aroma and flavour.
Dongting Biluochun: This type of tea is produced around Lake Taihu of Jiangsu Province, in the vicinity of Dongting Hill. It resembles cockles or seashells. When the tea is brewed, it gives out the fragrance of flowers.
Baihaoyinzhen: This tea is produces in the northern and eastern parts of Fujian Province. When it is brewed, the tea leaves drift up and down, something quite delightful to behold.
Junshanyinzhen: This tea is produced in the vicinity of Dongting Lake I Hunan Province. The production is limited each year to 20 to 30 kilograms. It is quite rare and valuable.
Huangshan Maofeng: This is produced in Huangshan, Anhui Province. In appearance, Maofeng tea leaves are tiny, thin and irregular, shaped like the tongues of birds, and have a rich fragrance similar to that of the white orchid.
Wuyiyan tea: This is produced in Mount Wuyi in Fujian Province. Famous brands include Da Hong Pao (Big Red Gown), Bai Ji Guan (White Rooster Crest), Shui Xian (Water Fairy), Oolong, etc. It was very well-received when it entered the European market during the 18th century, and developed a reputation as a panacea for all ills.
Anqi Tieguanyin: This is produced in Anqi in Fujian Province. It has the natural fragrance of the orchid. Its colour is dark green, and it tastes smooth and delicious.
Xinyang Maojian: This is produced in the high peaks of Mount Cheyun, Mount Jiyun, and Mount Tianyun in Xinyang, Henan Province. It has a bright green colour and a very pleasant fragrance.
Luchan Yunmu: It is produced in Mount Lu in Jiangxi Province. The plant grows well in the fresh mountain waters of Mount Lu. The tea is noted for its fragrance and pleasant smooth taste.
Liu’an Guapian: This tea is produced in the Dabie Mountains of Wanxi. The tea leaves resembe melon seeds. It helps digestion and in the healing of illnesses.
Other than the 10 famous tea types mentioned above, there are many others that also deserve mention. They include Pu’er tea from Yunnan, Qimeng black tea from Anhui, Ice Peak oolong tea from Taiwan and more.
Tea Cultivation in China
Many provinces in China produce tea, but the main areas are in the southern provinces. There are four major tea plantation regions in China.
Jiangbei: North of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, such as Shandong, Subei, Henan, Shanxi and Gansu. It produces mainly green tea.
Jiangnan: South of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, such as Zhejiang, Anhui, Sunan, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan and Fujian. It produces black, green, and oolong teas.
Huanan: The areas south of the Southern Ridge, such as Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan. Famed for its black and oolong teas.
The south-western region: The tea producing provinces in the south-western region, including Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan. It is known for green tea and dark tea.
Tea is cultivated in over 50 countries in the world. Most of them are in Asia, which accounts for 80% of the world's output. India is the largest tea producing country, while China produces the most green tea - about 60% of the world's supply. Black tea has the most variety, and make up over 70% of tea in the world.
Legend: Long ago, there lived an old lady in the Longjing village of Hangzhou. She had no children, but had 18 old tea trees in her backyard for company. One Lunar New Year's Eve, a mysterious man in a cloak walked past the granny's house. He asked her why she was making tea and she answered that she would like to help the poor passers-by keep warm. The man told her that she will be rewarded for her kind deeds. He pointed to an old mortar near her and told her that it will soon make her rich. The next day, the man came again. He looked at the mortar and asked her what had happened to the dirt inside the mortar. She hen told him that she poured it on the roots of the tea tress in her backyard. The man was very pleased. The following year, the 18 trees produced tea leaves with a special fragrance. The old lady gave out the seeds of the trees to others, and soon Longjing was full of the tea plants that produce its eponymous tea.
Legend: Biluochun is a famous tea in China. It is grown mainly in the Tai Lake region at the southwest of Suzhou. It has a fragrant and elegant scent, and was originally known as Xiasharenxiang. A long time ago, there lived a beautiful, hardworking and kind-hearted girl named Biluo on the West Dongting Mountain at Tai Lake. She had a lovely voice, and her singing attracted a young man name Ah Xiang, who lived across the lake on the East Dongting Mountain. But her voice also brought an evil dragon, which stirred up a storm in the lake. He would not stop until Biluo becomes his wife. Biluo was about to sacrifice herself when Ah Xiang decided to go kill the beast instead. For seven days and seven nights, Ah Xiang fought a fierce battle with the dragon. Although he managed to slay the beast, he was severely wounded. So Biluo started taking care of him. Ah Xiang's condition however, got worse by the day and the worried Biluo searched frantically for a cure. One day, her search brought her to where Ah Xiang had fought the dragon. She found a small tea plant there. She wanted the future generations to know about how Ah Xiang sacrificed himself for the village so she nutured the tea tree. When winter came, Biluo warmed the young buds with her breath to save them from the cold. Soon after, young shoots sprouted from theplant. Biluo plucked some to make tea for Ah Xiang. The tea made Ah Xiang feel better and the aroma from the tea spread throughout the village. Biluo continued to pluck fresh leaves to make tea for Ah Xiang as he slowly recovered. However, Biluo was exhausted from all the hard work. One day, she collapsed in Ah Xiang’s arms and died with a smile on her face. Heartbroken, he buried Biluo next to the tea plant. Since then, the tea was called Biluochun.
Legend: Baihaoyinzhen is one of the top 10 famous teas. It brightens the eyes and has a cooling effect on the body. There is a beautiful legend surrounding its origin. A long time ago, Zhenghe county in Fujian was suffering a long drought. An epidemic ensued, and many fell sick. Some of the villagers suggested that the miracle herb next to the dragon well on Donggong Mountain could cure all diseases. However, no one who went into the mountain ever returned. There was a family with three siblings. The eldest decided to go and look for the herb. At the foot of the mountain, the elder brother met and old man. He told him not to look back when climbing the mountain, or else he would not get the herb. When he was halfway up the mountain, he saw many rocks and a voice from behind said 'turn back! You’ll die if you keep going'. The elder brother looked back in surprise and turned into a piece of rock immediately. When the elder brother did not return, the younger brother set off for the mountain to get the herb. But he suffered the same fate as his elder brother. And when the younger brother did not return, the sister knew it was her turn to go. The younger sister received the same advice from the old man. She used some roasted glutinous rice cake to block her ears. The younger sister was not affect by the strange noises and succeeded in picking the herbs. Soon the people in the village was cured. The herb was cultivated and passed on from generation to generation, and the villagers called it Baihaoyinzhen.
Legend: Oolong tea from Anxi, Fujian, is a world famous tea. Legend has it that it was discovered accidentally by a hunter. During the Qing Dynasty, there lived a hunter in the village of Nanyan in Xiping, Anxi. His name was Sulong and he was an able hunter. Because of his dark skin, he was also called Wulong (black dragon). One day he went to hunt and collect tea leaves. When he was done picking tea leaves, he came across a roebuck. When he got back Wulong was so busy helping his family prepare the deer that he forgot about the tea leaves he had collected. Only on the next day did they start to stir-fry the tea leaves. It turned out that the edges of the leaves turned red and it smelt good as well. The tea made from it was fragrant and rich, and not bitter at all. After repeated experiments, an excellent new tea was born - oolong tea.
Legend: During the Qing Dynasty, there was a farmer in Anxi who offered tea to Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy) every morning. One morning, he was on his way to the hill when he saw the shadow of Guayin in a slit among the rocks. He looked up and realised that it was a tea plant. The farmer transplanted the tea plant to his backyard and looked after it with great care. The tea leaf was heavier, and its dark green colour was just like iron. So he called it Zhongrutie (heavy as iron). The farmer worshipped the Guayin with Zhongrutie, and after a while, the tea became known as Tieguayin (iron Guanyin).
Legend: Chen Guqiu, a tea merchant from Beijing, once met an orphan girl at an inn when he was buying tea in the south. She explained that her father had died and she did not have enough money for his funeral. So Chen Guqiu offered her money for the funeral and to travel to her relatives as well. When she reached home, she wanted to repay Chen Guqiu for his kindness. Three years later, Chen Guqiu came to visit the south again. A man passed him a package from the girl. It was some tea. When he returned home, Chen Guqiu invited a tea expert to try the tea with him. A beautiful girl with jasmine flowers in her hands appeared briefly amidst the fragrant steam. His friend said that the girl must have used all her energy to create the tea and believed that she no longer lives. Chen Guqiu wondered whether the girl holding the jasmine flowers in her hand was a sign to add jasmine flowers to the tea. So he added jasmine flowers to the tea, and created the alluring and well-loved jasmine tea.
The secret of boiling water
The temperature of the water used in making tea will affect the quality of the brew. The fire used to boil the water should not be too big or too small. The tea will taste best if fused with freshly boiled water. If the water is boiled for too long, it becomes what the ancients call 'old water'. Tea made with this water will lose its freshness. If the tea is prepared with unboiled 'young water', the tea will not be able to reach its full flavour because of the lower temperature, resulting in a thin brew. These days, most people use tap water. The chlorine and the metallic taste from the pipe will affect the quality of the brew. But there is a secret to making good tea with tap water:
Legend: The nanling water (water at the centre) of the Yangtze River is considered the best water in the world. However, the rapid water and strong waves make it very difficult to get the water, which adds to its rarity. Lu Yu, the God of Tea, and Li Jiqing, the governor of Huzhou, once went for a boat tour along the Yangtze River. They travelled all the way to Yangtze Port at the north shore. Lu Yu told one of his men to get some nanling water. A while later, a servant came back with a bottle full of water. When he tasted the water, he knew it was not nanling water. The servant insisted that it was nanling water. Lu Yu used a ladle to remove the upper half of the water in the bottle, and took a sip of the water below. This time it was nanling water. The servant was surprised that he could tell the different and told him the truth. He indeed did get nanling water. But on his return trip he spilt half the water, so he replaced it with water near the shore.
Legend: One day, two brothers stopped at a temple hoping to settle there after a long journey. The monk warned them that life was difficult there and that they'd have to climb several mountains before they could get any water. Because of that, he was the only monk left at the temple. The brothers insisted that they would be fine and that they would get the water if they could stay there. So the monk agreed. There was a drought during the summer and the land was parched. One of the brothers suddenly remembered the Little Boy Spring on Heng Mountain and suggested that they move the spring to Hangzhou. When they reached Heng Mountain, there was a little boy waiting for them there. He told that he was the fairy in charge of the Little Boy Spring and he knew why there were there. He told them that they would have to be turned into tigers in order to be string enough to uproot a spring. They did not hesitate and agreed. When the got back to Hangzhou, the monk saw the two tigers digging on the ground. After a while, he saw water coming from the ground. Since it was dug up by tigers, they called it Hupao (Tiger-Dig) Spring. The spring was later known as Hupao (Tiger-Run) Spring.