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Where there is tea, there is culture. From China and Japan to India and Britain. Each of these tea cultures have signature blends, styles and tastes that many tea drinkers can readily name and describe. Beyond the influence of the terrior and preparation, each of these regions brings something unique to the experience of tea. To truly understand what and how, we must explore the interesting past of our beloved beverage, a journey which is both fulfilling and engaging as any you’re likely to find.

Tea is believed to have originated thousands of years ago in Southeast Asia. Modern experts have pinpointed the center of origin to the general area of northeast India, north Burma and Southwest China and Tibet. The Yunnan Province, where today, much of the tea consumed worldwide is grown, is thought to be the birthplace of tea consumption. Interestingly enough, Lincang City of the Yunnan Province is home to the world’s oldest cultivated tea tree, believed to be over 3,200 years old.

Shennong, the Famous Chinese Emperor chewing on herbs.

A popular Chinese legend attributes the creation of tea to Shennong, the legendary Emperor of China, in or around 2737 BC. Considered to be the father of Chinese agriculture and medicine, Shennong was known for tasting herbs and testing their medical value. He is credited with identifying hundreds of herbs (some poisonous) by personally testing the effects on the human body. Chinese legend tells us that Shennong’s discovery of tea was due to burning tea twig leaves being carried up, out of the fire by the hot air and into his cauldron of boiling water. As was ordinary with him, he noted the effects of the beverage and is said to have chewed tea leaves as an antidote to the poisonous herbs he found. It should be noted that tea, in fact, is an antidote for some seventy poisonous herbs.

Early tea use was mainly for medicinal purposes. The cultural mosaic that inhabited the tea growing region had learned of its healthy effects from their ancestors who planted the trees hundreds of years prior. By the time of the Shang Dynasty (1766-1050 BC), tea culture was thriving in the Yunnan province. Championed for it’s medicinal properties, tea was often combined with other herbs to treat nearly any ailment a sufferer could report. Tea was seen as essential to maintaining ones health and wellbeing.

It is believed that the Zhou dynasty (1122-256 BC) was the first to cultivate tea for enjoyment, rather than for use as a medicinal aid. The Zhou dynasty was also instrumental in the spread of indigenous tea trees to other areas, namely the Sichuan Province, just northeast of Yunnan. So the next time you brew yourself a cup of something delicious, we hope you’ll think about the humble beginnings of the cherished leaf from which we derive so much pleasure, and how, without the Zhou dynasty, we might not be drinking tea for enjoyment, as so many of us do today.

In the next installment of “The Story of Tea”, we’ll accompany tea on it’s journey through early culture and it’s association with religion and spirituality. Until then, we’d like to point you in the direction of our RSS feed. By subscribing, you can receive the latest Ocean of Tea blog posts in your feedreader or email inbox automatically. We also encourage you to comment on our posts with suggestions, concerns, thoughts and questions. We’d love to hear from you!