The history of tea is filled with an unbelievably diverse group of nouns, verbs and emotions. From adventure, we find fortune; from war we experience revolution and social change. The journey of Camellia Sinensis bush from its early medicinal uses to its modern culture oriented appreciation is in many ways a sweeping metaphor for life itself. Few things in this strange, beautiful world of ours can inspire such a broad range of emotions the way that tea can.

Tea is the second most consumed liquid on the planet, after water. For many of us, we begin each day with a cup of tea, and we know that what lies in that cup will prepare us for whatever lies ahead in our journey through modern life. We enjoy another cup around mid-day, to pick us up and inspire us to finish our ever-growing workload. When we finally arrive home in the evening, we let another cup pull us from the dizzying speed of modern urban life and into a more serene, thoughtful state.

Tea plantation in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia.

Tea plantation in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia.

The centuries old relationship between the farmers and their land, and the process of taking their crop to the market is still, after all of this time thriving. Long gone are the days of waiting weeks or even months for ships to cross the ocean bringing in new lots of heavily fermented leaves. With the advent of the internet and modern business, a tea connoisseur can find nearly any variety of tea he desires and have it delivered to his doorstep with minimal effort.

All tea is plucked from the same species of tea plant, known as Camellia sinensis, a sturdy evergreen bush with shiny, green, serrated leaves. There are three primary origin-specific varietal bushes: China Bush, Assam Bush and Java Bush. Much of the flavor of tea is derived from the method of manufacture. A second influence, that of what the French call “terrior” places the subtle nuances that alone, can identify the geographic region and origin of the tea, even as precise as to the estate in which it was grown. Perhaps nothing influences the flavor of tea as much as the culture behind it. For instance, China is famous for it’s sweet, fresh, lighter flavors, while Japan is known for grassy, astringent teas. Each of the numerous variables (soil, growing conditions, pruning of the bushes, timing of picking, leaf style, skill, harvest weather, etc) play an important role in the manufacturing of great tea. In our journey of tea we’ve found great enjoyment in pin-pointing taste, aroma and visual characteristics to each of these variables. Through expanding your palate and tasting a variety of teas you can develop a comprehensive “world view” of tea and learn to enjoy the beverage in ways that a simple teabag and some sugar can’t provide.

In the next installment of “The Story of Tea”, we’ll trace the beginning of tea consumption to its medicinal uses and development of tea culture. Until then, we urge you to check out high quality loose leaf tea selections found in our store.