The Origins of Tea Drinking

Today tea is widely regarded as the nation's favourite drink. After all, a nice cup of tea will fix just about anything. But just who was it that came up with the idea of infusing the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to make the refreshing brew we all know and love? It is widely known that tea originated in China and there are plenty of legends about its discovery, but the truth is that no one is entirely sure of who created the first ever cuppa.

According to one popular Chinese legend it was Emperor Shen Nong, the inventor of agriculture and Chinese medicine, who is accredited with the discovery of tea drinking in around 2737BC. As he was drinking a bowl of boiled water, a few leaves from a nearby tree blew into his cup and changed the colour of his drink. Intrigued by the lovely aroma, the Emperor took a sip and was so impressed by its flavour and restorative properties that tea soon became a staple part of his diet. In fact it is said that he used tea as an antidote to the sometimes poisonous herbs and medicinal plants that he tested on himself. See, a cup of tea really does fix everything.

Another more gruesome legend claims that it was the Indian Buddhist Monk, Bodhidharma, who discovered tea when he travelled to China to visit a Shaolin Monastery. The monk was refused entry to the temple and as a mark of protest he moved into a nearby cave where he vowed to stare at the wall for the next nine years. Seven years into his wall gazing he, unsurprisingly, started to dose off. Bodhidharma was so angry with himself that he cut off his own eyelids to stop it happening again. Two tea plants grew where his eyelids landed on the ground, providing a much more pleasant way for Buddhists to stay alert and awake during their meditations.

By around 300AD the medicinal properties of tea were being widely talked and even written about. Tea drinking and its rituals spread throughout the East with the Buddhist faith and the most famous book about tea, The Ch'a Ching (The Classic of Tea) was written by a man called Lu Yu in the 8th century. The book described in detail everything there was to know about the beverage, from the best tea growing regions, to how to make the perfect cuppa. According to Lu Yu it took twenty-four different implements to brew the ultimate cup of tea. By writing this definitive manual on tea, Lu Yu became a celebrity in his lifetime - tea cultivators even prayed to his statue! This book elevated the art of tea to a spiritual and enlightened ceremony that perfectly complemented the Taoist faith and made tea drinking an essential part of everyday life.

However tea came about and whoever made the first cup, its health giving properties and ability to nourish the body and inspire the mind have been known for many centuries. Now tea is drunk in even the most remote parts of the world. Packed full of antioxidants and as refreshing as ever, it is no surprise that a nice cup of tea is the world's favourite drink.
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