The Chinese have been drinking tea for health and enjoyment for thousands of years. In fact, the brewing method we used today can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when people first began to use a lidded vessel to steep tea leaves in boiled water.
Some believe that drinking tea began some 4,000 years earlier, when legend has it that, one day in 2737 BC, the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung was about to drink some boiling water when a few leaves from an overhanging tree blew into the pot. The inquisitive Emperor decided to taste this unlikely looking brew, and discovered what tea-drinkers the world over know; that tea is both delicious and refreshing.
Did you know?
An Indian legend attributes the discovery of tea to Bodhidharma. He was understandably tired as a seven-year period of sleepless contemplation drew to an end. In desperation he chewed on some leaves from a nearby tea tree, and was immediately revived.
