While millions of people enjoy Chinese herbal tea, which comes in many different varieties, as well as flowering tea, one of the intriguing mysteries is that no one really knows when tea was discovered. Perhaps part of the interest in tea also includes this mystery along with flavor and medicinal properties. We know it comes from the Camellia sinensis plant but not much more.
Who Drank the World’s First Tea
China is known for their colorful stories, legends that are shared and passed down for generations. One legend has to do with herbal tea, specific to the person that first enjoyed its wonderful flavor. This legend involves the Emperor, Shen Nung (Shennong) who was also a farmer, scholar, and herbalist.
When it came to science, Shen Nung knew a lot, especially for that period of life. For instance, Nung strongly believed that to purify drinking water, it had to first be boiled. The legend goes on that in 2737 BC, he was walking around the edge of the forest while his servants built a fire to boil water but the wind whipped up, causing a leaf from the Camellia sinensis plant to fall in.
As the leaves and twigs steeped in the water, they all began to boil. Becoming increasingly curious about the water changing color and the aroma being produced, Nung left them to steep. While the legend is that Chinese herbal tea was developed by accident, from that day forward, exotic tea soon became popular in other countries.
The Other Legend of Tea
While the first story is the one that most people believe, another version is that Wan Tu, a very evil man was actually the person to make the discovery. In this story, he had been banned to the southern region of China primarily because of his horrific disposition. Upon arrival, Wan Tu was boiling water only to have a problem with leaves falling into the pot. However, after sipping on the tea, he found it enjoyable and relaxing, which resulted in his evilness being replaced with kindness.
Is Instant Tea Any Good
You will discover that a third legend about healthy tea from China involved Buddhism. In this case, an Indian Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma, who founded Zen Buddhism, took at trip into China. While on his trip, he became angry due to struggling to stay away while meditating. He was so angry that the story says he cut his eyelids off and tossed them onto the ground. At that time, the eyelids fell into the Camellia sinensis plant, which was the beginning of instant tea. No matter the story you believe, today you can purchase hundreds of options through reputable tea companies.
