Legend holds that in 2737 BCE, the Chinese emperor Shen Nong was boiling water beneath a tree when a leaf drifted into his pot. The resulting infusion carried a pleasant fragrance — and tea, according to tradition, was born.
The Tang Dynasty: Tea Becomes Art
The first serious treatise on tea, Lu Yu's Cha Jing (The Classic of Tea), was written during the Tang Dynasty in the 8th century. Tea ceased to be a simple beverage and became a subject of aesthetics — water, vessels, and the state of mind of the person brewing all mattered.
The Song Dynasty: Ceremony and Contest
During the Song Dynasty (960–1279), powdered tea and tea competitions flourished — guests competed to whip the most stable foam. Simplicity and contemplation became central to the philosophy of tea drinking.
The Ming Dynasty: The Turning Point
The Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) marked a decisive shift. Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang banned compressed tea as an unnecessary extravagance and mandated loose-leaf tea instead. This is when the pan-firing technique (Chaoqing) was born — giving rise to green tea as we recognise it today.
Six Categories, One Leaf
Further advances in processing — controlling oxidation, varying degrees of fermentation — gave birth to the six categories of tea: green, white, yellow, oolong, red, and black (pu-erh). These are not different plants, but different degrees and methods of processing the same Camellia sinensis leaf.
The 20th Century and Beyond
The 20th century brought mechanisation — rolling machines, industrial ovens. But the finest teas today are still processed by hand: no machine feels the leaf the way a master does.