The Story of Tea Read online

A tea plucker gathers leaves that will be processed and rolled into Gunpowder tea at the local tea factory in the hills surrounding Shengxian (Zhejiang Province, China).

  So if all teas are harvested from the same species of tea bush, what accounts for the great differences between the seemingly endless varieties of tea? The most clearly visible answer is in the method of manufacture the leaf is given. In other words the process of turning fresh tea leaf into green tea differs from that used to make a black tea or an oolong or a white tea, because theoretically any fresh leaf can be made into any style of tea.

  But that is the simple answer, which does not do justice to the intricacies and complexities of the world of tea. Many other invisible influences come into play that are not as easy to see. When we take a wide-angle look at the differences between tea leaves, we are only able to discern the obvious distinctions between black tea, green, oolong, and white teas. If we move in for a closer look at a selection of green teas or black teas, however, we can begin to see that culture and heritage are reflected in the various leaf styles. Tea-producing countries work within the boundaries of their established traditions, preserving much and changing little. These strong cultural factors bring character and individuality to the manufacturing techniques, resulting in teas that are as unique as a fingerprint.

  When we zoom in even closer, we discover that tea production for any single country is actually a composite of a multitude of place-specific teas produced in various regions within that country. For example, whether tea is harvested in the north or south, central or coastal areas, each regional tea contributes a leaf of unique character and style to that region’s roster of specialties. In each region all the variables of tea production—the soil, the growing conditions, the habit and pruning of the bushes, the timing of the picking, the leaf style being picked, the skill of the tea pickers, the weather during the harvest, and the experience of the tea processors—must be considered. It is here, within the different interpretations of these variables, that tradition, culture, and terroir combine to create the great teas of the world.

  It’s no wonder that a simple cup of tea is far from a simple matter, and that tea enthusiasts’ attraction to this exhilarating beverage was responsible for changing the course of history for more than one country. So journey with us to the exotic lands where tea gardens cloak the hillsides in blankets of soft emerald green and a warm welcome always awaits in the hand of a stranger extending a humble cup of hot, fragrant tea.

  IN THE VEILED DAWN OF PREHISTORY, tea was consumed in the vast nexus of Assam (in northeastern India), the Yunnan Province (in southwestern China), along the northern borders of neighboring Burma (known today as Myanmar), Laos (officially Lao People’s Democratic Republic), Vietnam, and Thailand. Tea’s origins and ascendancy began in China, long considered to be the source of indigenous tea bushes and, later, the birthplace of the first cultivated tea gardens. Along Yunnan’s southern edge its borders with Myanmar and Laos meet to form a rugged, mountainous area that is easily defined on paper but difficult to separate in reality. Here a thick covering of forest jungle melds this place into one lush, tropical expanse. Anthropologists now know that tea trees existed and still exist today in large swaths of remote, forested land that straddled the border areas of these countries.

  For centuries this region has supported populations of ethnic minorities for whom the borders have provided porous access through the jungle—and the tea bushes and trees therein have provided fresh leaf for indigenous styles of tea and tea-drinking customs.

  Awareness of tea spread first from Yunnan, throughout China, then to the rest of Asia, and finally to the West. In Yunnan indigenous wild tea trees are still found in the old-growth forests of Xishuangbanna, an agricultural region nourished by the rich and fertile watershed of the Mekong River. The tea trees are located across seven tea mountains, many of which are calculated to be five hundred to a thousand years old. These ancient trees are a living patrimony for local populations of Dai and Bulang minorities, who revere the trees as a precious, living inheritance from their ancestors. From the beginning, China found the tea bush to be useful, and the people eventually embraced tea drinking with a deep-rooted passion that captivated the rest of the world. Researchers of Chinese history have reconstructed a timeline tracing the development of tea drinking in China, noting that the use of tea changed and evolved with the advent of each successive dynasty. Thus tea was brewed in various ways, depending on the fashion of the day and the whims of the emperor.

  At one time tea leaves were used to concoct a medicinal brew. Later, tea was viewed more as a healthful tonic and was compressed into hard little cakes, then scraped, roasted, and boiled with salt into a bitter brew. Eventually, tea leaves were ground into a fine powder and then whipped with a delicate bamboo whisk into a light green froth, resulting in a beverage that came yet one step closer to what we associate today as a cup of tea. As tea usage in China changed, the culture of tea drinking developed into a highly stylized and sophisticated social etiquette, with established manners, status, and rank that in turn encouraged an appreciation for art, poetry, and songs.

  From Food to Medicine: Early Uses for Tea

  Anthropologists speculate that prehistoric humans (the species Homo erectus) discovered indigenous tea trees growing wild in the forests of Yunnan. The quest to discover edibles in the environment would have eventually tempted these early inhabitants to chew on the leaves of the tea trees, perhaps stimulated by their own curiosity or from watching the actions of forest-dwelling animals. They would have discovered these leaves to be a source of invigorating energy that might sustain them on their daily rounds of foraging for food.

  Once these prehistoric humans learned the skills of fire building, they gained warmth and protection from the elements, and soon they acquired the ability to cook meat and boil water. Surrounded by an abundance of wild-growing tea trees, they felled these trees to use for fuel. Most likely along the way they experimented with adding tea leaves and other forest barks and leaves to boiling water, which was then stewed into various strong, bitter, and invigorating concoctions.

  By the time of the Shang dynasty (1766–1050 BC), tea was being consumed in Yunnan Province for its medicinal properties. For any given ailment, tea leaves were boiled with a host of other forest plants, seeds, barks, and leaves to concoct healing herbal remedies. Wisdom gleaned from the trial and error of using these herbal concoctions laid the groundwork for the great herbal-healing traditions for which China would later become famous. Early on, tea was thus among the growing pharmacopoeia in China of ingredients considered useful and necessary for maintaining one’s health.

  By the end of the Zhou dynasty (1122–256 BC), indigenous tea trees were also found growing wild in Sichuan Province, Yunnan’s neighbor to the northeast. It is believed that here, for the first time, people began to boil tea leaves for consumption into a concentrated liquid without the addition of other leaves or herbs, thereby using tea as a bitter yet stimulating drink, rather than a medicinal concoction.

  Tea and China’s Great Religions

  China’s three great philosophy religions—Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism—sprouted toward the middle of the Zhou dynasty. Each of these religions embraced tea for its healthful virtues and powers of rejuvenation. Monks and priests who were introduced to tea found that this beverage would help them stay awake during long meditations. To these holy men, tea represented a virtuous and necessary tonic, which they declared to be the “elixir of life” that should be consumed daily by all people. As the popularity of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism spread throughout China, so did an awareness of life-enhancing tea.

  A monk (Gyantse, Tibet).

  It was under the rule of Qin Shihuangdi, the first Qin emperor (r. 221–210 BC), however, that the greatest number of Chinese citizens came to hear of this beneficial tonic. During his reign China became a unified country; a collection of previously warring states thus turned into a single empire with a centraliz
ed administration. The emperor was responsible for monumental building projects the region had not yet witnessed. Under Qin Shihuangdi’s rule isolated segments of fortification walls that had been built in earlier times were linked together to create one strong defensive wall that would define his empire. This became the first stage of the Great Wall of China. The emperor ordered the construction of a multitude of grand and elaborate imperial palaces as well as the creation of his own tomb, which he outfitted with thousands of the now famous terra-cotta warriors. These projects brought massive numbers of workers from across China to live in compulsory labor camps. As workers shared information and praised the wonders of their homelands, their customs and special foods, those from the western provinces spoke of the invigorating qualities of tea. As word of this beneficial tonic spread across the empire, tea became a much sought-after commodity—everyone who heard of tea wanted to try it. Around 53 BC a holy man named Wu LiZhen is credited with planting a cultivated tea garden in an isolated spot atop Mengding Mountain in Sichuan Province. His tea plants, today referred to as the Seven Tea Trees, established a tea garden that yielded tea of such purity and delicacy that it would become one of the exclusive Tribute Tea Gardens reserved for use only by the emperor. Wu LiZhen is thus called the forefather of tea cultivation, as it was from this first garden that the seeds of Sichuan’s extensive tea gardens came (see chapter 4).

  Tea’s destiny changed course during the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). Former western barbarian territories, including Sichuan and Yunnan, and all of the southern provinces were brought into the fold of the Chinese Celestial Empire. This geographic change made it easier for common people to obtain tea from the western provinces. Government control over the Sichuan and Yunnan tea regions meant that tea could be traded more easily, and later, under the Tang dynasty (618–907) these vast regions would be developed into prime tea gardens.

  But despite its growing popularity, the way tea was still prepared by many produced a bitter-tasting drink. In the latter part of the Three Kingdoms Period warring factions split the north and south regions, and the Period of Disunity (220–589 AD) brought an unsettled time to China. Refinements in tea drinking continued to progress, however. During this time the method of how fresh tea leaves were processed and brewed changed. Tea leaves, formerly dried and charred, were now steamed to make them pliant. After steaming, the leaves were dried but not charred, then pounded and compressed into small, solid cakes of tea. The cakes were then baked, which hardened them and kept the tea from spoiling. In this state bits of tea could be chipped or scraped off and finally boiled. These changes in the process were reported to have eliminated the bitterness of the leaf, transforming it into a sweet-tasting drink. Although this tea was no doubt still crude and astringent by today’s standards, this modification began the final transformation of tea from a bitter tonic to a pleasure beverage. Zhong Zi, a writer of this time, is credited with producing the first document that described tea production and tea drinking in his day. He records a method of tea preparation that involved adding onions, ginger, and orange along with the broken-up bits of tea in the boiling water.

  The Tang Dynasty’s Refinements in Tea

  The celebrated and classic Tang dynasty (618–907 AD) brought a refinement and sophistication to tea drinking. This was a time of high art and culture, and luxurious materials were sought after in furnishings and objects. Tea drinking became an engaging, relaxing pursuit, and it was the Tang who first enjoyed formal tea gatherings that were designed to find delight in this pleasure beverage. Manners and social order were emphasized during the Tang era, and to ensure that rare and costly teas were prepared properly, the role of tea master was created to guarantee that every proper social convention was executed carefully and with great style. Every family of social ranking employed a knowledgeable tea master, as did government officials and of course the emperor.

  As tea lost its popular association as a crude, bitter brew, the ritual of tea drinking became a cultured social rite during the Tang era. Tea was now regarded as a healthful tonic that would impart peace, harmony, and well-being. Spiritually, tea was believed to be an “elixir of immortality,” an exaggerated ideal that suggested its transcendent nature. Many styles of teaware were created, which was subject to change with every successive emperor, who had his own idea of fashion, glaze color, style, and whether to use incised or applied designs.

  During this time Lu Yu—a scholar, recluse, and member of the literati who is often called China’s Father of Tea—codified the rituals that he deemed necessary for brewing a proper pot of tea. Besides the goal of yielding a pleasant-tasting tea, Lu Yu preached that inner harmony could be attained through the expression of careful, attentive tea preparation. In his book The Classic of Tea, which is still highly regarded today, Lu Yu explained the mindful execution of the rituals of tea preparation. Underlying his practice are many of the philosophical beliefs that took hold in China during his lifetime. He utilized both Confucian and Daoist principles to synthesize the philosophical with the practical.

  This statue of Lu Yu resides in the courtyard garden of a tea factory (Jiangxi Province, China).

  Tea drinkers were encouraged to develop a spiritual appreciation for the everyday moments in life as they performed the rituals of tea preparation. Lu Yu emphasized that all moments in life be attended by beauty—a concept that was to become central to the pleasure of tea drinking. Under Lu Yu’s guidance the Tang introduced utensils that were exclusively designed for preparing, serving, and drinking tea. Before this era no formal utensils existed for tea drinking. As the methodology of tea drinking became more sophisticated, so did the selection of ceramic tea bowls, tea cups, teapots, and water-pouring ewers. With such concepts about tea as “Its liquor is like the sweetest dew of Heaven,” Lu Yu instilled in tea drinkers an appreciation for tea that included consideration of the materials used to make tea bowls. During his time low-sided ceramic bowls were favored for their ease in delicately sipping tea. As for the material of the bowls, he favored white Hsing Chou ware and greenish-hued Yueh ware, which was described as having the “verdure of a thousand mountain peaks” and which he found desirable for “enhancing the true color of the tea.”

  The Tang preferred whole-leaf tea that was flavored with fruit pastes to counter the bitterness of the tea. As it was in the previous dynasty, tea was compressed into small decorative cakes that would keep indefinitely. The cakes were heated until they softened and became, in Lu Yu’s words, “as tender as a baby’s arm.” When cooled, the tea was scraped or broken off into bits and put into a pot and boiled.

  Tea was consumed differently by the various members of the social classes in the Tang dynasty. Many tea drinkers favored adding onion, ginger, orange peel, cloves, and peppermint to their tea. Mixing salt into the tea became a popular choice in the western provinces. Ladies of the court sipped tea that was mixed with the delicate extracts of fruits and flowers.

  In contrast to the convention of his day, Lu Yu shunned these additions to tea—he believed that tea should be drunk plain. He addressed the topic thusly: “Sometimes such items as onion, ginger, jujube fruit, orange peel, dogwood berries, or peppermint are boiled along with the tea. Drinks like that are no more than the swill of gutters and ditches; still, alas, it is a common practice to make tea that way.”

  The Tang established a vast government-controlled network of tea gardens in southern and western China, which would ultimately bring China to the pinnacle of tea production. The western border populations of Tibetans and the northern border populations of Mongols and Tartars also found tea a welcome and necessary addition to their meager diets. The Tang government set up a system of trading tea for horses with these border populations, and a method of taxation on tea that would be implemented for centuries.

  Tibetans first learned of tea in 641 AD, when the Tang princess Wen Cheng married the Tibetan king Songtsan Gambo and brought tea from Sichuan with her to Tibet. An exchange of trading between Tibetans an
d the Tang court resulted in a trading relationship that lasted well into the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). The Tang traded tea for strong, healthy horses, which they needed for their warriors. For the Tibetans tea was indispensable for enhancing the nutrition of their spartan, vegetable-less diet. To expedite trading with groups far from China, horse caravan routes were developed for the long, difficult, round-trip trek across inhospitable terrain and through punishing weather conditions. This created the first of such routes known historically as the Tea Horse Routes, which stretched from Sichuan and Yunnan to Tibet over the rugged Himalaya.

  For trading purposes, the Tang devised compressed bricks of dark, coarse, low-quality “border tea” (comprised mainly of tea twigs and leftover bits from the manufacture of the Tang’s more select and fine tea cakes) as a practical way to send as much tea as possible to Tibet on each caravan. Eventually, several distinct tea-trading routes developed from western China—the southern routes to Tibet and a western route from Sichuan across Central Asia to Mongolia and Siberia.

  At approximately this same time Japan was being introduced to tea through contact between Zen priests and Chinese Buddhist monks. It is believed that the priest Saichō returned to Japan in 815 after living in China for many years and served boiled tea cake to Emperor Saga. Thereafter, Saichō planted tea seeds for the emperor, who served tea from his tea bushes to court officials and important personages. Interest in tea in Japan stayed centered around the emperor’s court and nearby temple gardens. But tea would not gain a strong foothold in Japan until several centuries later.

  Tea Drinking during the Song Dynasty

  During the Song dynasty (960–1279) tea continued to be consumed as a gracious ritual activity and refined leisure beverage. Tea manners and social courtesies initiated under the Tang reached a new level of complexity and formality for members of the Song’s elite class. Rules of hospitality extended to guests and strangers and was forged into a fine art, creating a link among tea, courtesy, and cordiality that still endures.