Come with me as we journey to the birth and celebration of tea drinking in light of the Chinese.
But first thing's first...
Why is it called TEA?
Since they are the founders of tea, let us consult the Chinese for answers.
According to the Chinese and if you look at their dialects, the pronunciation of the word "tea" can branch out into 2 classes. They are also noted to have similar phonetic characteristics.
Tea for Mandarin is CHA.
Tea for Xiamenese is TAY.
Both dialects are believed to have sprouted from a different time and manner from China to the rest of the world.
For CHA: sources reveal that it probably continue its growth outside China in the 5th century. In Japan, they just simply adapted and used the Chinese character of tea to refer to the drink. In Persia (modern name Iran), tea is also reffered to as CHA. Others such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka also have the same name for tea. This name, CHA, was later adapted by the Arabs and Russians by naming their tea as CHAI. In Turkey, tea is CHAY for them.
For TAY: This name came later than CHA but flourished even further than CHA was able to accomplish. It started during the Ming Dynasty (1644 AD). The merchants of Great Britain began establishing posts in Xiamen and discovered Chinese Tea. The British spelled TEA instead of what the Xiamenese pronounced as TAY. Since then, TEA was more popularly used and accepted, especiall in the English- speaking world. Even the German and French's name of TEE also came from this word.
Now we know why tea is called tea. But how did it all start?
Let us start with the where.
We know it is from Ancient China. Discovered by a Chinese and flourished since then.
But where specifically?
Many people believed that tea originated in the South-West part of the country.
But why there? What makes this place so special?
China in the South-western region is categorized as a tropical to sub-tropical climate zone. It mainly composes and is covered with forests believed to be ancient. Because of this moist and warm environment, it became the perfect breeding ground for tea trees as old as 2700 years old.
Now with the How...
Actually, there are many legends as to how tea started. Let us take a look at some of the famous ones.
Legend number 1
There is one certain historical figure that the Chinese people believed to have invented not only tea but medicine and agriculture as well. He was known as the God of agriculture. In his book of Herb, it states how in one day, he discovered tea tree and how he utilized its leaves. As he was personally eating and tasting different kinds of herbs, he was poisoned 72 times. He used the tea leaves to counteract and neutralize these poisons.
This is considered as the oldest and earliest record of tea in China.
Legend number 2
This legend says otherwise. Tea was in fact discovered by a certain Chinese Emperor. He was known as Shen Nung. It is believed that it was discovered around 2737 BC. The legend goes this way: As the emperor was resting one day and indulging himself with a cup of hot water, a leaf from the tea plant accidentally fell into his cup and gave out a very nice scent and aroma. Being curious, he took a sip and immediately fell in love with the drink. He also discovered its medicinal properties. He started spreading the news and tea was born.
So how are teas classified?
There is really no specific classification of Chinese teas since it can be classified with a number of ways. Such as: method or procedure, the quality or grade, the place of origin in china or preparation methods. The list goes on.
But we will discuss the most famous one: According to method or processing.
1. Black tea
2. Green tea
3. Oolong tea
4. Brick tea
5. Scented tea
1. Black tea - this tea is considered as fermented tea or the fully-oxidized tea.
- It is allowed to wither for oxidation and fermentation to happen.
- Because of full oxidation and fermentation, black teas have a characteristic dark brown - black appearance and with a strong or robust taste.
- It has the highest content of caffeine
- This tea is known as a very good way of warming the stomach during the cold season of winter and autumn.
- The advantage of black teas over green teas is that it does not easily lose its scent and fragrance and so is very good for long distance transports. This is also one of the main reasons why black tea is most popular in the West
Some of the most popular Chinese black teas are:
a. Qi hong - from Qimen, the province of Anhui; Since it was developed in 1876, the Chinese people made it one of their favorite black teas. In fact, during 1939, it is one third of the black teas drank by the Chinese people.
b. Dian Hong - From Yunnan province; Dian for the Chinese is a shorter name for Yunnan. Because of the favorable climate condition in this province, it ensured and cemented the large scale production of black teas. This is evident mostly in its western and southern areas.
c. Ying Hong - from Yingde, Guangdong. This Chinese black tea is so popular that even the British royal family are lovers of its exquisite sweet taste, added with milk.
Note: For the Chinese, Hong means red. They call their black tea as Hong Cha. Translated literally, black tea is red tea in China.
2. Green Tea - is the most famous Chinese tea in most areas in China.
- Just like its cousin, the black tea, green tea is also allowed to ferment and wither, but only for a short period.
- It is the drink of choice during humid summers as it is known to cool and combat unwanted diseases in summer such as inflammation or fever.
Some of the most popular Chinese green teas are:
a. Longjing green tea – from West Lake
b. Biluochun green tea - from Wu County
c. Suzhuo green tea - from Jiangsu Province
d. Huangshan Maofeng green tea - from Mt. Huangshan found in Anhui
e. Junshan Silver green tea - from the Hills of Junshan, Hunan Province
1. Oolong tea - is known for the subtlety and mellowness
- It is only subjected to partial oxidation only. It is the combination between black tea and green tea. Its caffeine content is also in the middle.
- Its taste can even be likened to that of a fruit freshly picked and the scent of fresh flowers
- There are 3 major areas known to grow oolong. They are: Fujian and Guangdong (China), and Taiwan.
2. Brick tea - is called as such because it is compacted and compressed into the shape of brick
- It is not only famous in China but also in Tibet, Mongolia and Uigur Mongolian and Uigur as for creating milk tea or butter tea
- As for the nomads, they like this kind of tea because it is very easy to transport.
- Some of the famous areas in china known to produce black tea are: Sichuan, Yunnan, Hubei, Hunan and Guangxi Region
3. Scented tea - Is described as having a pleasant, sweet, pleasant and delightful taste.
- It is the combination of flowers either with: black tea, green tea and oolong tea.
- Some of the flowers used in making this tea are: Jasmine, rose, orchids, gardenia, plum and osmanthus
- As a rule of thumb, proportions of flowers and tea should be balanced - Not too many so as not to dilute the scent of tea and not too few that the tea is not considered perfect.
But what does tea mean for the Chinese?
For the Chinese, tea is not just a drink! It has a life of its own.
Teas are deeply engraved into the historical pages and culture of China. It is considered not a luxury drink but a necessity. It is among the necessities of rice, oil, firewood, vinegar, salt and soy sauce. That is how much tea is important to them.
It is a lifestyle, a way of life. Every Chinese drink tea in their meals and even made tea customs and ceremonies to commemorate and celebrate the discovery of tea and the many bountiful health benefits it has given them.
It is present in almost every occasion.
Tea and its role in marriage...
It is even widely known expression that if parents want their sons to settle down, they are looking for a drink of "daughter-in-law's" tea. Part of the tradition includes the newly weds: the bride and groom, as a gesture of being thankful and grateful to their parents, is to bow or kneel before them and offer them a refreshing cup of tea. It is their way of acknowledging the sacrifices the parents made for them and how they will treasure them as they start a new life as a married couple.
It is also a way of showing respect of the elderly. Younger people usually greet their elders by offering them a cup of tea.
During the olden times, people of only lower status and rank offer tea to those people of higher status and rank. But now the times have changed. It is only during formal occasions that this is still practiced. At present, the society is more open-minded and liberal. Parents can now also offer tea to their children at home; bosses can also now pour a cup of tea to his or her employees at restaurants. It has become a sign of affection - of being polite and nice to each other.
Tea and a special way to say "thank you"...
Tea is also the Chinese's special way of saying thanks. As one would probably observe, after a Chinese guy pours a cup of tea for another guy (probably Chinese too), you see the recipient knocking his middle and index finger (or simply knocking his fingers) on the table that simply means he is thankful and grateful for the tea being offered to him.
This custom probably started during the Ching dynasty (about 300 to 400 years ago). And it goes something like this:
There was this emperor who liked to visit his kingdom in secret. We would dress up as a commoner and his servant were also instructed to maintain a low profile so as not to give away his true identity.
One day, he decided to visit a restaurant and enjoy a cup of tea. After pouring a cup of tea for himself, he decided to fill his servant's cup too. The servant, not believing what a privilege it was to be poured of a cup of tea by none other than his master himself, wanted to kneel and thank the emperor for his kindness. But he was not allowed to do so because it will reveal his master's true identity. So instead, he knocked the table using his fingers.
And this kind of "thank you" knock stuck and is still used by the Chinese even to this very day.
Tea to ask for forgiveness...
The Chinese people believe that action speaks louder than words. If they have seriously wronged somebody, they have to more than just say it. They offer and pour a tea for the person and apologize. This is their way of showing the remorse they feel for wronging the person and also a way to show submissiveness. If the receiver accepts the offer and drinks the tea, it only means that he or she accepts the apology.
Huang Jiung,
Chinese Weight Loss Tea for BEGINNERS