Sure, green tea is all the rage now, but the popularity is not new. Green tea was actually used 5,000 years ago in China as a medicinal beverage to promote mind and body.
There are two legends that describe how green tea originated. The first legend says a man named Shien Non Shei was walking one day. Upon his walk, he accidentally tasted juice from a tea plant. He was amazed at the spectacular taste and thought the juice has special medicinal properties. So he created a drink with it by adding it to water and created tea. The second legend says an Emperor called Shen Nung first tasted it after a tea blossom fell into his cup of hot water.
The use of green tea as a health aid goes all the way back to 2737 BC. Chinese elite and bureaucrats who could afford green tea often included it among their dining habits. The tea leaves were used for brewing; ingredients for health were preserved by lightly processing the leaves in heat and then consumed as soon as it was ready. Elaborate tea ceremonies were conducted and tea connoisseurs felt pride in their ability to make tea.
Tea was rather costly in ancient China until the fall of the Mongolian empire in 1368 A.D. During the latter part of Ming dynasty, all could afford the beverage as tea cultivation and trade increased. In fact, seamen from China depended on green tea for its high amount of vitamin C that warded off scurvy.
The book “Tea Classic,” or “Cha Jing,” was written by Lu Yu between 600 and 900 AD during the Tang dynasty. It is often considered the most important tome in the history of green tea since it describes how and even where one can best enjoy their green tea. Even Buddhists in 520 AD enjoyed their tea. They would chew leaves to help them with their meditation.
Green tea eventually made its journey to Japan in somewhere between 729 and 800 AD. The Japanese emperor gave powdered green tea as gifts to Buddhist monks. In Japan, the teas Sencha, Matcha and Bancha were first introduced. As China declined, oolong tea and black tea gained in popularity. Oolong and black teas began being mass produced. In fact, oolong tea became the beverage of choice in southern China in 1650 AD; it is also partially fermented with green tea. Starving workers learned that green tea eliminated body fat, which they needed for survival. So the workers began consuming oolong tea instead as it has less fat oxidizing ingredients.
When tea was introduced to the West in 1606, the first shipment to Europe was green tea. Tea drinking hit the United States in 1945 from Europe as part of a global tea trade. Also around this time, Chinese American immigrants because opening Chinese restaurants in the U.S., introducing tea to a new audience.
Green tea is not just about consuming — there is an art form to it. Producers made beautiful teapots, tea cups and tea sets to go along with the tea; some have even become collectibles (just visit eBay or your grandmother’s china cabinet).
Flash forward to today. As more people are becoming health conscious, they have learned about the benefits of green tea that include weight loss and reducing the risk of developing stomach and lung cancer as well as heart disease. In fact, green tea is now the second most popular drink on the planet (behind water). So lift up your cup and enjoy the soothing taste of green tea!
