It all started in China!

The discovery

Today, more tea is drunk around the world than any other beverage. Chinese legend suggests the recognition of its beneficial qualities all started when in 2737 BC, Emperor Shen Nung, a scholar and herbalist who drank only boiled water, was resting under a wild tea tree. A slight breeze caused the branches to stir and a few leaves to gently fall into a pot of simmering water he was preparing. The emperor found the resultant brew to be so deliciously refreshing and revitalising that 'tea' was 'discovered'. Whilst it's difficult to know if there is any truth in this legend, it is accepted that tea was popular in China around that time.

Tea trading for thousands of years

The commercial cultivation of tea in China began thousands of years ago. At one time, Chinese merchants recognised over 8,000 different types of tea, such was the varied nature of their classification methods.

Wherever there was space

The Chinese farmers and peasants grew tea wherever there was space collecting seeds in October, germinating them through the winter months and then planting them out in neat rows during the spring rains. Straw was often tied around the tea bushes during the winter months to prevent frost damage.

All done by hand

After the harvest, the processing and rolling of the leaves was done by hand and in some areas is still done this way.

Keemun Tea

Congou Keemun is a black tea that was produced as far back as 1875 and introduced into Scottish Tea Master Drysdale's Breakfast tea over a century ago. It quickly gained popularity throughout the world and in 1915 won a gold medal in the Panama Pacific Exhibition. Depending on the variety and how it was processed the tea can have a more bitter taste and the smokiness is given greater emphasis. Keemun tea is grown in the Anhui province of China.

Yunnan Tea

It is thought the tea plant is a native of the Yunnan province which has been producing tea for more than 1700 years. The tea trees used in the making of Yunnan black teas produce thick soft leaves with fat buds and shoots. In Chinese, this form of tea is also known as 'hongcha' which when translated means 'red tea'.

China tea today

Today, there are around 18 regions in China where tea is grown, with the main regions recognised as Anhui, Fujian, Sichuan, Hunan and Zhejiang. China teas are not generally sold by garden name, but by names that denote the method of manufacture and quality. This can cause some confusion as each province tends to have its own name for each tea, its own spelling and often its own pronunciation. However this has been changing in more recent times as the adoption of the Hanyu Pinyin system for foreign speakers has promoted a more standardised approach to tea names.