Teas

Tea legends and stories

China, the cradle of tea

According to Chinese legend, tea was discovered around 2800 BC by Shennong, the father of Chinese medicine and agriculture. On an expedition to identify medicinal plants, he became intoxicated and collapsed under a tea tree. Leaves fell into his boiling water. He drank the infusion, which he not only enjoyed, but which also helped him to recover. And so, tea was born.

Expansion in Yunnan

In Yunnan, a legend from 500 AD recounts that the chief Ai Lén, in love with the king's daughter, offered a plant that was the basis of a marvellous beverage. Impressed, the king ordered the plant to be grown throughout the province. Today, Yunnan is renowned for its ancient tea plants, some of which grow wild and produce famous teas such as pu'er.

Tea's influence in India and Japan

In the 6th century, the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma travelled to China to convert Emperor Wu. During his journey, he discovered the virtues of tea by chewing leaves to stay awake during meditation. A Japanese version of the legend has it that he tore off his eyelids in frustration at falling asleep during meditation, giving rise to tea plants that grew where his eyelids had fallen off.

Introduction of tea in Europe

Tea arrived in Europe at the beginning of the 17th century, first as a medicine, then appreciated by the French aristocracy, notably Louis XIV, Racine and Mme de Sévigné. It took many years for the West to master its production and for it to become a popular beverage.

Origin of tea

Camellia sinensis, an evergreen shrub in the Theaceae family, comes in three main varieties:

• Assamica: large, thick leaves, trees up to 20 meters tall, adapted to hot, rainy climates.
• Sinensis: Small leaves, trees reaching 5 meters, adapted to mountains and cold regions.
• Cambodiensis: Intermediate leaves, used to create new cultivars.

The six colors of tea

Tea can be broken down into six families corresponding to six colors. These differences are solely due to the leaf transformation process. From the same leaves, we can therefore obtain six types of tea with very different appearances and aromas:

• White tea is simply withered and dried. It is very slightly oxidized and evolves over time;
• Green tea, also known as "virgin tea", is cooked quickly after plucking to prevent oxidation. The result is leaves that retain their green color and a very clear liquor;
• Yellow tea is green tea that has undergone an additional oxidation/fermentation stage, known as "steeping": it is both oxidized and slightly fermented;
• Wulong tea, which lies between green and black tea, is partially oxidized. The leaves undergo a succession of rolling, baling, intermediate firing and oxidation processes;
• Black tea is fully oxidized (over 90%). It is called "red tea" in China because of the color of its infusion.
• Dark tea is initially similar to green tea, but undergoes bacterial fermentation that can last for decades, resulting in very dark leaves and infusion.