2. Origin
Story says original idea came from legendary
Emperor Shen Nong because he had all water
boiled as hygienic precaution
When the emperor was traveling, he stopped
to rest and servants began to boil water to
drink. Dried leaves from a bush fell into boiling
water, and the emperor decided to drink it and
found he liked it.
3. Origin (Cont.)
So according to legend tea was created in 2737
BC (Zhou Dynasty)
People began to cultivate tea shrubs 3000
years ago
4. Tea Facts
Is regarded as most Zen-like drink
Compared to personal character
Tea is a mysterious but harmonious
combination, both spiritual as well as material
5. Tea Facts (cont.)
Tea’s character is flexible in different
environments
Tea Drinking: Refreshment and Tonic Effect
Tea Tasting: Cultural Meaning
6. Tea Facts (cont.)
Before 8th Century BC tea was mainly for
medicine
The name ‘cha’ comes from CHA which is
tea in mandarin. The name ‘tea’ comes
from TAY which is tea in Xiamenese (Fujian
province)
Essential parts of meals in China
7. Tea Drinking Customs
You should pour guests tea
It shows respect if the younger generation
pours tea for the older generation
Tea wares should match surrounding elements
(bamboo, plums, pine, snow)
8. Tea Brewing
Four main methods of tea brewing (2
traditional, 2 conventional)
Gong fu method used
to enjoy full flavor
of tea (includes seven-piece utensil set)
You can brew tea by just boiling water and
steeping the leaves
9. Tea Varieties
Many different varieties, depends on how the
tea leaves are picked and prepared
Green, West Lake Dragon Well (Long Jing),
Black/Red, Oolong (Wu Lung), Jasmine (Muo Li
Hua), Scented
10. Tea Varieties (cont.)
Different parts of China prefer different types
of tea
North China: Scented Tea
Eastern China: Green Tea
Fujian & Guangdong: Red/Black Tea
