Tasting of Famous Chinese Teas (Revised Edition)

Author: Wang Jianrong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Tea, as one of the three major non-alcoholic beverages (tea, coffee, cocoa), has become wildly popular worldwide. Currently, there are more than 50 countries producing tea, with an annual output of around 2.9 million tons. About 3 billion people in over 160 countries enjoy drinking tea. So, when did tea actually originate? Historically, it is said that tea originated from Shennong, was known to the Duke of Lu and the Duke of Zhou during the Zhou Dynasty, flourished in the Tang Dynasty, and reached its peak in the Song Dynasty. According to botanists, the tea plant has a long history of up to 60 to 70 million years since its origin. However, humans only discovered and utilized tea about 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. China is the earliest country to discover tea trees and use tea leaves. The drinking habits and tea production techniques of countries around the world were initially introduced directly or indirectly from China. Therefore, China is hailed as the "Hometown of Tea," and the southwestern region of China (including Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan) is the center of the original habitat of tea trees. Legend has it that Shennong was the first to taste the fresh leaves of the tea plant and discovered its miraculous detoxifying properties. In the pharmacological book Shennong’s Herbal Classic, written during the Han Dynasty and attributed to Shennong, it is recorded: "Shennong tasted the flavors of hundreds of herbs and the sweetness and bitterness of springs, and the people knew what to avoid and seek. At that time, he encountered seventy-two poisons daily, and tea helped him relieve them." Here, "tea" refers to tea.