It is said that hundreds of years ago, a benevolent emperor of China would always boil his water before drinking. Once while doing so, a few leaves fell into the boiling water, resulting in a delightful taste and aroma.These were the leaves of a wild tea plant – needless to say the good old emperor made this fragrant liquid his beverage of choice. The rest of the world slowly and steadily followed the emperor’s taste buds. And today tea is the ubiquitous preference of millions of people around the world.

Tea set about its world domination by arriving in the west via Dutch and Portuguese sailors in the beginning of the 17th century. Its delicate and subtle flavour caught the fancy of the British aristocracy first and soon the masses followed. This humble beverage even entrenched itself in politics when it played a role in ‘The Boston Tea Party’, the spark that set off the American War of Independence.

Shortly it was discovered that the tea plant was indigenous to parts of India too and today India and China are the world’s foremost suppliers of Tea. The tea plant, responsible for changing the drinking habits of the world, is a hardy evergreen called Camellia Sinensis. All teas are made from this same species of plant, though different varieties may be used, and the leaves are processed differently, to create favourites like Black Tea, Green Tea and Oolong.

It would be amiss not to mention the health benefits of tea. And while these are widely debated, it is known that tea leaves contain more than 700 chemicals, 2 of them being theophylline and theine said to heighten alertness. This is why tea is the perfect perk-me-up for a lazy afternoon.

While tea has solidified its position as an everyday beverage, it has also succeeded in maintaining a mystique about itself. A fascinating tea culture exists around the world with a literature of myths, legends, poems and proverbs. Intricate tea ceremonies of Japan and China preserve its charm. While in Arab culture, tea is a focal point for social gatherings.

So, the next time you take a sip of your ‘Chai’, you might want to stop and consider the fascinating history of this simple drink and how a few leaves in boiling water firmly intertwined themselves with the story of Mankind.

-N-