A Tea-bit of an Accident
Over 5,000 years ago, the illustrious and erudite Chinese Emperor, Chen Nung chanced upon tea. One day, He was traveling to a distant region of His realm. It was a long and arduous journey and He was totally fatigued. Following His policy that all drinking water must be boiled, His royal attendant kept a cauldron of water on fire and went about attending another matter. Unknown to the attendant, some leaves from an overhanging branch fell into the cauldron and infused with the water. The Emperor, a keen scientist was piqued with curiosity of this darkened and slightly fragrant water. He tentatively took a sip and immediately felt ah – the rush of refreshment. The first sip of tea has just been enjoyed!
IInterestingly, it was always the royalty, the aristocracy and the nobility that first took to tea – irrespective of the country it seeped into. Tea, especially when it filtered into the European market, was an expensive beverage with a pound at over
$100, instantly making tea the symbol of high fashion and luxury living. This naturally stamped its acceptance by every rung of the society.
While Europe was still dark on tea one Chinese man, Yu Lu codified the best practices in cultivating and preparing tea, which was so detailed and accurate that he was elevated into almost sainthood. His disciplines were greatly influenced by Zen Buddhism – so much so, that tea and the philosophy came to be regarded with the other.
Japan and received immediate imperial sponsorship and acceptance by monasteries and every Japanese society. They took tea very seriously and demanded utmost graciousness in every gesture and posture involved in the entire preparation – from boiling water to sprinkling tealeaves to brewing it to pouring it out to appreciatively tasting it. It took one many years to master this tea ceremony, which is preserved in the original perfection and charm to this day.
Europe in a Kettle
As European explorers ventured into the Orient, whisperings of this amazing beverage filtered into Europe. Portuguese were the first to taste tea, which they shared with their allies. The French loved it, but for a while. For the Dutch however, it was a more serious affair that they updated their naval fleet and braved trade routes of their own right, losing old allies to new enemies. Back home, scholars debated on the benefits (or not) of tea, which the rest cast aside as “tea heretics” and continued to enjoy their tea. Tea even appeared in taverns – the first tea house of sorts in Europe.
When Dutch colonists settled in America, tea naturally followed them. The British found when the acquired the colony that the entire small colony consumed more tea than all of England put together – an observation, which the British later based a crucial political decision, with disastrous results.
The British, to curb the independent American, levied many restrictive measures including heavy taxes on tea, hoping the tea-loving ladies would lean on their husbands to behave. The ladies however publicly denounced British imported tea until their husbands’ rights were restored and this precipitated in the famous Boston Tea Party and the resulting revolution. The French must have smirked, ‘Cherchez la femme’ – ‘Find the woman’ for if there is any trouble it is believed a woman to be the cause!
Americans and the British remained tea rivals long after. All tea trading nations competed with each other to be the first to bring tea from China for the prestige of owning the fastest ship. Each year, ships raced all the way from China to the Tea Exchange in London to be the first for the auction. Often the tall ships were only a few minutes apart up the Thames and the usual winners of this famous clipper race were either the Americans or the British.
Read the next in series, Tea for the Stiff Upper Lip |
