The Story Behind the Leaf
Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water, and its story begins in China. Legend has it that leaves from a wild tea tree drifted into Emperor Shen Nong’s boiling water in 2737 BC. Whether myth or memory, tea quickly moved from medicine to ritual, and eventually into daily life. By the Tang Dynasty, tea had become a social drink. This period is often called the Golden Age of Tea, when tea (茶 / chá) entered poetry, art, and conversation. From there, tea did not just travel. It reshaped global trade. European demand drove maritime routes, colonial expansion, and even conflict. The British appetite for tea influenced global finance and contributed to events as far away as America's Boston Tea Party. Even the word “tea” reflects these routes. Regions that received tea overland use variations of cha. Those that traded by sea use te or tea, echoing the Min dialect spoken along China’s coast. A single leaf left linguistic fingerprints across continents. Despite the variety you see on menus, nearly all true tea comes from one plant: Camellia sinensis. Green, white, oolong, black, and dark teas are variations in processing and oxidation, not different species. Green tea is lightly oxidized and fresh. Black tea is fully oxidized and bold. Oolong sits somewhere between. What changes is craft, terroir, and technique. Understanding this makes walking into a Beijing tea house less intimidating. You are not choosing between different plants. You are choosing styles of transformation.
