Tea started out as a type of medicine and developed into a popular drink. In the olden times and still today, some people think of tea as a form of art which needs a master to find its best qualities. There is bad tea and good tea just like paintings. There is no one way to make the perfect tea. Every cup brewed with fresh leaves has its own story to tell. Just like art, tea also has different schools of thought. These can be broken down into three main categories, boiled tea, steeped tea, and whipped tea. Modern people most often choose to steep tea. Each method of preparing tea is indicative of the time in which it was most popular. Each type of tea was prepared differently. For example, cake tea was boiled, tea in leaf form was steeped, and tea in powdered form was whipped.
The tea plant is native to the region of southern China. It was used very early in Chinese history for medicinal purposes. It was renowned for strengthening will, relieving fatigue, and repairing eyesight. It was both applied externally in paste form and consumed as a beverage. Taoists believed it to be a very special ingredient, and Buddhists used it to help prevent sleepiness during long meditation sessions.
By the time of the fifth century, tea was a popular drink among people of the Yangtze valley. The methods of tea preparation were in primitive stages at this time. Leaves were often steamed, then crushed and formed into a cake. It was then boiled along with rice, salt, spices, ginger, orange peel, and milk. Tea has also influenced Chinese ceramics. Many considered blue to be the best color for serving tea in a cup as it blended well with the slightly green color of the tea. Others preferred dark brown bowls.
Later, tea began being served with the leaves being the only ingredient. Choice of water and temperature became quite important when making the drink. It was believed that mountain spring water was best, followed by river water.
During the sung dynasty, whipped tea became popular. Tea leaves were ground with a small mill into a fine powder and then whipped with a bamboo whisk in hot water. This method leads to the use of different tea varieties and tools. Tea is still very much an important aspect of Chinese and Japanese culture. Tea ceremonies are held often and taken very seriously. Some popular teas today are Tazo tea, Yogi tea, ginger tea, and hibiscus tea. We can now all enjoy a hot cup of this great beverage in many flavors.
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