SADO is the word used to describe the Japanese Tea Ceremony or the Japanese way of tea. The word ‚ÄòCha‚Äô means tea in Chinese and a host of other languages, the word ‚ÄòDo‚Äô means path or way in Japanese - put them together and you have ‚ÄòChado‚Äô the way of tea.
From the multiplicity of charming legends going back about 5,000 years tea has the distinction of being the most ancient beverage (after water of course) in the world. But its exact origins are lost in antiquity. According to the Chinese legend, emperor Chen-Nung, the Divine Cultivator, discovered tea accidently as he was boiling water under the shade of a wild tea tree. The leaves were gently rustling in the breeze when a few leaves dropped into his pot. The emperor drank the resulting infusion and felt himself overwhelmed with a sense of well being. Thus, tea was born.
The Indians attribute the discovery to Prince Bodhi Dharma, son of King Kosjuwo. He had left India to go north, preaching Buddhism along the way. He vowed never to sleep during his seven year meditation. At the end of five years, he was overwhelmed with lassitude and drowsiness, but a providential chance made him pick and chew some leaves of an unidentified tree. The tree was a large tea bush, and its astonishing properties allowed him to keep his vow.
The legends may differ about the discovery of tea, but they all agree that tea has some astonishing properties.
To the lone drinker, the tea‚Äôs subtle flavor and aroma serves to focus and calm the mind. Shared by two it acts as an unobstructive third entity bridging the two poles of conversation. A simple cup of tea could contain the elements of the social, sensual and even the spiritual.
Tea has been rediscovered a number of times since its original discovery, when first discovered it was only manufactured as a green tea by the Chinese by steam firing the tea leaves, once the Chinese discovered Pan firing, it paved the way to Oolongs and Black Teas. Once the British discovered tea growing wild in Assam-India in the year 1823 The ‚ÄúRotorvan‚Äù continuous process machine was developed to manufacture CTC teas (crush,tear,curl). But well before the dsicovery of Indian Teas one other important developmet took place and that was Earl Grey Tea. which in turn would propogate the marvellous range of flavored teas throughout the world. Then came the world of Tea Bags, Iced Teas and instant and ready to drink teas. And let us not forget decaffeinated teas. The latest rediscovry of tea has been in the form of Chai or rather should we say ‚ÄòMasala Chai‚Äô. Masala Chai is tea prepared with a blend of spices. So one can see that tea is a continually evolving beverage.