It's been called the plant of Heaven.
For 4,000 years, it's been valued both as a medicine and a drink
Originally, tea referred to one species of shrub that was cultivated
in China--Camellia sinensis--known as the black tea shrub.
A charming legend tells how this ordinary plant became the first
natural wonder in the world of herbal teas.
The story takes us back to ancient China in 2737 b.c. when one
day, Emperor Shen Nung was kneeling before a fire, heating water.
Suddenly a wind stirred. Leaves fluttered down from a branch over
his head and fell into the boiling water. The aroma captivated Shen
Nung and he decided to taste the brew.
Where did these aromatic leaves come from? An ancient wild species
of the black tea shrub. When the leaves are fermented, they produce
oolong or black tea, but when they are brewed fresh, as in Shen
Nung's tea, they yield the refreshing green tea, which contains
the potent antioxidant catechin, a bioflavenoid with antibacterial
and anticancer properties.
For centuries in China, monks and herbalists studied plants for
their healing properties, and handed down their knowledge to the
next generation by verbal instruction. To illustrate the importance
of tea, a tale tells of an ancient Chinese herbalist who knew 100,000
healing properties of herbs, and began to pass on his wisdom to
his son. The herbalist taught his son 80,000 secrets, but fell ill
before he could complete the lessons. On his deathbed, the herbalist
told his son to come to his grave five years from the date of his
death, and there he would find the other 20,000 secrets.
On the fifth year, the obedient son went to his father's grave,
and found, growing on the site, the black tea shrub.
The black tea shrub is a plant that has been endowed with the Taoist
belief that beauty and harmony are achieved by order and ritual.
Every detail in the planting, picking, preparation of the leaves,
and ceremonial customs for drinking tea became a cultural phenomenon
in the Orient. It was passed on to other cultures as humble gifts
from Buddhist monks. When Japanese monks journeyed to China to study
with Chinese monks, they returned home with seedlings from the black
tea shrub as parting gifts. Today, Japan specializes in the production
of green teas, now known as its national beverage. The plants that
grow in Japan today are thought to be offshoots of those first seedlings.
The black tea shrub is a plant that has sailed the world on clipper
ships and trade routes. In 1559, a tea merchant from Persia told
a Venetian scholar about his experience in China, drinking tea.
The scholar wrote an account of the merchant's tea tale that set
the port of Venice buzzing. What was this mysterious brew? Everyone
wanted to taste it. By the early 1600s, the Dutch East India Trading
Company was bringing shipments of dried herbs from the black tea
shrub in specially-lined boxes to Europe.
Tea was such precious cargo in its early years of import to Europe,
it was reserved for royal tables, or tea-tasting parties of the
rich and influential. It was introduced as an exotic medicinal beverage
that could promote longevity and cure many disorders. The herb's
price exceeded one hundred dollars per pound. But the herb wasn't
the only expense involved.
To follow the Chinese custom, tea-drinking ceremonies in Europe
required imported china. Tiny Ming teacups from China were made
of porcelain and held only a few sips of tea. The cups rested on
porcelain saucers, and to brew the tea, a proper Chinese teapot
was needed, along with a Chinese tea jar to store the dried leaves.
This was a costly endeavor that kept tea out of reach for average
people. At the time, the process for making porcelain was not known
in Europe, and to curb the import costs for drinking tea, the Dutch
developed an imitation of the Chinese tea service in elegant blue
and white delftware.
One of the earliest tea parties on record in America was held in
1674 in the Dutch Colony of New York (then called New Amsterdam).
To taste the newly imported teas, society ladies arrived in their
best dresses, carrying their own teacups, fashioned from delicate
china, with bowls the size of wineglasses. To this day, many herbalists
still specify herbal tea doses as "the size of a small wineglass."
A hundred years later, the Sons of Liberty brewed up the most memorable
tea party of them all. In 1773, Americans had independence on their
minds, and Britain's prohibitive taxes on tea sparked a revolution.
Thirty-two cases of expensive dried herbs were tossed into the harbor
on the night of the Boston Tea Party. It was the signal for the
birth of a new nation.
For an ordinary plant, the black tea shrub has quite a few tales
to tell of romance and intrigue, old worlds and new worlds, culture
and customs. But it wasn't the only plant in the tea garden.
Locally grown herbs had been used for teas all over the world,
and traded in their own way, though not as aggressively as black,
oolong, and green teas. Many Mediterranean herbs were brought to
Europe by the early crusaders and the Roman army. Other herbs followed
the trade routes of saffron to the far east, and were exchanged
for black tea leaves.
Early American colonists learned the secrets of locally grown herbs
from the Indians, and these discoveries played an important role
in the fight for independence. To protest the British taxes on tea
in 1773, American women in Boston, Hartford, and other New England
cities vowed to drink teas from indigenous weeds instead of imported
teas. The brews they came up with were called Liberty Tea. Among
them were the antiviral flowers of chamomile, calcium-rich raspberry
leaves, and wild American sage, which is so admired by the Chinese
as an herb for longevity that it remains a major American export
to China today.
The Universal Garden
Through the ages, as the black tea plant mingled with herbs from
many cultures, tea took on a broader meaning to encompass a wide
variety of herbs, and now refers to a brew made from the leaves,
flowers, berries, seeds, roots, rhizomes, or bark from a plant,
steeped in hot water.
The generic term plant acquired the more cultivated name herb in
botany, the branch of medical science devoted to the study of plants.
More than 3,000 herbs have been studied and catalogued with properties
that are healing to the human system, and not all of the plants
have been studied. Some of our best western drugs were derived from
herbs, including the heart medicine digitalis from the herb foxglove,
and the asthma-aid ephedrine from the herb ephedra, and for years,
these drugs contained the original herbs as ingredients. It wasn't
until World War II, when herb shortages in Europe limited the production
of these drugs, that scientists persevered by designing synthetic
Each herb has its own history and folklore that are as captivating
as the tale of the black tea shrub.
Some herbs, like mint, were so valued in Biblical times that they
were used to pay taxes. Other herbs were honored as religious plants
and dedicated to gods and goddesses. The gold flowers of calendula
(pot marigold) are regarded as a remedy to strengthen the heart,
and the herb has been held in high esteem in many religions. In
Greek myth, the creation of calendula was attributed to Artemis,
goddess of the moon, sister of the sun god, Apollo. In India, Buddhists
consider the plant sacred to the goddess Dwiga, and its flowers
adorn her emblem. Calendula was given many names in many countries,
all associated with gold. When Christianity became the predominant
religion in Europe, and many medicinal herbs were renamed to harmonize
with the new religion, calendula was given the name Mary's Golde
or Marigold, in honor of the Virgin Mary.
Tazo 6-oz. Loose Leaf Tea Kit with Infuser, Chai An
enticing blend of rich black teas and exotic spices in the style
of Himalayan hill dwellers. Tazo was created for one purpose: to
reinvent tea and the tea experience. By using high quality ingredients
and a tremendous amount of experience and creativity, Tazo has produced
unique products that create an emotional connection with the consumer
at many levels. Tazo continues to expose consumers to the ancient
traditions of tea, but presents this in a way that is bold, interesting
and intriguing. Unlike other tea companies, Tazo purchases teas
in their original container as packed at the garden to ensure the
tea inside the chest or bag stays garden fresh and is not exposed
to the heat and moisture in a blending facility at one of the tea
shipping points. The blending process is a very subtle art form
that relies on subjective measurement of taste, color and aroma.
Tazo constantly taste and determine which teas will go in which
blend in what percentage, so flavor profiles remain consistent and
of the highest quality possible. The name Tazo has roots in many
civilizations. Tazo actually means "river of life" in the Romany
Gypsy language and was used as a toast to life by ancient Greeks.
Tazo also means "fresh" in several Hindi dialects. In ancient Babylonia,
Tazo was a rejuvenating elixir thought to have magical properties.
Tazo is kosher certified by KSA.
6.75-in. Heart-Shaped Tea Infuser If
you love making steaming cups of Earl Grey or Green tea from loose
leaves, then add this charming Heart Tea Infuser to your utensil
drawer. Silver-plated piece is delicately designed with a rounded
handle and small pull-back knob that opens and shuts to hold your
leaves. Small perforation allows you to successfully steep without
getting leaves floating in your tea. It's a classy add-on to tea
sets and tea baskets. Measures 6.75-in.
Bodum 4-c. Assam Tea Press The
Assam tea press from Bodum is tea sipping at its most elegant. Only
a few steps are involved: first, put the desired amount of tea into
the center column, pour in hot water then place the lid on with
the plunger in the raised position. When the tea has reached your
preferred stength, push the plunger down firmly - the tea is now
sealed in the base of the column away from the hot, tea-infused
water. Brewing is stopped and your tea will remain at its current
Salton 2-L Iced Tea Maker This
small appliance sits on your countertop and brews not only the perfect
iced tea but iced coffee as well. The see-through pitcher holds
as much as two full liters so there's plenty for family and guests.
The patented filter system steeps tea that's not too strong, not
too weak, and brews coffee for a refreshing, iced beverage you can
enjoy when hot coffee just won't do. A water level indicator lets
you fill it to the exact point; an auto shut-off turns the unit
off if you're not there to do so.