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Green Tea and the History of Tea in Asia
Green tea is a "true" tea (i.e. Camellia sinensis) that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea is popular in China and Japan, and recently has become more popular in the West, which traditionally drank black tea (a "true" tea made from leaves more heavily oxidized than the white, green, and oolong varieties).
History of Tea in Asia
The introduction of tea in China is shrouded in myth and legend. The Chinese are credited most for the development and cultivation of tea and the methods of its early preparation and use.
The first of the less processed teas were white teas, whilst further processing created green teas that could be stored for longer periods of time. During the Tang Dynasty wild tea was gathered and then processed. Processing involved steaming the tea on a bamboo tray, grinding the tea into a fine pulp called tea mud and then placing this mud into moulds. The tea was then pressed and left to harden. It was then transferred out of the mould, dried in the sun, and baked to prevent rotting.
This is very different to how Green tea is processed today; whilst this practice of grinding tea continued into the Sung dynasty by the Yuan dynasty it had all but vanished in favour of leaf teas. Compressed green teas, known as compressed raw teas, are still made in Yunnan and a few other provinces, they are very popular and are discussed in the Pu-Erh article.
Tea has played a significant role in Asian culture for centuries as a staple beverage, a curative and a symbol of status. It is not surprising its discovery is ascribed to religious or royal origins. Even the earliest texts discuss the health benefits of tea. One of the earliest known references to green tea in Japan is a 9th century text. It was the Heian Period (A.D. 794-1185) of peace, prosperity, and openness to ideas and cultures particularly from China. Many aspects of Chinese culture and religion were introduced during this period including parts of the modern Japanese alphabet. See also Tea History.
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01-23-2006, 10:01 PM
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