HISTORY OF TEA ☕

During a long day spent roaming the forest in search of edible grains and herbs. The weary divine farmer Shennong accidentally poisoned himsef 72 times. But before the poisons could end his life a leaf drifted into his mouth. He chewed on it and it received him, and that is how we discovered tea. Or so an ancient legend goes at least. Tea doesn't actually cure poisonings, but the story of Shennong, the mythical chinese inventor of agriculture, highlights tea's importance to ancient China. Archeological evidence suggests tea was first cultivated there as early as 6,000 years ago, or 1500 years before the Pharaohs built the Great Pyramids of Giza. That original chinese tea plant is the same type that's grown around the world today, yet it was originally consumed very differently. It was eaten as a vegetable or cooked with grain porridge. Tea only shifted from food to drink 1500 years ago, when people realized that a combination of heat and moisture could create a comple...