According to the legend almost 5,000 years ago, the Chinese Emperor also renowned herbalist Shen Nung, was sitting under a tree while his servant boiled drinking water, when few leaves from the tree blew into it. The emperor was then attracted by the pleasant scent rising from the steaming infusion. Legend says the Emperor described a warm feeling as he drank the intriguing brew. The tree was a Camellia Sinensis, and the brew that was accidentally created was the tea beverage.
In the Eastern Jin Dynasty’s, tea trees had been planted in the gardens of the people of Ba shu and had been as tribute. Tea needs to be processed as a tribute, and the process is like sunbathing, Due to the role of light and heat, the quality has changed a lot. And it has a special flavor like the present white tea.
The cultivation, processing and preparation of green tea as a skilled practice and art developed in China during the 8th century by Buddhist monks, and was disseminated to the public by one monk in particular; Lu Yu, in The Classic of Tea.
Buddhist monks cultivated tea plants in and around their monastery gardens that they would harvest, process and drink during meditation and use as a tonic to maintain wellbeing. In the 12th century a Buddhist priest named Eisa brought tea seed from China to Japan. He may, therefore be cited as the founder of the Japanese tea industry.
Diversification of tea products expanded during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) in China when producers began to experiment with new processing techniques.
In the early 1600s, tea producers in the Wuyi Mountains began kneading the sun-withered tea leaves to macerate them, then allowed them to dry under the sun, thus reaching full oxidation and producing Gongfu black tea. It is acknowledged in China's tea circle that the place of origin of black tea and oolong tea is in Fujian. More specifically, Wuyi Mountain is considered as the origin by a majority of people.
History of tea processing
