History of Green Tea

Tea, as a whole, had a very long history. It goes way to back to the start of civilized man. This plant has been cultivated in Asia for more than 2,500 years. It is believed that green tea originated from China. Both India and Japan then followed. It is surprising however, that today's leading producer of tea is India.

Many legends are circling as to how the tea and the benefits of green tea was discovered. The Chinese believes that it is emperor Shen-Nung in 2737 BC who first discovered the tea. One version of this legend says that while the Emperor was sitting in his courtyard, leaves from a nearby tea plant drifted in the wind to a pot of hot water that he was boiling . The Emperor, who inevitably was the first person to drink tea, then urged his people to drink this new beverage that he serendipitously discovered. Before long, the new beverage spread throughout his kingdom and to nearby countries like India and Japan through the trade routes at that time.

On the other hand, India claims that the unearthing of tea was because of Siddhartha Gautama in the 6^th century. Siddharta was a prince who turned monk, traveling to preach Buddhism. Legend has it, that he vowed to meditate for nine years without sleeping. On the fifth year however, he was drowsed but because of a divine intervention, he picked the leaves of a nearby tree which is green tea and chewed. To his delight he felt the great benefits of green tea and had a sense of alertness. This made Siddhartha fulfill his vow of nine years of meditation.

Originating from Asia, the stories about the benefits of green tea has traveled and reached the western countries. Even in the history of American revolution, it had its part. During the American colonization by the British government, a tea tax was imposed causing the revolution. Americans threw tons of tea into the harbor, which was later known to be Boston Tea Party. This happening led to the freedom of the colony to tea tax.

Today, green tea is processed in to different products. It is available as a decoction, in teabags or with the consistency of dried powder, packed in to capsules and tablets as health supplements. Add to that, there are ready-to-drink varieties of green tea. Because of the vast benefits of green tea, it has survived time and has become a very popular type of tea worldwide.