Tea – a story full of interesting things, already five thousand years old
CHINA- Legend has it….
While walking one day, Emperor Shen Nong stopped by a tree to rest and boil water for drinking. A passing breeze blows the branches and a few leaves fall into the boiling water. The leaves give the water a nice color and a pleasant taste. The emperor enjoyed his newly discovered drink so much, that he refilled his cup. The plant by which he rested was a tea plant, and this legendary event marked the birth of tea.
INDIA- Legend has it….
Inspired by the narration of Buddhist teachings, Prince Dharma travels to China. To prove himself worthy of the mission, he vowed not to sleep for the entire nine years of his journey. At the end of the third year, fatigue catches up with him. He picks a few leaves of a plant near him and begins to chew them. He soon recovers and thanks to the power of that leaf, Dharma was able to stay awake for the next six years of his mission. The plant in question was a tea plant.
JAPAN- Legend has it…
At the end of the third year of his Buddhist study, Bodhidharma fell asleep during meditation. Furious upon awaking, to punish himself, he cut off his eyelids and threw them on the ground. At the place where they fell, tea plants grew. A few years later, passing by the exact spot, he noticed a strange-looking bush. He tasted its leaves, and realized that they give him the power to keep his eyes open. This story soon spread, and it become a custom to grow tea in places Dharma visited.
