Wait and drink tea – preferably with the organic hemp tea from HANAFSAN.

History & Culture of Tea – a Beverage Conquering the World

It is one of our oldest cultural assets and is the most consumed beverage worldwide after water! But tea is not just a thirst quencher; it wants to be perceived, experienced, and enjoyed with all the senses. Through intense smelling and conscious tasting, it unfolds the full range of its aromatic facets – from delicately fragrant to floral, from refreshing fruity to bitter. Today, it is believed that the history of tea began in China. Unfortunately, the exact timing is not recorded, but according to legend, the Chinese emperor and herbalist Chen Nung accidentally discovered it in 2737 BC. During a rest under a wild tea bush on one of his journeys, a gentle wind blew some leaves into his bowl of hot water. Inspired by the delicious aroma, the emperor tasted the light green beverage and was not only convinced by its fine flavor but also felt refreshed and invigorated, so from then on, he always had the leaves of the tea bush added to his drinking water!

Tea Tradition: From China to Europe

For a long time confined to China, tea began its victorious march around the world around 552 AD, carried by Chinese monks who brought Zen Buddhism to Japan. In the gardens of Zen monasteries, they began to cultivate their own tea and develop the tea ceremony. It did not reach European soil until the early 17th century with the Dutch, who imported the first shipment of tea in 1610 and remained the only tea importers in all of Europe for the following years. The long and dangerous sea route from the cultivation areas made tea a rare and almost unaffordable luxury at that time. Since Europe received it exclusively by sea, the terms tea, tea, and presumably also the French thé derive from the Cantonese word tu, a Chinese language primarily spoken in the tea-growing regions in southern China. After it spread throughout Europe, the English began importing their own tea in 1669 and eventually took over the trading monopoly from the Dutch by 1833. Since the English did not want to be dependent on China and the sea import was not only costly but also affected the quality of the tea, they soon made initial attempts to cultivate tea on home soil, which was doomed to fail in the rough climate of the island. Even the cultivation attempts in their Indian colonies initially showed only moderate success, so it was not until the discovery of wild tea bushes in India around 1823 that a turning point occurred. Since then, scientists have not agreed on which is the actual tea ancestor plant, the Chinese Thea sinensis or the later discovered Indian Thea assamica!

Later Tea Transport Over Land

However, tea did not conquer the world solely by sea; it first arrived on the arduous caravan trade route across Mongolia to Russia around 1620. Its quality was likely significantly better since it did not have to be stored for long periods in humid, hot ship holds. In countries like Russia and Persia, where tea came overland from northern China, the designation for tea does not derive from the Cantonese word tu but from chá, a term from the Mandarin language.
In Germany, tea drinking established itself via Holland, initially on the North Sea coast in East Frisia, where the coastal inhabitants developed their own well-known tea culture. In the early 19th century, its popularity increased outside the coastal region as well, with the intellectual and political elite in Germany and the rest of Europe increasingly appreciating the benefits of this unique beverage, making it "in" to drink tea and hold tea gatherings in the respective circles!

Hemp Tea: Traditional Herbal Beverage with Effects

Even though the nutrient-rich leaves of the hemp plant (approved EU industrial hemp) do not produce "real" tea but rather "only" an "infusion beverage," it is an excellent choice in many situations. Best sourced locally and from controlled organic cultivation, hemp tea unfolds its calming and pleasantly relaxing effects and is good for the body and soul with its deep green to slightly yellow color and mild taste, either alone or in combination with other herbs such as lemon verbena, lemon balm, or mint. Hemp tea is also commonly consumed for stomach upsets. This knowledge is not new, as the aforementioned discoverer of tea preparation, the Chinese emperor and herbalist Sheng Nung, was the first to describe the medicinal use of the hemp plant. In India, enjoying hemp tea is also an ancient tradition, referred to as "Bhang." Prepared in a ceremony, it is considered a sign of special appreciation! Why not give it a try with the motto "wait and drink hemp tea"?

Sources:
The Tea Book: Varieties, Growing Areas, Rituals, and Recipes from Around the World. Linda Gaylard, Dorling Kindersley Verlag GmbH © 2015
www.markteinblicke.de

Image Source: © 2020 Tabea Walch