Exploring Tea Part 2 - The First Cup of Tea

© The Chitra Collection, Sèvres Tea Set

The First Cup of Tea

With origins shrouded in millennia of myth and folklore, the first written record of boiling water for tea appears relatively late, in an anecdotal tale by China’s Wang Piu titled Contract of a Youth in 59 BC. It details a contract between a servant and the author, who stipulates that the servant buy tea, boil tea and serve tea.

A legend ascribes the discovery of tea much earlier to Shen Nung, an emperor whose reign is traditionally dated some 26 centuries before Wang Piu detailed his tea needs. According to one version of the legend, Shen Nung (2737-2697 BC) was boiling water to drink, sheltered in the shade of a majestic tea bush. Whilst the water came to a boil, a gust of wind disturbed the branches and several tea leaves fell into the water. He was so enchanted by the infusion that he included it in his celebrated Pen t’sao, a medical treatise written some time later.

Archaeologists corroborate this period, estimating that tea was consumed for thousands of years before Wang Piu’s written reference in the 1st century BC, as a snack to be chewed or a medicine to be ground into a paste as well as an infusion steeped in boiling water. Whatever its true origins, one thing is certain: tea has been part of human history for millennia. (Courtesy Newby Teas)

Since my last post I have been asked to share how to make a good cup of tea. Since my Grandmother taught me as a child I will share just the way she taught me.

  How to Make a good Cup of Tea

Always use freshly boiled water as re-boiled water will have lost much of it’s oxygen. It is important to heat the pot first, pouring the water away, before taking the pot to the kettle, not the kettle to the pot. Use 1 teaspoon of loose tea per person and 1 extra for the pot. Infuse 3 – 5 minutes or to taste.  

Length of infusion

The length of infusion depends on the type of tea and leaf as well as personal preference. Teabags require less time as the leaves are smaller, and the increased surface area lends itself to quicker infusions. Loose leaf teas require slightly more time, with black teas and tisanes requiring the longest length of infusion.

Storage

The perfect cup of tea begins well before the water has been boiled. Storing tea correctly is essential. Tea leaves are fragile and easily corrupted by heat, light, moisture and air pollution. Store in a caddy with an airtight lid.(The last two paragraphs courtesy of Newby Teas)

Many more posts to come on the subject of tea.