It's All About Tea — history

We all know of Chado (the way of tea), also known as Chanoyu – the traditional Japanese matcha tea ceremony. But how many of us know that Senchado (The Way Of Sencha) was as much of a thing as Chado at a time? Although now sencha is drunk in much more casual settings, most commonly in the comforts of one’s home or perhaps at a sushi restaurant, it started off as a more or less ceremonial tea. (Read more)

...It wasn’t until much later on, in the year 1191 that tea really started growing as a culture after being reintroduced by the Zen priest Eisai, who brought the seeds to Kyoto - the capital and cultural center of Japan at the time. (Read more)

Although Lu Yu is regarded by many current day tea masters as "the Sage of Tea" or even “the God of tea”, he is not the first person to discover it. Specifically, Lu Yu was known for his detailed account of tea written in his book The Classic of Tea or Cha Jing, and for perfecting the craft. The Cha Jing is known to be the first written account on tea culture in the world. (Read more)

The use of tea leaves began in southwest China more than 3,000 years ago and was originally used for chewing or eating.  Over time, the use of tea leaves expanded as people began to use them in cooking and to flavor their water. (Read more)

Tea bags account for close to 95% of all tea sold in the U.S., but they usually contain the cheapest material possible, delivering little more than a brown liquid. Here's a brief history of how tea bags came to dominate the market, and why high-quality loose-leaf tea is worth the switch. (Read more)