'A man can live without food for three days but without tea, not for one.'

This ancient Chinese proverb illustrates just how much of a life force tea is believed to have. The origins and rituals of tea in China can be traced back over four thousand years, through myth and fact in equal measure.

One story of the origins of tea drinking tells of how the legendary Chinese leader and medical expert, Sheng Nong, was boiling a pot of water when a strong wind blew up. The gust of wind blew some leaves from nearby bushes into the pot and, loving the result, Sheng Nong spread the word. The bushes were from Camelia Sinesis, the tea plant.

Tea became a popular drink during the Han dynasty and Buddhist monks started growing tea plants around monasteries. During the Ming dynasty, the ‘Tea and Horse Bureau’ was set up to supervise the tea trade.

A Buddhist monk introduced tea to Japan in the 6th century and later in the 16th century a Portuguese missionary introduced it to Europe. By 1700 England’s imports of tea had gone from 100 pounds a year in weight to over 5 million pounds a year, with shiploads coming from China and India. Western tastes favoured the more processed black tea while China, on the whole, retained its love of green tea in its infinite varieties, treasuring it both as a delicious drink and an essential aid to fortify the body and the spirit.