A Cup of Eyelids

    Tea. One of the most pervasive drinks in modern society, alongside water, coffee, alcohol, milk, and juice. It's shocking, then, that it really only existed outside of China, Korea, and Japan following the establishment of 16th century trade routes between East Asia and Europe. And yes, that includes India and the Middle East. No accounts of this drink, or the leaves used to make it, can be found in Indian, Arab, Persian, or Ottoman society. Its cultivation appears to have been a closely guarded secret, and no foreign cultures came to like the drinking of tea before then, keeping exports negligible. The one place which appears to have imported tea prior to Portugal's arrival in China in 1513 is the Ajuran Empire in Somalia, which gained large numbers of tea imports in the 13th century.

    When I began researching the history of tea for a book, I was surprised to find that tea never made it any further west than China for so long. This is despite the 2000 year old trade route known as the Silk Road that passed through the Tarim Basin, the ancient homelands of the Turkish people, Bactria, Persia, and finally the Roman Empire. Even after several collapses of the Chinese state and their subsequent reconstitution, which naturally affected the export industry greatly, no one thought to buy the dried brown leaves that Chinese traders steeped in water and drank. However, upon diving further into this surprising piece of history, my shock only grew. Here's where this rabbit hole leads.

    The leaves used to make tea, coming from the Camellia sinensis plant, originated in the provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan in China and northern Myanmar, a place where several ancient and medieval cultures merged. The oldest reference to tea drinking comes in the form of medicinal concoctions in the time of the Shang Dynasty, which ruled China between 1600 and 1046 BCE. On its own, tea was definitively drunk as early as the Han Dynasty, in the 2nd century BCE. Samples of tea leaves were found in a mausoleum in Xi'an, known as Chang'an in ancient China, though it was certainly drunk earlier than that.

    By the time of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE), tea drinking had become an integral part of Chinese culture, evidenced by The Classics of Tea, a treatise written by the tea nerd Lu Yu. This book provides details on the origins, cultivation, preparation, and drinking customs of Chinese tea. Lu Yu relates a myth about the origin of tea, in which the legendary Yan Emperor, Shennong, was drinking boiled water in 2737 BCE. Some tea leaves fell from a nearby tree into the water, changing the colour and taste. Surprised, yet nonetheless pleased by the change, he adopted the new drink and encouraged his subjects to do the same.

    Another legend, originating in the Tang Dynasty, was that the founder of Chan Buddhism, Bodhidharma, created the first tea tree with his eyelids. I will back up. Bodhidharma once spent nine years meditating in front of a wall. Why was he meditating in front of a wall? Why did he spend nine years doing this? Did he eat? I don't know. But after nine years of meditating, he apparently fell asleep. I honestly don't blame him. However, upon waking up, he was enraged by his weakness in falling asleep. To punish himself and prevent any further naps, he cut off his own eyelids. Where they fell to the ground, tea bushes sprang up. Think about that next time you enjoy a nice cuppa.

    The last interesting story I'd like to relate regarding the history of tea is that of Lapsang Souchong Tea. There are a few different versions of the story surrounding its creation in 1646 CE, all involving the speedy drying of the leaves over a pine fire, giving the tea its characteristic pine-smoke flavour. One version has a group of bandits raid a tea farm in the Wuyi Mountains, in south-eastern China, where they steal a load of tea leaves. However, the leaves hadn't been dried, so the bandits had a bunch of heavy, useless, wet leaves. The bandits weren't the smartest bunch, and they chose to dry it before trying to sell it. Rather than use a normal fire, they made a bonfire out of pine logs and all but dumped the leaves onto the fire. Now they had a load of smoky, burnt leaves, so they sold it as quick as they could to a Dutch trader. The other version involves some tea farmers hiding their newly picked tea crop from Qing soldiers in the area. To prevent the leaves' spoilage, they quickly dried them, then hid them underground. When they dug them back up, they realised the leaves smelt very different, and similarly sold the load ASAP. In both versions, the Dutch trader loved the taste of the tea, and demand for Lapsang Souchong began. I've had a cup of this tea, or a few mouthfuls anyway. I don't see the appeal.

    So, tea has a weird story to it. Despite the massive appeal that it has throughout China, Korea, Japan, India, and various places in western culture, it has a remarkably long and remarkably short history. The fact that people drink hot leaf juice at all is honestly baffling.