Asian tea cultures and traditions

Tea, like a gentle breeze, has lifted the barriers among peoples; it has transcended class distinctions, and has spread around the world. Regardless of its species or culture, Asia is its land of origin.

Chinese Tea Traditons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In China, long before tea became the beverage of choice and a way of life, it was considered a medicinal staple. Tea was not only a treatment for individual illnesses, but was also a general health tonic, said to promote long life and vitality. Even today, in traditional Chinese medicine, green teas and pu-erhs are prescribed for a variety of complaints, especially as modern research has come to support many of these claims. Tea was also used by those wishing to achieve better results while meditating, and became popular with Buddhist priests who later introduced it to the aristocratic circles. For some time, only people of high standing in the imperial courts and these select priests were able to drink tea on a regular basis. But later on, tea became more widely available to all people, and the lower classes were finally able to enjoy tea more frequently.