Question

What is the origin of tea as given in the chapter "Tea in Assam"? How did it
become a world beverage?

Answer 1

Answer:

No one really knows who discovered tea. One Chinese emperor had always water boiled before drinking it. A few leaves of the twigs burning under the pot fell in to the water. It gave a delicious flavour. It is said they were tea leaves. According to an Indian legend Bodhi dharma, an ancient Buddhist ascetic cut off his eyelids because he felt sleepy during meditations. Ten tea plants grew out of his eyelids. The leaves of tea banished sleep. Tea was first drunk in China about 2700B.C. the words like chai and chini are from Chinese language. Tea came to Europe only in the sixteenth century. It was drunk more medicine than as bevarage.