Tea in Spite of Its

Tea In spite of its rather peaceful nature, tea is one of the drinks that literally changed the world. There is much controversy regarding its origin, since legend tends to contradict science in determining the period when tea was first discovered. The beverage is responsible for uniting and dividing people, as they were gravely influenced by it potential. From the early ages and until the present day, tea experienced great progress and is currently wide-spread, with some countries even considering it to be a national drink.

The Japanese and the English are two of the nations that are deeply passionate about tea and that have had their societies influenced by the beverage. There is much mystery regarding the genesis of tea, given that most individuals consider that the legend involving emperor Shennong, who lived about five millennia ago. According to the legend, Shennong's passion toward hygiene influenced him in insisting that all water that he drank should be previously boiled.

The emperor at some point discovered that several leaves from a plant had fallen into his water and it turned brown. Also being a dedicated scientist, Shennong drank the infusion and realized its potential, thus discovering tea (Martin, 25). In contrast to the legend, scientists prefer to believe that tea existed long before China's early emperors. According to science, it is very probable that tea was first produced during the Paleolithic, when the Homo erectus boiled leaves with the purpose of drinking the resulting potion (Martin, 23).

It was not until the second millennium that tea became widespread, first in Asia in the early centuries of the millennium, and later across the world, in the last centuries of the millennium. Although the Western World did not initially knew much regarding tea, it quickly adopted the drink and it became one of the most famous drinks in the territory, next to water and coffee (Martin, 190). Although it tea first became celebrated in China, the Japanese were quickly attracted to it and it marked their culture permanently.

People from Japan interacted with China all across the sixteenth century, being strongly influenced by Buddhism. In addition to spiritual teachings, the religion provided them with a thorough understanding of tea. The popularity of tea quickly rose in Japan, as more and more people discovered the drink. Even though it was only found next to Buddhist monasteries during its early years in Japan, tea was particularly appreciated by the Japanese and it became well-known in a matter of decades.

People in Japan started to assimilate tea into their culture and developed the industry throughout the centuries, even during its period of isolation. Japan is particularly known because of the cha no yu (hot water for tea) ceremony, which involves a series of elements relating to philosophy, spirituality, and art. The ceremony is apparently meant to assist drinkers in becoming one.