Category Archives for History
The Censor’s Jar
An unusual account of tea was once written by a high court official during the eighth century. The report described the tea used in the offices of the Censorate, one the most powerful and feared agencies of the Tang imperial … Continue reading
The Huzhou Lei Tea Jar
An ancient jar is the earliest object identified with certainty as tea ware. The ceramic was found in a third century tomb where it was offered as funerary goods, that is to say, objects of … Continue reading
The Abolition of Caked Tea by Imperial Decree
The Veritable Records of Emperor Taizu of the Great Ming Dynasty Sixteenth day, ninth lunar month, twenty-fourth year [1391] of the Hongwu reign period An Imperial Decree on the Jianning Annual Offering of Tribute … Continue reading
Hermitage of the Single Branch
Hermitage of the Single Branch Dedicated to Brother Anthony of Taizé and Master Hong Keong-hee in great appreciation for their gift of Tea Koreana In 1823, the Venerable Cho-ui went into … Continue reading
Spring of the Instructor: Wenxüe qüan 文學泉
The Spring of the Instructor was once an important source of water in the ancient town of Jingling. Pure and clear, the spring was discovered long ago by a venerated monk, and for hundreds of years thereafter its waters were … Continue reading
Tsia and Tsiology: A History of the Words
Introduction The word tsiology is a nineteenth century expression. Rare and obscure, tsiology was said to mean “a scientific dissertation on tea.”[1] As a term, tsiology was expressly coined in 1826 for a polemical account published that very year in … Continue reading
Thomas Garway’s Broadsheet Advertisement for Tea, circa 1668
“An Exact Description of the Growth, Quality, and Vertues of the Leaf TEA, by Thomas Garway in Exchange Alley, near the Royal Exchange in London, Tobacconist, and Seller and Retailer of TEA and COFFEE. Tea is generally brought from … Continue reading
Engelbert Kaempfer on Tea and Bodhidharma
The Japanese legend of the discovery of tea by the first Zen Patriarch Bodhidharma graphically detailed the dedication of the master to meditation. According to the story, Bodhidharma, known as Daruma in Japan, practiced a strict regimen of meditation at … Continue reading
Tea and Bodhidharma
The discovery of tea was ever a story of many dimensions, and the telling of the tale depended on the leaf’s use as medicine, food, or drink. Throughout history, tea was intimately related to deities, demi gods, and mortals. In … Continue reading
Drinking from the Dragon’s Well
Dragon Well is fed by a clear mountain spring near beautiful West Lake. In ancient times, the spring’s cold, pure waters gathered in a pool known as Longhong that lay sheltered deep within an old forest. Remote and secluded, the … Continue reading
Characteristics of the Tea Leaf, 1653 A.D.
Martino Martini of the Society of Jesus Characteristics of the Tea Leaf There is nothing superior to the famous tea leaf. To satisfy the curious reader and students of … Continue reading
The Sultaness Head
Thomas Garway and the Marketing of Tea in Seventeenth Century London Introduction In the history of English tea, the name Thomas Garway was intimately linked with two London coffee houses. The first was the Sultaness Head in Sweetings Rents, and … Continue reading