PU-ERH TEA

1. Also seen as PU-ERH and PU-ER. P’UERH is the original spelling, but it has been anglicized several times during its westward journey.

2. Pu-erh is manufactured in the Pu-erh tea district of southern Yunnan Province in China, which is directly south east of Kunming city in Yunnan Provence. It takes its name from this small city of Pu-erh and is a few hundred miles from the Laos and Burma border.

3. Pu-erh is today and has always been a distributing center of tea. Where as Mt. Liuchashan (Six Famous Tea Mountain) - a Specific place from which Pu-erh tea produced, is situated within the boundary of Xishuanbanna in Simao District. Renowned for its scenic mountains, mild climate, frost-free winter and spring, abundant rainfall, nebulous ambience and fertile soil, the place is the native centre of origins of world's tea trees.

4. Yunnan Provence has tea trees dating back some 1,700 years. There is an old tea tree called the 'King of tea trees' still growing on Nannuo Mountain in Menghai County of the same prefecture.

5. In 1961, a large wild tea tree was discovered in the primeval forest on Dahei Mountain of the same county. That tree rose 32.1m high with a diameter of 1.03m and its age was over 1,700 years old. Exuberant and verdant, it still can yield quality tea leaves.

6. Production of Pu-erh is a large leaf tea variety or Dayeh, and is grown and picked throughout the year, unlike other teas that require a dormant season. Although dark Pu-erh tastes much like black tea, it is not black or oolong tea, but falls into a category of its own.

7. One of the most expensive and rare Pu-erh teas is made from the droppings of worms that eat stored Pu-erh bricks. No, Dr. Tea has not tried this Pu-Erh yet!!!!

8. Pu-erh is renowned for its alleged medicinal effects on the digestive tract. Some Chinese, in fact, drink it only as medicine. In any case, it is an acquired taste.

HISTORY OF PU-ERH

1. The PU people as they were called prepared Pu-erh tea for the Imperial family as early as 1066 BC during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.

2. During the Song Dynasty Pu-erh became the hub of tea and horse trading in China.

3. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Pu-erh tea reached its height as a popular tea.

Pu-Erh Tea Cakes Like the ones at the Tea Garden
Ancient Tea-Horse Road
In Dr. Tea’s research, I have found this fascinating article on the ancient Tea Horse Road which spread pu-erh tea from Yunan to the rest of the world at the time. This was taken from the Yunan Tuocha website.

Beijing Portal 2004-07-01

For thousands of years, there was an ancient road treaded by human feet and horse hoofs in the mountains of Southwest China, bridging the Chinese hinterland and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Along the unpaved and often rugged road, tea, salt and sugar flowed into Tibet, while horses, cows, furs, musk and other local products came out. The ancient commercial passage, dubbed the "Ancient Tea-Horse Road", first appeared during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and lasted until the 1960s when Tibetan highways were constructed. Meanwhile, the road also promoted exchanges in culture, religion and ethnic migration, resembling the refulgence of the Silk Road. This road is still used today.

Map of the Routes

The road stretched across more than 4,000 kilometers mainly in Southwest China's Sichuan and Yunnan provinces and the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Just as the Silk Road, the Ancient Tea-Horse Road disappeared with the dawn of modern civilization, but both routes have played very important roles in the development of China. Different Chinese ethnic cultures, such as the Dai, Yi, Han, Bai, Naxi and Tibetans, have met, fused and developed along the historic road.

The road ran across the Hengduan Mountains and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau -- an area of the most complicated geological conditions and most diversified organisms. Besides its cultural and historic value, the road was also highly appreciated by adventurers and scientists.

Tea and horses blazed the way

According to Tibetan classics, people of the Tibetan ethnic group in western Sichuan Province and northwestern Yunnan Province had access to famous types of teas from the Central Plains during the Tang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), people of Yunnan and Sichuan provinces exchanged tea for Tibetan horses.

On one hand, the effects of tea in promoting digestion and eliminating grease from eating too much meat lured many Tibetans. Not only the nobles, but also the general populace took delight in drinking tea. On the other hand, horses were also very important for the Han people. The result was the flourishing of the tea-horse trade.

Pu-erh tea is most favored by the Tibetan people. Since the butter tea made of Pu-erh tea is highly esteemed both in taste and color, it was named after its producing area -- Pu-erh County in Yunnan Province, which is one of the cradles of China's "tea culture". During the Tang Dynasty, Pu-erh tea was grown in areas flanking the Lancang River. It was described as having a bitter taste at first, then sweet.
In order to preserve Pu-erh tea and to facilitate its trade with merchants traveling the Ancient Tea-Horse Road, a method was developed which led to the steaming of Pu-erh Tea and then compressing it into various shapes - usually a type of bowl shape or a "brick". This type of tea is known as Tuocha Tea. The word Tuocha sometimes spelled "Tuo Cha", or "Tuo Tea", the meaning is block of tea. Tuocha Tea can also be known by different names such as "beeng cha" (or "bing cha" or "ping cha"), and "fang cha". These names simply refer to the type of shape into which the Tuocha Tea is pressed - bing cha is "biscuit shaped" and fang cha is "square shaped".

During the World War II, when Myanmar fell into the hands of the Japanese, the Yunnan-Myanmar Highway -- then China's only international thoroughfare -- was cut off. The Ancient Tea-Horse Road, extending from Lijiang in Yunnan, to Kangding in Xikang, and then to Tibet and even further into India, was revived and became a major trade route. With the opening of the Yunnan-Tibetan and Sichuan-Tibetan highways in the 1960s, the road declined. Some sections of the famous road, however, are still used for transport purposes. Today, the road comes to the fore again with the development of tourism in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, as well as in the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

The road passes through subtropical forests and picturesque lakes and turbulent rivers, such as Lancang, Nujiang, Minjiang and Yarlung Zangbo. Heading west from the Hengduan Mountains, one has to cross many peaks -- each towering 4,000-5,000 meters above sea level. But tea and horses have blazed a trail despite the challenges posed by mountains and forests. Roads devoted to the tea-horse trade linked ethnic groups living in areas near the roads, making them members of the great Chinese nation.
Six major routes

A Chinese expert researching the Ancient Tea-Horse Road recently found a complete map of the road drawn more than 150 years ago by a French missionary. The map reveals that the road traversed a series of towering mountains, with rivers flowing in between from the south to the north. Roughly speaking, there were six main routes:

Route One:

Begins in Xishuangbanna and Simao, home of Pu-erh tea via Kunming to other Province in China into Beijing.

Route Two:

Begins in Pu-erh (via Simao, Jinhong, Menghai to Daluo) in Yunnan Province into Burma, then from Burma into Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Route Three:

Begins in Pu-erh via Xiaguan, Lijiang, Zhongdian into Tibet, then from Lhasa into Nepal and India.

Route Four:

Begins in Pu-erh via Jiangcheng in Yunnan into Vietman, then from Vietman into Tibet and Europe.

Route Five:

Begins in Pu-erh via Simao, Lanchang, Meilian in Yunnan into Burma.

Route Six:

Begins in Pu-erh via Meila in Yunnan into Burma.

Tens of thousands of traveling horses and yaks created a definite path with their hoofs on the once-indiscernible road. Today, although even such traces of the ancient road are fading away, its cultural and historic values remain.

PRODUCTION OF PU-ERH TEA: DOES ANYONE REALLY KNOW

1. Unlike other varieties of tea, Pu-Erh Tea is traditionally made with older leaves (not the first flush or budding leaves) from tall and old trees.
2. These trees are of a type only found in Yunnan Province, known as broad leaf tea.
3. The leaves are covered with fine hairs, and are typically larger than other tea leaves, and have a different chemical composition.
4. Dr. Tea has done much research on the subject of Pu-erh Tea production. Unlike the other classes of tea, there is not a uniform production of Pu-erh tea which creates the distinct nose and palate of Pu-erh. I have below put together some of the different processes as provided me by Tea Masters from different plantations in and around Pu-erh. I can safely say, “That the tea gardens keep their own distinctive processes a SECRET.” I will be making my voyage to Pu-erh this September and will attempt to bring back to the Tea Garden the key to unlock the secrets from these old Imperial Tea Gardens. Now, below are direct quotes which attempt to explain how pu-erh is made:

1. The leaves are left green or moderately fermented before being dried. Often times the tea is then formed into cakes or bricks, wrapped in paper or pomello rinds, and stored outside exposed to moisture, air, and heat in order to further mature. Then the tea is stored underground for several years before taking on the darker, mellower characteristics that make Pu-erh tea. This type of tea originated from the natural aging process that happened along the ancient caravan routes, and the tea bricks were at times used as a form of currency. The tea bricks developed a unique flavor that was then refined by aficionados. One of the most expensive and rare Pu'erh teas are made from the droppings of worms that eat stored Pu'erh bricks.

2. Different from black tea and green tea, Pu-erh tea leaves are processed from large-leaf and dried Qingmao tea through special fermentation. They are broad and brownish red in color. When preparing tea, a pleasantly mellow fragrance exudes.

3. The Pu-erh tea leaves are plucked, panned, sun-dried, and steamed; after which they are either allowed to remain in leaf form or they are pressed into circular cakes of varying diameters. Cake tea is the most ancient form of manufacture of tea and it has come down through hundreds of years to the present time. A method of preparing this tea was described by Lu Yu in the first book on tea, published in China about the year 780 A.D. In cake form it is interesting to note that the cake tea of Lu Yu was wrapped in bamboo for the sake of transportation and is still done that way to this date for the high quality Pu-erhs.

4. Pu-erh is processed much like black tea with the exception of a couple steps. The tea is picked, processed and partially fired allowing the leaves to retain moisture. The slightly moist tea is then piled. The natural bacterium on the leaves creates a reaction similar to that of a compost pile. The tea is then aged, in special underground rooms or caves, adding to its unique character. One of the most significant distinctions of this tea is that it gets better over time. These aged teas are prized and can be found in vintages, like wine, some dating back 40 to 50 to 100 years.

5. The Pu-erh leaves are processed differently than green tea leaves. They are oxidized similar to an oolong tea, but not as long as black tea. The leaves are then dried loose or compressed into tea bricks, tea cakes or Tuochas that look like bird nests. For most Americans, tea in this state is a unique visual experience. Some tea cakes have been aged in caves to develop their particularly earthy flavor.

6. Pu-erh is an unusual large-leafed tea with a characteristic earthy flavor. (In some Chinese dialects, this tea's name is pronounced 'po lay'.) Its color is very dark, almost red. It is marketed in bulk as Pu-erh, shaped into cakes as Pu'er Cake Tea, or pressed into hemispherical pieces called "Tuo Cha," or "Bird's Nest Tea."

7. Pu-erh differs from other teas because it is "refermented," or oxidized a second time. This secondary oxidation sometimes is used to develop a thin layer of mold on the leaves. (Although this is unusual for most tea, skittish Western tea drinkers ought to keep in mind that mold is also a key ingredient in widely consumed Western products such as cheese.)

8. Pu-erh is an aged black tea from China prized for its medicinal properties and earthy flavor. It is perhaps the most mysterious of all tea. Until 1995 it was illegal to import it into the U.S., and the process of its production is a closely guarded state secret in China. It is very strong with an incredibly deep and rich flavor, and no bitterness, and an element that could best be described as almost peaty in flavor.

9. Pu-Erh tea is the general term used for tea that has been literally fermented, meaning that microbes have worked on the tea leaves in a fashion similar to wine or cheese. This process creates a deep, earthy flavor, reminiscent of mushrooms, truffles, and wet earth. Pu-Erh is very easy to prepare with a Western teapot. Just be sure to "rinse" the leaves in the same fashion as oolong teas. Otherwise, the flavor of the tea may be overly earthy or gritty.

10. Known in China as "raw" or unprocessed tea, green Pu-erh is just that. Large, freshly harvested leaves are sun-dried and quickly steam-pressed into attractive plum-flower-embossed tea cakes for aging. The flavor is rich, mellow and long-lasting.

11. Pu-erh tea is actually post-fermented. This means like black tea, pu-erh tea is fully fermented. However, instead of the process ending after full fermentation, pu-erh tea is fermented a second time some time after the first fermentation process is stopped. So, the intense fermentation process explains why the pot of tea I made with pu-erh leaves yielded the darkest red-black liquid I have ever seen from a tea.

12. Pu-erh tea, the best ones, usually has the tea leaves picked from over 300 years old tea trees. They are then oxidized, but more importantly, the fermentation is a natural progress through the storage (aging process). After oxidation, they are steamed and pressed into a shape (round or brick form). These days, they all use machines to produce. Traditionally, it has been used by carved stones to mold pu-erh teas. The best aging process will be in the open airy space in the dry environment. Cave is originally the best place for storage, of course now, all the storage is built to create the ideal conditions for pu-erh teas. But always look for dry storage which is the best as compared to some tea makers using mist to accelerate the fermentation process. You won't find the taste as smooth as the ones in the natural dry stored ones.

13. To sum up, Pu-erh can be divided into two types: Green Pu-erh and Black Pu-erh. Green Pu-erh: made of sun-dried Yunnan large-leaf tea leaves. Loose leaves can be further compressed into different shapes. Black Pu-erh: made of WO Dui processed Yunnan large-leaf tea leaves (sun-dried) . Loose leaves can be further compressed into different shapes. It is proved that sun-dry is a very important process in Pu-erh making. Some Pu-erh on market now are not made of sun-dried leaves, and they do not last for aging. Leaves are also very important. Ancient tea tree leaves are the most desired leaves. Leaves from different ancient tea mountains taste different. Actual recipes are each company's trade secrets. We have different recipes for our different brands.

14. Though it could simply be classified as a type of Chinese black tea, it is differentiated from other black teas by the fact that it is fermented not once, but twice. The double oxidation process is followed by a period of maturation, which is often used to develop a thin layer of mold on the leaves. The mold imparts a distinctive soil-like flavor that many people find off-putting.

15. There has been a lot of speculation about the exact processing of this tea, as it has remained a long kept secret in China. Pu-erh tea is a living tea that becomes alive during an amazing artisan process that facilitates the development of active yeast cultures that thrive in true pu-erh tea. The two beneficial yeasts - which create the unique character of Pu-erh tea are known as the yellow and white yeast types. During the hotter months of the year, yellow yeast is in its most active state and thrives. This is the reason why Pu-erh tea is called “after oxidized tea.” It is during these hotter seasons that Pu-erh tea continues to oxidize. In order to manipulate the humidity critical for the processing of this tea, Pu-erh is stored in caves high up in the mountains of Yunnan for several months.

16. There are different elements that make Pu-erh and secret ways that are carried from family to family. However the one element that breaks down the leaves and aids in the process of fermentation is a bacteria. The same type of bacteria that is found when making compost. Hence the "compost" question asked earlier. One of the most common ways of producing pu-erh is steaming tealeaves then leaving them in a cool dry place for a period of time without a quick drying process. Another measure of processing is leaving them in a damp room to slowly ferment.

Taste of Pu-Erh Tea
1. Pu-erh tea liquor has a flavor unlike any other tea in the world. It is somewhat earthy in flavor (not repulsive at all) and has a long lasting flavor profile within the mouth or palate area. Poor grades can become very harsh and, as mentioned above, bitter. Top grades are smooth, pleasant and sweet.

2. The term 'earthy' applies almost literally, as some pu-erh tastes remarkably like dirt. This is not a criticism, but novices should taste the tea before buying it.

Types of Pu-Erh Tea

Many have mistakenly categorized cooked Pu-Erh as a sub class of black tea, due to its dark color. In fact, it is impossible to process cooked Pu-Erh from black tea.
Raw
Once the tea is collected, usually from old trees, they are sorted to remove any broken or already oxidized leaves. Afterwards they are heated to remove up to 90% of their moisture and then withered in the sun or mechanically. The leaves are then graded and finally the leaves are steamed and pressed into shapes. The tea experiences little or no oxidation and depending on its characteristics may be drank within a few years or stored for decades.

Green (Uncooked) Pu-erh bing cha
Ripe
Ripe tea is manipulated to accelerate the aging process by prolonged bacterial fermentation in a warm humid environment under controlled conditions, a technique called the post-fermentation process which was first developed in 1972 by the Menghai Tea Factory to imitate the flavor and color of aged raw pu-erh. The resulting tea can be drunk as pu-erh immediately, though it can also be stored. The tea is often compressed but is also common in loose form.

Qiaomu, or Tall Tree tea
The most prized pu-erhs of Yunnan are those made from the leaves of the region’s ancient tea trees. Tea from older trees has an earthier flavor and the broth leaves an aroma behind that is not unlike that of dried mushrooms.

Tuo Cha
The two main classifications of Pu-erh are green and dark, or oxidized Pu-erh. The tuo cha, meaning pressed, is a dark Pu-erh. Tuo cha's were developed in early China trade because the teas were bulky and hard to transport. Tea was pressed to compact the leaf reducing the size of the loads for long journeys.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF PU-ERH TEA

1. This tea is well known throughout the medicine shops of China, and is highly regarded for its medicinal qualities as a digestive and nerve stimulant.

2. Whether in tuo cha or loose leaf forms, these unique teas have long been used in China for the medicinal benefits. The soothing properties, aid digestion and are perfect after heavy or greasy meals. More recent studies indicate powerful cholesterol lowering effects, blood cleansing properties and aid significantly in weight loss efforts.

3. Many published studies have been done showing the enormous health benefits of this wonderful tea. The most eye opening of these studies was conducted in France several years ago. A blind study was conducted with 500 hyper-lipidemia patients (individuals with advanced cholesterol conditions, usually controlled with medication). Half of the controlled group consumed 3-4 cups of Pu-erh daily, while the rest of the participants were given something else. After a 30-day period the results showed that drinking Pu-erh on a regular basis could significantly lower cholesterol and further research confirmed that Pu-erh was as effective as the most advanced cholesterol lowering medications available. This is just one of the many healthy benefits of this delicious tea.

4. The tea can also lower the alcoholic contents in blood. Besides, over 40% of the subjects which drink Pu-erh Tea lose their weight for different extents obviously for people of the 40-50 age groups. For lowering lipid matters, 34% were tested with excellent result and 33% good, Triglyceride, cholesterol and uric acid can be lowered to various levels as well. Thus, Pu-erh Tea is renowned as slimming tea or health tea in Japan, Italy, Hong Kong, Macao, etc.

5. US Research: Recent research in the USA has indicated that properties found in Yunnan Tuocha tea may be protecting the heart. "The results were more dramatic than I anticipated," said Dr. Kenneth Mukamal, who led the study, which was published in May 2002 in the American Heart Association's journal, Circulation. The heavy tea drinkers in the study - those who drank two or more cups of tea a day - had a 44 percent lower death rate following their heart attack, compared with nondrinkers. The study found even a benefit in moderate tea drinkers. Those who drank fewer than 14 cups a week had a 28 percent lower death rate.

6. Weight Loss Study:

Factories of Pu-Erh
• Kunming tea factory
• Menghai tea factory
• Xiaguan tea factory
• Nan Jian tea factory
• Haiwan tea factory
• Six Famous Tea Mountain tea factory
• Mengku tea factory

1. All tea comes from one tea plant, “Camellia Sinensis.”

2. The plant dates back to the Tertiary Period, preceding the ice age. The plant was able to survive because the Yunan and Guizhou plateaus were not affected by the glaciations.

TEA TIMELINE
2737 B.C. • The second emperor of China, Shen Nung, discovers tea when tea leaves blow into his cup of hot water or so the story goes.

674 A.D. • The saucer was invented around 674 AD as a woman who regularly made tea for her father found it difficult to hand him the hot bowl, so she had a craftsman make her a small plate with a circular ridge in the center to hold up the cup.

1705 A.D. • T.I.P.S.: Tipping as a response to proper service developed in the Tea Gardens of England. Small, locked wooden boxes were placed on the tables throughout the Garden. Inscribed on each were the letters "T.I.P.S." which stood for the sentence "To Insure Prompt Service". If a guest wished the waiter to hurry (and so insure the tea arrived hot from the often-distant kitchen) he dropped a coin into the box on being seated "to insure prompt service". Hence, the custom of tipping servers was created.

"WHO CAN CALL TEA BITTER? IT IS SWEET AS (THE HERB) SHEPHERD'S PURSE," remarked the Sage Confucius in the earliest known instance of critical tea appreciation.

“America had often been discovered before Columbus, but it had always been hushed up.”
Oscar Wilde
Irish dramatist, novelist, & poet (1854 - 1900)

HISTORY OF TEA IN FRANCE
1. Tea made its first arrival into France from Holland in 1636.

2. England first was acquainted with tea in 1658. Please see Dr. Tea’s Time line in our Tea Library online.

3. Tea immediately became very popular in France among the rich, as was anything from the Orient. The term “patrician orientalism” was in vogue, due to the wealth associated with anything from the orient. Remember our own George Washington was a patrician orientalist.

4. The most powerful man of the day in France was the religious Cardinal Mazarin. Jules Mazarin was born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino on July 14, 1602 and died March 9, 1661. He was an Italian politician who served as the chief minister of France from 1642 until his death. Mazarin succeeded his mentor, Cardinal Richelieu.

A. Louis XIII died in 1643. His successor, Louis XIV, was only a child and Mazarin functioned essentially as the ruler of France. During the regency of queen mother Anne of Austria, and until his death in 1661 at Vincennes, Mazarin effectively directed all French policy. His modest manner contrasted with the imperious Richelieu, and Anne was so fond of him and so intimate in her manner with him, that there were long-standing rumors that they had been secretly married and that the Dauphin was their offspring.

B. Cardinal Mazarin started to take tea as a patrician orientalist and for his gout. He was said to also have enjoyed the taste.

5. It is documented that Louis XIV began taking tea in 1665, as he thought it would assist with his gout. Gout was prevelant throughout Europe as a result of a lack of fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet.

A. Louis XIV also took the tea because he was told the Chinese and Japanese never suffered from heart problems.

B. Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné) (September 5, 1638 – September 1, 1715), reigned as King of France and of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death at the age of 77. He acceded to the throne a few months before his fifth birthday, but did not assume actual personal control of the government until the death of his First Minister ("premier ministre"), Jules Cardinal Mazarin, in 1661. Louis XIV, known as The Sun King (in French Le Roi Soleil) or as Louis the Great (in French Louis le Grand, or simply Le Grand Monarque, "the Great Monarch"), ruled France for seventy-two years—the longest reign of any French or other major European monarch.

C. Louis XIV had the Chateau of Versailles outside Paris, originally a hunting lodge built by his father, converted into a spectacular royal palace; he officially moved there along with the royal court on May 6, 1682.

D. Tea was so popular in Paris during this time that it made for a great amount of amusement and Madame de Sévigné, who chronicled the doings of the Sun King and his cronies throughout his reign in a famous series of gossipy letters to her daughter, who as we read today, often found herself mentioning tea. Madame de Sévigné wrote 1,700 letters to her daughter. Her letters, which are filled with bright, sharp details, give a better insight into the times than many history books. The correspondence covers about 25 years.

i. She wrote in one of her published 1700 letters: "Saw the Princesse de Tarente who takes 12 cups of tea every day...which, she says, cures all her ills. She assured me that Monsieur de Landgrave drank 40 cups every morning. 'But Madame, perhaps it is really only 30 or so.' 'No, 40. He was dying, and it brought him back to life before our eyes.'

ii. Madame de Sévigné also reported that it was a Frenchwoman, the Marquise de la Sablière, who initiated the fashion of adding milk to tea to save her precious porcelain from the orient, as well, "Madame de la Sablière took her tea with milk, as she told me the other day, because it was to her taste." The English, as we know delighted in this "French touch" and immediately adopted it. You see at this time during the reign of Louis XVI, everything French was in fashion in Europe and if the French took tea with milk then it was milk in tea throughout Europe.

6. During this time the French doctors got excited about tea because they saw it as a possible medicine as they were obtaining tremendous results with the use of tea for many ailments.

A. As early as 1648, a Monsieur Morisset published a treatise claiming that tea was mentally stimulating. (However, when he brought it before the faculty of medicine at the University of Paris some ardent defenders of another medicinal plant, sage, had the treatise burned!).

B. In 1657, the scientist Jonquet praised tea as the "divine herb."

C. In 1685, Philippe Sylvestre Dufour published the Traités Nouveaux et Curieux du Café, du Thé et du Chocolat (New and Curious Treatises on Coffee, Tea and Chocolate), one of the first books in French to address tea. It extolled the leaf for its ability to cure headaches and aid digestion, and it even offered prescriptions.

7. On August 3, 1700, the French ship Amphitrite returned from China with silk, porcelain and, of course, tea. In the years that followed, the number of these ships was to increase tenfold.

8. Tea had many fervent supporters in Paris and in Versailles, where the Sun King held court. In 1714, the princess of Palatine remarked that Chinese tea was as fashionable in Paris as chocolate was in Spain.

9. By the 1770’s the Royal families under Louis XVI were coming under much scrutiny in France. The upper class were living lavishly while the masses were in poverty. The popularity of tea among the upper classes may have been the kiss of death for tea in France.

10. In 1789, a screaming mob, enraged by a noble class that did nothing but levy crippling taxes and make war, attacked the notorious Bastille prison. By the time the violence stopped, Louis XVI and his Queen Marie Antoinette were captured tried and eventually lost their heads under the sharp blades of the guillotine in front of cheering crowds.

11. Tea was the most recognized symbol of royalty. It was associated with royalty, as tea was too expensive to be consumed by the masses and as a result tea in its own way was tried and fell fate to the guillotine with the royals January 21, 1793.

12. As with everything in life, ways change. Tea's story was not over in France. 50 years after the Revolution, an Anglo mania swept the country. Everything English was now in style. Tea once again was in! Of course the price of tea by now had dropped and was now available to the masses who could also take tea. The often consumed their tea in the evening after dinner and it was accompanied by small pastries.

13. In and around the 1790’s the famous French tea importer, Mariage Frères, began to expand his business. Jean-François Mariage had been running an import firm featuring teas, spices and colonial goods in Lille, a city to the north of Paris, since the late 1700s. He trained his four sons—Louis, Aimé, Charles, and Auguste—in the family business. Aimé's sons, Henri and Edouard Mariage, in turn took up the family trade.

14. On June 1, 1854, they moved the family business to Paris and founded the Mariage Frères (Mariage Brothers) tea company, today the oldest in France. Mariage Frères quickly demonstrated what has become its trademark—interesting blends.

15. In 1860, the company came out with "Chocolat des Mandarins," a tea/chocolate blend touted as a healthy way to consume chocolate, which was considered difficult to digest but was touted as having medical benefits.

16. Today the Mariage Frères catalogue lists 213 blends among its selection of more than 500 teas. Also available are tea-flavored cookies, tea candy, tea-scented candles, and tea jellies, a French invention now found in shops from Kyoto to New York.

17. Tea is growing more and more popular in France, especially in Paris. Three "tea drinkers' clubs" meet regularly to drink and talk about tea. French tea aficionados can study their passion at the "Université du Thé" (University of Tea) and the "Ecole du Thé" (School of Tea). Nearly 145 tearooms do excellent business in Paris and more open every year.

18. Four-star chefs even use tea as an ingredient in appetizers, main courses, and desserts. French drinkers of tea pride themselves on their diverse tastes, from English-style blends to Japanese greens to Chinese whites. They practice what they call the "French art of tea," which simply consists of quality ingredients, careful preparation, and elegant presentation. Removing the leaves from the pot immediately after the tea is infused is especially considered the first principle of French tea preparation.

19. Mary Cassatt an American in France and the only woman impressionist painter continued to paint modern women after she joined the now-famous Impressionists. Just as she made her first appearance with Degas, Pissarro, and Monet in 1879, the paintings she exhibited at that show depicted young women making their own debuts at the glittering spectacle of the opera. By the 1880s, her imagery had become more domestic and interior, but no less modern. Cassatt's women engage in contemporary rituals of womanhood-whether sewing, reading or drinking tea--yet they exude a sense of dignity and purpose that challenges conventional notions of decorative femininity.

20. A marked interest for teas grown on specific estates is another hallmark of the French approach to tea. Sound familiar? You're right. The French are bringing to tea the same seriousness they have always devoted to wine. In short, tea may finally have recovered from the French Revolution and be rightfully taking its place in France!

1919 – “Tea” by Henri Matisse, painter, sculptor and lithographer.

1946 – “The Tea Cup” by Jackson Pollock

As always, my hope is that I have provided you a little bit of knowledge on a subject that we obviously all love and in the words of the immortal comedy troop Monty Python:

“Make tea not war!!!”

by Dr. Tea (tm), Tea Expert