DREAM TEAS

NATURAL TEAS AND FOODS for YOUR life

We offer the finest quality teas and natural food products

 Humans have consumed teas for over 5,000 years.  China is widely considered to be the birthplace of tea.  The Chinese were the first culture to discover the benefits of tea.  Since ancient times, tea has been a staple in Chinese culture. Tea was even used as currency in ancient China.

               Chinese scholars attribute the discovery of tea as a beverage to a legendary emperor whose name was Shen Nung.  Emperor Shen Nung who was termed the Divine Healer was a powerful ruler as well as an early scientist. For instance, he required that all drinking water be boiled for hygienic reasons.

              According to Chinese legend, while traveling in his territory, the emperor's entourage stopped to eat and rest. As the servants boiled water for the travelers, dried leaves fell into the water and thereby the water gained a lovely aroma. Shen Nung became refreshed and enthused by the taste after he drank the liquid.  By virtue of that event, tea was invented.

 Chinese Teas

The Chinese society rapidly entered the age of tea consumption.  The Ch'a Ching written in 800 AD by Lu Yu was the first book on teas. Lu Yu was raised in a monastery in China.

            Later in life, he spent several years writing his book about Chinese tea cultivation and preparation. His writings were based upon Zen Buddhism which he learned as a child.  His concept of tea service was introduced to Japan by the Zen Buddhist missionaries.

Japanese Teas

Tea seeds were imported into Japan by a Buddhist priest known as Yeisei.  Teas had been used for many years in Buddhist meditations. This monk became recognized as originator of tea in Japan.  Hence, tea in Japan is associated with Zen Buddhism. Tea received almost instant imperial sponsorship and spread rapidly from the royal members and monasteries to all other members of Japanese society.

            The Japanese Tea Ceremony ("Cha-no-yu" or "the hot water for tea") became a fundamental Japanese ceremony.  The refined art form of the Tea ceremony requires years of training and practice.  Remarkably, the tea ceremony involved simply the making and serving of a cup of tea. The foundation of the ceremony is to serve the most exquisite tea in the most refined and attractive manner possible.

            Because of the importance of the art form, a variety of other arts and activities were developed. Tea houses were built based upon chaseki architecture, a design akin to forest cottages. Geisha who were female hostesses specialized in the tea ceremony.  As the ceremony became increasingly popular, the original Zen concept was emasculated. The ceremony evolved into a more flashy and less religious event. The nobility started competitions for prizes in creating new tea blends. The concept of awarding prizes was antithetical to the Zen origins of the ceremony.

           Some important Zen priests restored tea to its original stature in Japanese culture.  During the 15th and 16th centuries, a number of influential priests in Japan re-confirmed the purity of the tea ceremony in Japan.  Shogun Hideyoshi was a great connoisseur of the tea ceremony in Japan.  As an influential artist, Hideyoshi solidified the tea ceremony as a cultural component of Japanese life. During his reign, tea became a prized gift and warriors enjoyed tea before combat.

 European Teas

As the influence of tea was increasing in Japan and China, information about the benefits of tea was transmitted to Europe. Travellers returning from Asia revealed the importance of tea to Europeans. A Portuguese missionary Jesuit Father wrote about tea in Portugal in the 16th century.  Because Portugal had a powerful navy, it initiated trading with China.

            The Portuguese shipped teas to their capital, Lisbon.  These teas were then transferred to other European countries, including Holland, France and Holland.

            The Dutch employed their navy for trading purposes and they brought expensive teas back from Asia.  As tea imports increased significantly, tea prices fell and tea became available to average citizens. Apothecaries sold expensive teas together with other goods such as spices, ginger and sugar.

             As tea consumption increased significantly in the Netherlands, there was discussion about tea’s health benefits.  Dutch consumers increased their consumption of teas during the mid 17th century.  During that period, France and Holland were the leaders in tea consumption in Europe.

             As the demand for Asian goods flooded Europe, tea soon became basic staple of life. By the 17th century, in France, consumers were adding milk to tea.  At the same time, in the Netherlands initated restaurant service of tea. Restaurants offered guests with a tea set , together with a device to heat the tea. Consumers were preparing tea for their friends in the gardens.

 English Teas

For a number of reasons, England entered trading in China and East India after the Dutch and the French.  In the middle of the 17th century, tea arrived upon the shores of Great Britain.  Rapidly, tea became a most popular drink in the British Isles.

The English royalty initiated consumption of teas, thereby motivating the general population toward tea consumption.  At the beginning of the 17th century, the nobility established the commitment to teas.  The royality strongly promoted trade in Asian goods at that time.

 American Teas

In the mid 17th century, the Dutch were trading in the Western world. The first teas were transported by Stuyvesant to New Amsterdam (re-named New York by the British).  Those colonists were committed and fervent tea consumers.

Indian Teas

In the early 19th century, tea consumption increased spectacularly in Europe. The British East India Company (“BEI Company”) monopolized the distribution of Chinese tea. In 1834, British parliament passed a new charter for the company at which time, it lost its monopoly over tea distribution. The new charter authorized the BEI Company to administer India on behalf of the British Crown.  However, at the same time the Company was prohibited from distributing tea from China. As a result, the Company generated alternative sources of tea cultivation, particularly in India.

The BEI Company sent its staff to establish India's tea industry. Tea seeds were imported initially from China in order to transplant them in India.  The Chinese seeds did not grow very well in the difficult conditions of the Assam region.  Fortunately, a local Assam tea bush grew extremely well.  Therefore, after several years, the BEI Company opted to switch production to use the local tea plant instead of the Chinese imports. When the Indian teas were sent to Great Britain, they were very well accepted by the British tea businesses.  At this time, Assam is the largest tea producer in the world.

Indian Darjeeling tea is famous worldwide.  After sucessfully establishing production in Assam, the BEI Company sought other locations for tea production.  BEI Company created a nursery near the town of Darjeeling.  When the Chinese seeds were planted, the results offered great promise.  After significant experimentation, it was determined that in Darjeeling, the Assam plant thrived at lower elevations, whereas the Chinese plant grew better at higher elevations.  Ultimately, Darjeeling teas are valued due to their distinctive flavor.  These teas constitute a very valuable Indian agricultural export.

 A Culture of Tea

A wide variety of cultures enjoy tea beverages.  In Japan and China, the tea ritual is an underpinning of the Buddhist religion.  In Great Britain, the customs of tea time and tea parties were established several centuries ago.  British.  The British and Irish commonly imbibe black teas known as English Breakfast Tea together with milk and/or sugar.

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