Cha Thé Tea

There are numerous accounts of what actually happened during the discovery of tea. Most of these are more likely to be assumed as myths rather than facts.

Min-Nan

The original cup of tea was not invented but discovered as a course daily affair of the simple inhabitants in the hills of Min-nan.

Gautama Buddha

In one story, Gautama Buddha is said to have discovered tea, when a falling tea leaf happened to land in his cup one day as he sat meditating in a garden.

Bodhidharma

Another story has it that Bodhidharma cut his eyelids off so that he wouldn't fall asleep while meditating, and the first tea plants sprang up from the ground where he flung the severed eyelids.

Legend of the God of Agriculture

According to Chinese legend, the god of agriculture would chew leaves, stems, and roots of various plants to discover medicinal herbs. If he consumed a poisonous plant, he would chew tea leaves to detoxify the poison.

Shen Nung

In yet another story Shen Nung (the legendary Emperor of China and founder of Chinese medicine) was on a journey 5000 years ago, when a few leaves from a wild tea tree fell into his hot water. The emperor, known for his wisdom in the ways of science, believed that the safest way to drink water was by first boiling it.

One day during a journey, the emperor noticed that leaves had fallen into his boiling water. The leaves turned the water a light-brown color and gave off an enticing aroma. The ever inquisitive and curious monarch took a sip of the brew and was pleasantly surprised by its excellent flavor and its restorative properties. He then found that tea leaves eliminated numerous other poisons from the body. Because of this, tea is considered one of the earliest Chinese medicines.