Episode 1 - A Brief History of Tea in China

In this Episode, Derek from One River Tea talks about tea from its prehistoric roots in China all the way to the dry loose leaf tea we know of today. Did you know tea used to be powdered, mixed with salt and onion and drunk as a thick soup? Did you know that many people in Medieval China thought tea was unhealthy? What do you know about the true origin of tea (what does anyone know really)? Join Derek as he takes us all the way through the three main eras of tea: Prehistoric, Medieval, and Premodern/Modern. During each of these eras, we see tea change from a medicinal herb, to a sacred beverage, to a hot commodity, and finally to the de-enzymated leaf we know of today. We learn all about ancient Chinese dating systems, the beginning of high-brow tea snobbery, the first faked teas, and much much more!