Debunking tea myths and other trivia

Now that we've barreled through some of the essentials of tea, let's take a break. This next class will imbue some interesting stories and tea trivia. It'll also expose some tea myths that have been perpetuated over the years.

The first fabrication of tea involves a world-famous traveler who first arrived in China with this father and uncle while just a teenager. Marco Polo is best known for introducing the Western world to pasta and ice cream (not to mention being the namesake for a thoroughly entertaining aquatic pastime). Recently, historians have begun questioning the validity of his writings, some even proposing that he did not visit China. His writing tended to be rather stale, mostly recounting conditions of trade, money, risks, and profits (as an ordinary business man/merchant would do). But he also wrote in incredible detail of the birds, animals, plants, and other aspects of nature. However, he did not include fundamentals of Chinese life, such as foot-binding, and the especially suspicious omission of tea (which was wildly popular in 13th century China). Nearing death, a minister asked if he'd like to admit that his stories were false. Instead, in his last words Marco muttered, "I did not tell half of what I saw."

However, the Western world would soon learn about tea. In fact, it was thanks to Europe's discovery of tea that the world's largest, most powerful monopoly that ever existed was born. The power of the British East India Company, nicknamed "the John Company," derived from the West's unquenchable thirst for tea and the unconscionable lengths the company would go to fulfill this demand. While consumers of the West desired tea, they were unable to find anything China wanted to trade it for-until they found opium. In China's neighboring country, India, the company grew this harmful, inexpensive crop and used it as a means of exchange for Chinese tea. Because of its addictive nature, the demand for the drug was enduring. This resulted in lifetimes of addiction, insuring a practically endless supply of tea.

An interesting falsehood of tea surrounds the legendary origin of one of the most popular teas in the world, Earl Grey. Legend says that in 1830, an Englishman named Charles Earl Grey traveled on a diplomatic mission to China. During this time, he risked his life to save the drowning child of a Chinese noble. In return for his act of kindness, the mandarin presented him with the recipe for making this distinctive tea. However, a few corrections are in order to present an accurate historical record. Firstly, the Chinese have never been black tea drinkers, and were unlikely to have a recipe for Earl Grey to bestow on visitors. Secondly, Charles Earl Grey never set foot in China. Otherwise, the story is completely true.

It is true, though, that the Earl did have a great penchant for tea-- but this was accurate of most Englishmen. Not only was tea considered a quick pick-me-up, but it was treasured as a national "morale booster." In fact, in WWII, tea deliveries to Britain were so disrupted by the fighting that stocks of tea were dispersed to over 500 different locations all over England in order to better protect it from air raids by the Luftwaffe. It seems that they had their priorities straight: save the tea (oh yeah, and the Queen).

Finally, a common misconception about tea is the fact that it is to blame for the concept of tipping. Supposedly, tipping (the act of attempting to influence quality of service through a small gratuity) was born in the tea gardens of England. Story has it that a small wooden box was placed on each table in the garden. The box was inscribed "To Insure Prompt Service" or TIPS for short. A coin dropped in the box usually assured prompt tea service; thus the custom of tipping was born. However, the word "tip" existed long before the first tea garden was ever established. Most obviously, this "tip" would not insure prompt service (unless tea at the time was dangerous), rather ensure prompt service... Another covert sabotage attempt by the coffee industry foiled.

For further enrichment, more in-depth history lessons on tea will be available in further lessons. These are just a few of the many interesting and useful anecdotes about tea that exist, sure to make each sip a little deeper and your next tea party a little more entertaining.

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