Steeped in the Joys of Tea

With the first nip of autumn in the air, it's the best time to discover -- or rediscover -- the soothing ritual of preparing and savoring the perfect cup of tea.

Legend has it that the first drink of tea was enjoyed accidentally, more than 5,000 years ago, when a leaf from a wild tea plant fell into the Chinese emperor Shen Nung's cup of hot water. The curious emperor was enticed by the golden brew, and tea soon spread throughout Asia, the Middle East and finally Europe.

Along the way, each culture put its own spin on the rituals and accoutrements of tea drinking. In Japan's transcendent Cha No Yu, or tea ceremony, matcha (powdered green tea) is meticulously prepared, frothed with a bamboo whisk and poured through a series of specialized vessels. Russia's contribution to tea culture is the samovar, a large, ornate (often silver) urn with a spigot for pouring; the brew itself is enjoyed with honey, sugar (a cube of which was traditionally held between the teeth) or even with raspberry jam, as a folk remedy for illness. The English, who have embraced tea as their unofficial national drink since the mid-1600s, created the tradition of "high tea," which is served in the middle of the afternoon, accompanied by finger sandwiches and small cakes or pastries.

Some of the most recent tea traditions hail from America: iced tea, invented at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, and somewhat unfortunately, the tea bag, by a New York purveyor in 1908 who packaged his loose teas in silk bags for convenience in showing his product to clients.

Today, tea is the world's most popular beverage after water, a fact that may surprise many of us in the coffee-saturated culture of the U.S. Tea has garnered more attention here recently, however, due to a myriad of studies regarding its remarkable health benefits. Claims for tea's bone-strengthening capabilities, boosts to immune-system functioning and even cancer-fighting abilities (due to the high levels of antioxidants found in the brew) have been touted by many.