First Discovery
According to Chinese mythology, in 2737 BC the Chinese Emperor, Shen Nung, scholar and herbalist, was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water. A leaf from the tree dropped into the water and Shen Nung decided to try the brew. The tree was a wild tea tree. There are many authentic and supposed references to tea in the centuries before Christ, according to the Chinese dictionary dated circa 350 AD. The Chinese t'u was often used to describe shrubs other than tea, hence the confusion when Confucius allegedly referred to tea or  t'u when writing about the "sow thistle" plant in the Book of Odes.

From the earliest times tea was renowned for its properties as a healthy, refreshing drink. By third century AD many stories were being told and some written about tea and the benefits of tea drinking, but it was not until the Tang Dynasty (618 AD - 906 AD) that tea became China's national drink and the Word ch'a was used to describe tea.

The spread of cultivation throughout China and Japan is largely accredited to the movement of Buddhist priests throughout the region.

The first book on tea "Ch'a Ching" , circa 780 AD, was written by the Chinese author LuYu. It comprises three volumes and covers tea from plantation. There are many illustrations of tea making, as well as covering a historical summary and famous  early tea plantation. There are many illustrations of tea making utensils and some say that the book inspired the Buddhiest priests to create the Japanese tea ceremony.

The modern term "tea" derives from early Chinese dialect words - such as Tchai, Cha and Tay - used both to describe the beverage and the leaf known as Camellia sinensis , tea is an evergreen plant of the Camellia family. It has smooth, shiny pointed leaves which look similar to the privet hedge leaf found in British gardens.

The Indian and Japanese legends both attribute it to Bodhidharma the devout Buddhist priest who founded Zen Buddhism. The Indian legend tells how in the fifth year of a seven year sleepless contemplation of Buddha he began to feel drowsy. He immediately plucked a few leaves from a nearby brush and chewed them which dispelled his tiredness. The bush was a wild tea tree.