FAQ

Tea ceremonies owe their origin to the Buddhist monks in China. They originated a very long time ago, about the 4th/5th century BC. The culture of tea drinking was circulated by wandering monks preaching Buddhism. Tea was part of a sacred ceremony. It was presented to the Buddha and drunk during meditation. These tea ceremonies began appearing in Japan in the 7th-8th century. Over time tea drinking practices passed on from secluded monasteries to the homes of the nobility and the imperial palace; it became the drink of the samurai. By the 13th century, the tradition of "tea competitions" appeared, during which participants were offered various types of tea, and they had to determine their taste. The tea ceremony turned from an element of meditation into a specific ritual of joint tea drinking for conversation and knowledge of philosophical truths.  The traditional Japanese tea ceremony was founded by the monk Murota Juko in the 15th century, it was based on 4 principles: purity ("sei"), reverence ("kei"), harmony ("wa") and silence, serenity ("seki"). Murata tea ceremony emphasizes simplicity and abandons expensive dishes and luxurious decoration of the tearoom in favor of naturalness. Later, it was modified by his follower Joo Takeno. His tea ceremonies involved the use of separate tea houses and coarse ceramic dishes without decorations." That is the brief history of tea ceremonies.

There are seven types of Chinese tea. These include white tea, yellow tea, green tea, red tea, also known as black tea, oolong tea, pu'er tea, and dark tea. Each type has its benefits. For instance, green tea gives strength and vivacity to the body. Yellow tea was Emperor's favourite and is rare to find. White tea was found to contain the most antioxidants compared to other types of tea. Red tea is referred to as black tea in USA and Europe.

The tea tasting process is similar to wine tasting. People must sip the drink and ensure to spray a little tea over the entire palate allowing the liquid to reach the back of the throat. Moreover, the taster must know how to roll the tea over the tongue to get the most of the taste.

Yes. Tea comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant which naturally contains some caffeine. Therefore, all tea brews contain caffeine. How much caffeine is present in your tea will be dependent on how much of the tea leaves you use, how hot you steep it, and how long you steep it.

For non-caffeinated hot drinks, you can opt for herbal tea. Herbal teas are not made from the Camellia sinensis plant and are caffeine-free. Herbal teas can be made out of a variety of natural ingredients such as chamomile, rooibos, ginger, hibiscus, fruit tisanes, and many other non-Camellia Sinensis beverages that are steeped similar to tea.