Tea was originally used for medicinal purposes
As said above, Chinese believes that tea was accidentally discovered by Emperor Shen Nong in 2737 B.C.E. The legend goes that after discovering tea, he also discovered that tea can be used for detoxification, and drank tea to detoxify his body as he would often get poisoned while experimenting with various types of wild herbs and plants. Today the medicinal properties of tea are greatly scientifically researched and it’s acknowledged that fine tea is a source of antioxidants and a natural immunity booster.
Regardless of the truth behind the legends, tea has played an important role in Asian culture for centuries. The earliest known treatise on tea is "Ch’a Ching" ("The Classic of Tea"), written by the Chinese writer Lu Yu. The book describes the mythological origins of tea, as well as its horticultural and medicinal properties, and contains prolific instructions on the practice and etiquette of making tea. During the T’ang dynasty, tea drinking was particularly popular. Other plant substances like onion, ginger, orange, or peppermint were added to boost the efficiency of tea. Originally, people only use green tea, but as time went on, different preparations emerged, and different types of tea are made by increasing the oxidation in the making process. Therefore, we now have 6 types of tea, with their color ranging from white to green to black.
It wasn’t until around 3,000 years ago that tea became a common beverage, and loved by the majority until this very day. It's truly impressive when you think about how tea went from being a type of medicine to an important part of human beings' society. Today, people don't just drink tea, they create the Art of Tea serving (Chadou - Japan), and use tea as an important ingredient in cooking, making skincare products, etc.
