Tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

as a beverage was first consumed in China and the earliest extant mention of tea in literature is the ''

Classic of Poetry The ''Classic of Poetry'', also ''Shijing'' or ''Shih-ching'', translated variously as the ''Book of Songs'', ''Book of Odes'', or simply known as the ''Odes'' or ''Poetry'' (; ''Shī''), is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, c ...

'', although the

ideogram An ideogram or ideograph (from Greek "idea" and "to write") is a graphic symbol that represents an idea or concept, independent of any particular language, and specific words or phrases. Some ideograms are comprehensible only by famili ...

used (Tu, 荼) in these texts can also designate a variety of plants, such as sowthistle and thrush. Chinese literature contains a significant number of ancient treatises on tea. Together, there exist approximately one hundred monographs or treatises on tea published from the Tang dynasty through the end of the Ming dynasty. The more famous books on tea are listed below.

Chinese

Tang Dynasty

The Classic of Tea ''The Classic of Tea'' or ''Tea Classic'' () is the first known monograph on tea in the world, by Chinese writer Lu Yu between 760 CE and 762 CE, during the Tang dynasty. Lu Yu's original manuscript is lost; the earliest editions available da ...

(茶經) by

Lu Yu Lu Yu (; 733–804) or Lu Ji (陆疾), courtesy name Jici (季疵) was a Chinese tea master and writer. He is respected as the Sage of Tea for his contribution to Chinese tea culture. He is best known for his monumental book ''The Classic of ...

, 780. *

Report on Water for Brewing Tea ''Report on Water for Brewing Tea'' (煎茶水记) is a tea monograph by Tang dynasty author Zhang Youxin (张又新) from 814. This book is the earliest monograph wholly devoted to the quality of water for brewing tea. Content * A short list o ...

Zhang Youxin Zhang may refer to: Chinese culture, etc. * Zhang (surname) (張/张), common Chinese surname ** Zhang (surname 章), a rarer Chinese surname * Zhang County (漳县), of Dingxi, Gansu * Zhang River (漳河), a river flowing mainly in Henan * ''Zha ...

, 814. * Records of Tea Picking (采茶录 Chai Cha Lu) by

Wen Tingyun Wen Tingyun (; 812–870) born Wen Qi (), courtesy name Feiqing () was a Chinese poet. He was an important Chinese lyricist of the late Tang Dynasty. He was born in Qi, Shanxi province, China. Over his literary career, Wen became regarde ...

(温庭筠), 860.

Song Dynasty

* The Record of Tea (茶录) by Cai Xiang (蔡襄), 1049. *Report on Tasting of East Brook Tea (东溪试茶录 Dong Qi Shi Cha Lu) by Song Zian (宋子安), 1064
Translation
by Global Tea Hut. * Treatise on Tea (大观茶论) by Emperor Song Huizong (宋徽宗), 1107. * Record of Xuan He Era Tribute Tea in The North Farm (宣和北苑贡茶录 Xuan He Bei Yuan Gong Cha Lu) by Xiong Fan (熊蕃). *Essential Record of Tea Tasting(品茶要录 Pin Cha Yiao Lu) by Huang Ru (黄儒), 1075. * Pictorial of Tea Ware (茶具图赞) by The Old Man Shenan (审安老人).

Ming Dynasty

Zhu Quan Zhu Quan (; 27 May 1378 – 12 October 1448), the Prince of Ning (), was a Chinese historian, military commander, musician, and playwright. He was the 17th son of the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming dynasty. During his life, he served as a mili ...

(朱权): Cha Pu (茶谱), 1440
Translation
by Global Tea Hut

by John Thompson. * Gu Yuanqing (顾元庆): Classification of Tea (茶谱 Cha Pu), 1541
Translation
by Global Tea Hut. * Lu Shusheng (陆树声): A Report on Tea House (茶寮记 Cha Liao Ji), 1570. * Tu Long (屠隆): Kao Pan Yu Shi (考槃余事), or Desultory Remarks on Furnishing the Abode of the Retired Scholar, ca 1590. * Gao Lian (高濂): Eight Discourses on the Art of Living/ Tea (遵生八笺 Jun Sheng Ba Jian), 1591. * Hu Wenhuan (胡文焕): Tea Collection (茶集), 1593. * Chen Shi (陈师): Research on Tea (茶考 Cha Kao), 1593. * Chen Jiru (陈继儒): Tea Talks (茶话), 1595. * Zhang Yuan (张源): Tea Notes (茶录), 1595
Translation
by The Leaf. * Zhang Qiande (张谦德): The Book of Tea (茶经), 1598. * Xiong Mingyu (熊明遇): Report on Lu Jie Tea, (罗岕茶记 Luo Jie Cha Ji), ca 1608. * Feng Shike (冯时可): Tea Record (茶录 Cha Lu), 1609. *

Wen Zhenheng Wen Zhenheng (, 1585–1645) was a Ming dynasty scholar, painter, landscape garden designer, and great grandson of Wen Zhengming, a famous Ming dynasty painter. Wen was born in Suzhou in 1585. In 1621, he graduated from the Imperial Academy, obta ...

(文震亨): Treatise on Superfluous Things/ Incense and Tea (长物志 Zhang Wu Zhi), 1621
Translation
by Martin Tai
Translation
by Global Tea Hut. * Wen Long (闻龙): Tea Notes (茶笺 Cha Jian), 1630
Translation
by Global Tea Hut. * Zhou Gaoqi (周高起): Treatise On Yixing Tea Pot (阳羡茗壶系 Yangxian Ming Hu Xi), 1640. * Zhou Gaoqi: Report on Tongshan Jie Tea (洞山岕茶系 Tongshan Jie Cha Xi), 1640.

Qing Dynasty

* Lu Tingcan (陸廷燦): The Sequel to Classic of Tea (續茶經).

Japanese

Myōan Eisai was a Japanese Buddhist priest, credited with founding the Rinzai school, the Japanese line of the Linji school of Zen Buddhism. In 1191, he introduced this Zen approach to Japan, following his trip to China from 1187 to 1191, during which he w ...

(明菴栄西): ''Treatise on Tea Drinking for Health'' (喫茶養生記), 1193. Eisai (Yosai) came to Tiantai mountain of Zhejiang to study Chan (Zen) Buddhism (1168 AD); when he returned home in 1193 AD, he brought tea from China to Japan, planted it and wrote the first Japanese treatise on tea, called ''Kissa yojoki'' (喫茶養生記, ''Treatise on Drinking Tea for Health''). This was the beginning of tea cultivation and tea culture in Japan. *

Sen no Rikyū , also known simply as Rikyū, is considered the historical figure with the most profound influence on ''chanoyu,'' the Japanese "Way of Tea", particularly the tradition of '' wabi-cha''. He was also the first to emphasize several key aspects ...

(千利休) (1522 – April 21, 1591): '' Southern Record'' (南方録).

English

Okakura Kakuzō (also known as 岡倉天心 Okakura Tenshin) was a Japanese scholar and art critic who in the era of Meiji- Restoration reform defended traditional forms, customs and beliefs. Outside Japan, he is chiefly renowned for '' The Book of Tea: A Jap ...

(岡倉覚三): The Book of Tea (originally written in English by Okakura), 1906. * ''

A Nice Cup of Tea "A Nice Cup of Tea" is an essay by English author George Orwell, first published in the ''London Evening Standard'' on 12 January 1946. It is a discussion of the craft of making a cup of tea, including the line: "Here are my own eleven rules, ...

'' essay by George Orwell, 1946. *

ISO 3103 ISO 3103 is a standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (commonly referred to as ISO), specifying a standardized method for brewing tea, possibly sampled by the standardized methods described in ISO 1839. It was orig ...

specifying a standardized method for brewing tea, by the

International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Art ...

(commonly referred to as ISO), 1980 revised 2019. * ''How to make a Perfect Cup of Tea'', debunking Orwell, by Andrew Stapley for the

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Royal Instit ...

, 2003. * ''How To Make a Decent Cup of Tea'', inspired by Orwell, by

Christopher Hitchens Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was a British-American author and journalist who wrote or edited over 30 books (including five essay collections) on culture, politics, and literature. Born and educated in England, ...

, 2011.

Translations

Modern Chinese

* 陆羽《茶经》－解读与点校, 程启坤杨招棣姚国坤. 上海上海文艺出版社 2003 * 茶经 * 遵生八笺——白话全译, 重庆大学出版社

Czech

* Lu Jü : Kniha o čaji. Translated by Olga Lomová. Spolek milců čaje
DharmaGaia
Praha, 2002, . * Karel Valter : Vše o čaji pro čajomily, Granit s.r.o., Praha, 2000

English

* ''The Classic of Tea'' () Lu, Yu; Intro & Translation By Francis Ross Carpenter, Illustrated by Hitz, Demi;Boston, MA: Little, Brown & Co. 1974 * ''The Classic of Tea: Origins & Rituals'' () Lu, Yu; Yu, Lu; Carpenter, Francis Ross; New York, U.S.A.: Ecco Press. 1995 reprint of 1974 edition. This is a complete translation.

French

*Vianney, Soeur Jean-Marie: ''Le Classique Du The Par Lu Yu'', Morel - 1977

Hungarian

* Lu Jü: ''Teáskönyv'' – A teázás szent könyve a nyolcadik századi Kínából. (Translation By Zsolt Tokaji and Barbara Nyiredy.) Terebess Kiadó, Budapest 2005, * ''Teáskönyv''. (Trans., ed, by Zsolt Tokaji.) Fapadoskonyv.hu, Budapest, 2010.

Italian

* Lu Yu: IL CANONE DEL TÈ, Traduzione (dal cinese) di Marco Ceresa, Leonardo. November 1990. * Marco Ceresa, Ph.D. Dissertation:I trattati sul tè di epoca Tang (Tang Dynasty Monographs on Tea) Far Eastern Studies, Istituto Universitario Orientale of Naples.1992

Russian

*Лу Юй: Канон чая; перевод с древнекитайского, введение и комментарии Александра Габуева и Юлии Дрейзис. Москва: Гуманитарий, 2007. — 123 с.

Chinese

Tang Dynasty

Song Dynasty

Ming Dynasty

Qing Dynasty

Japanese

English

Translations

Modern Chinese

Czech

English

French

Hungarian

Italian

Russian

See also

References

Further reading