Tea is a fundamental part of Chinese life. It is identified, at least in one old Chinese saying, as one of the seven basic necessities in life, the other six being soy sauce, vinegar, salt, rice, fuel and oil. The role of tea in Chinese culture is so important that some authors have even questioned the validity of Marco Polo’s claims that he set foot on China based on one main thing — he never mentioned tea. Of course, he didn’t mention many other things, either.
Tea is a beverage prepared from the leaves of a the southern …read more

For people serious about their tea: I just found out about this company last month. They won Best Black Tea and Best Green Tea in the Commercially Brewed Category at the Annual World Tea Expo in April 2006. From the Press Release:
Rishi Tea, the leading importer of Organic loose leaf tea in North America and 3-time winner of “Best Tea” by the SCAA, took home two 1st Place awards for their Organic Iced Teas at this year’s World Tea Expo. The Expo kicked off with the 3rd Annual Iced Tea Shake-Off competition, a blind sampling by industry …read more