Story of Tea

Tea is a drink deeply embedded in the world’s traditional cultures.
It all started when a leaf fell into water, changing its taste — and that’s how tea came to be.
Today, Chinese tea culture is as rich and diverse as ever. Whether you're gathering with friends or meeting with business partners, tea is an essential part of Chinese life.
For many young people in China today, tea is considered a symbol of elegance. However, in some ways, it’s gradually being forgotten. This is exactly why our brand’s mission is to bring tea back into the spotlight — not as an elusive luxury, but as something that belongs to everyone, everywhere. After all, tea’s origins are humble, and it’s meant to be savored, not just admired.

Let’s dive into tea culture using the numbers 1-2-6.

“1” represents one tea tree.
Back in 1753, Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus made the groundbreaking decision to classify tea into two categories: green tea tree and black tea tree.
Fast forward to 1848, British plant hunter Robert Fortune traveled to China to find tea tree seedlings. During his journey, he discovered something surprising: China didn’t have separate green or black tea trees. All teas came from the same type of tree! This revelation completely overturned the Western world’s century-old misunderstanding about tea trees. One tree could produce a variety of teas, from green tea to black tea to white tea.
It’s funny, though — even today, some people still hold on to this old misconception about tea trees.

“2” represents two main tea varieties.
The two most widely used tea varieties in the world are Camellia sinensis (the classic tea plant) and Camellia assamica (Assam tea). Whether it's Longjing tea from China or any number of other cultivars, they all come from these two varieties.
But here’s the interesting part: even with the same variety, different processing methods can lead to wildly different flavors!
And with China’s vast landscapes and rich history, we've seen countless tea varieties emerge over the centuries. Some of them even have fascinating names and stories. Take “Anji Bai Cha” (Anji White Tea), for instance. Despite its name, it’s not actually white tea — it's green tea made from a white-foliage variety. So, the name “white tea” actually refers to the variety, not the tea type.

“6” represents the six major tea types.
In China, we classify tea into six main categories: Green tea, White tea, Yellow tea, Green tea (again), Black tea, and Dark tea.
This system was introduced by tea scholar Chen Chuan in 1979, and it’s not just based on color — it's also about how the tea is processed. This system became an international ISO standard in 2023, so now all teas worldwide are categorized according to this classification.

In the end, a tea's flavor is shaped by its variety, its environment, its processing method, and how it’s brewed.
This is just a quick introduction to Chinese tea and its rich history. If you’re curious about tea culture, make sure to follow our blog. We’re excited to share the beauty of tea and how it connects the world through history and human experience.