Tea Stories
Tea has been known to the peoples of the East for more than a thousand, or even two thousand years. Legend has it that the tea tree grew from the eyelashes of the Buddhist hermit Dharma, who moved to China and immersed himself in the self-contemplation prescribed by Buddha. In order not to succumb to sleep during prayers and meditations, Dharma cut off his eyelashes. And God, as a reward for his piety, grew a tea tree from the eyelashes, the leaves of which had healing power.
References to tea date back to the Spring and Autumn period (8th-5th centuries BC), but works dedicated to tea and the art of drinking it appeared much later: "Ode to Tea" dates to the 4th century AD, and the famous "Tea Canon" was written during the Tang dynasty (7th-9th centuries AD). The author of the latter treatise, Lu Yu, discusses many issues related to tea drinking. His main principles: "Transparent and weak – good, in moderation – excellent; drink less after meals, not at all before sleep; brew it, drink it, drink it, brew it."
In the mid-18th century in China, warriors who distinguished themselves in battle were presented with an honorary cup of tea. And for distinguished commanders, it was presented by the emperor himself. Porcelain factories produced tea sets, whose ornamentation often included laudatory poems in honor of tea. Such poems for sets were even written by emperors.
Tibetans consider tea, along with clarified butter and tsampa (barley flour), as three main food products. They have long understood that tea not only aids digestion but also significantly reduces the danger of intense ultraviolet radiation on the skin, characteristic of the high mountain plateaus of Tibet. Tibetans like to say that you can live three days without milk, but you won't last even one without tea.
In Japan, the tea ceremony became an important element of Buddhism. In the Land of the Rising Sun, they drank exclusively yellow and green tea, without sugar – only occasionally eating candy with it. When preparing for the ceremony, it is important to rid yourself of extraneous odors as much as possible. Wash your hands, brush your teeth, rinse your mouth. It is better not to engage in the tea ceremony immediately after a meal. And not to combine it with food, although this is difficult to explain to people accustomed to drinking tea with snacks. A light food scent is possible (for example, nuts), although it is not present in the classical tradition. It is also important that women participating in the ceremony remove lipstick from their lips, if any.
In the 9th century, neighboring Korea also learned of the existence of tea. The nomadic peoples of Asia became acquainted with this drink in the 7th-9th centuries. Camel caravans loaded with tea also penetrated into Mongolia. However, there, having become a very popular drink, it became little like the real thing. Nomads preferred brick tea to loose tea: it turned out to be more convenient for storage and transportation. One and a half kilogram "bricks" of tea even served as unofficial currency for a time. Later, a smaller packaging appeared – tile tea.
Brick tea could be either green or black. Herdsmen boiled it, adding cow, sheep or camel milk. Often, clarified butter, tail fat, salt, toasted flour, or bone marrow of rams were added to the tea. Usually, such a drink was served with dried cottage cheese or unleavened flatbreads. Green brick tea became the national drink among the Mongols, Kalmyks, Tuvans, and Khakass. It also spread widely among the Russian population of Transbaikalia and Primorye. After 1880, tile tea produced at Russian factories in China gained popularity among Siberians.
A Cup of Tea for Russia
From archival documents it is known that in 1639, the envoy of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, Starkov, brought from the Mongol ruler Altyn-Khan "200 papers of tea for 100 sables." Interestingly, the Russian word "chai" came from the Mongolian "tsai" or Northern Chinese "cha." In Europe it is called "ti" or "te," characteristic of southern China, since the first shipments of tea were brought from there.
Caravans with tea from China came to Russia in 1658 and 1666, and by the mid-17th century, tea was being supplied there regularly. In Rus' at that time, it was drunk exclusively as a medicine for stomach ailments and as a remedy for hangovers. This "medicine" was very expensive. For example, in 1674, a pound of tea (409 grams) in Moscow cost 30 kopecks; with that money one could buy about 100 kg of rye. The majority of the population then drank an infusion of sage, fireweed, or linden blossom.
The second period of tea trade with China began after the Treaty of Nerchinsk in 1689, which also provided for a barter form. It took place on the right bank of the Irtysh - near Lake Yamysh. At that time, tea was traded mainly by private merchants. Bukharan traders smuggled it into Russia.
In 1706, Chinese authorities banned caravan trade with Russia. Captain Izmailov, sent in 1720 to resolve this issue, was unable to achieve a reconsideration of this decision, but brought tea as a gift from the Chinese emperor. Since the eastern routes were closed, the exotic product began to be imported into Russia through Western European intermediaries - mainly the English. By decree of Peter the Great, it was prescribed to treat guests with tea and coffee at assemblies.
Ode to Coffee
The word «coffee» comes from the name of the Kaffa region in Ethiopia, where, according to one of many legends, the first acquaintance of man with the wonderful plant occurred. The tasteless fruits of the coffee tree long hid their remarkable properties from man. According to legend, the discoverer of coffee was a shepherd whose sheep tasted the leaves and berries of the nondescript plant. The shepherd noticed how noticeably his flock cheered up and perked up. Driven by curiosity, he also tried the fruits. From that moment began the conquest of the world by this wonderful drink. It was used by Abyssinian monks during hours-long prayers. It was they who began to roast, grind coffee beans and infuse them into an invigorating drink. The entire Muslim East became a coffee enthusiast.
In the widespread addiction to the drink, the Muslim clergy saw danger and unrighteousness and subjected it to a curse and a universal ban. In some places, even the death penalty was imposed for consuming coffee. Coffee fanaticism more than once led to uprisings and brutal massacres. The hard and stubborn struggle, which lasted more than two hundred years, cost many human lives, but nothing could stop the triumphant march of this drink. It conquered country after country.
Coffee appeared in Europe around the end of the 16th century. And the preparation of the first cup of coffee in Italy in 1626 is attributed to one of the legates of Pope Pietro della Valle, who spent many years in Turkey and learned to make the coffee drink. At first, the new drink was met with caution among the Catholic clergy, but it pleased Pope Clement VIII, which decided the outcome. In 1646, the French aristocrat de la Roque brought roasted coffee beans from Constantinople to Marseille, as well as a cezve (Turk) for preparing the drink. Coffee appealed to the merchants of Marseille.
At about the same time, the new drink appeared at the court of the French king Louis XIV. In 1664, the Sun King approved the sale and consumption of coffee by special decree. In early December 1669, an envoy of the Turkish Sultan Suleiman Mustafa Aga arrived in Paris on a diplomatic mission. He spent several months in France. Seeking to enlist the support of influential people at court, the cunning diplomat arranged endless receptions and festivities in the Eastern spirit, one of the attributes of which was the exotic drink - coffee. The aristocrats liked both the coffee itself and the entire unprecedented entourage accompanying it.
In 1671, the first coffeehouse in France opened in Marseille. In 1672, Pasquial Harokyan (Armenian by nationality, took the name Pascal) organized the sale of coffee in one of the trading stalls at Place Saint-Germain in Paris. Unfortunately, business did not go as well as the owner had hoped. After some time, Pascal closed the trade and left to seek his fortune in London. Francesco Procopio Coltelli, who once worked for Pascal, achieved greater success. Procopio opened not just a shop, but a small café «Procoop», where they not only sold coffee beans and powder, but also served ready-made coffee. The café was located opposite the Comédie-Française theater and soon became a meeting place for actors, writers, and musicians.
In 1681, the café «Regence» opened, which still exists in Paris on Rue Saint-Honoré. But not only illustrious aristocrats took a liking to the unusual drink, which was called «black blood of the natives» and «soot syrup»; common people also became addicted to coffee. In villages and small towns, they bought it from itinerant traders. By 1720, there were almost 400 coffeehouses in Paris. Coffee became fashionable among the aristocracy; drinking it became a sign of good taste. In 1703, a collection of cantatas praising coffee was published in Paris. Some paintings by the famous artist van Loo are associated with the coffee theme.
Coffee Russian-style
Coffee arrived in Russia later than in Western Europe - in the second half of the 17th century. At first, it was used exclusively as a medicinal remedy. A recipe from the court physician Samuel Collins has survived to this day, who recommended «boiled coffee» to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov against loss of strength. In the early 18th century, Peter I took up the introduction of the coffee drink into the lives of his subjects with zeal, having become addicted to coffee during his trip to Holland.
In Russia, coffee, tea, and chocolate were called drinks (напитки), while alcohol was called beverages (пития). Coffee was considered a nourishing, nutritious liquid. Therefore, in the 18th and 19th centuries, they never said that coffee was drunk; it was always «eaten», «consumed». «They deigned to eat coffee», we find in the works of Goncharov, Gogol, Ostrovsky. The word «кофейничать» (to coffee-drink) appeared, meaning to engage in drinking coffee. The term «кофешенк» (coffee steward) became the court rank of the superintendent of coffee, tea, and chocolate. After the War of 1812, when Russian troops spent many months in Europe and could closely observe local customs, coffee imports began to grow. Drinking it in bed in the morning became a sign of good taste. Coffeehouses began to open in St. Petersburg and then in Moscow.
In the 1830s in Moscow, where the «Moscow» hotel now stands, Pechkin's coffeehouse opened, soon becoming very popular among cultural figures. «The most intelligent and witty place in Moscow», A. F. Pisemsky wrote about this coffeehouse. Whether water treatment and scale softening were used at that time is not known for certain, but from the end of the 1880s, the demand for coffee increased year after year, until this drink, along with tea, became one of the most popular in the country.