In This Article
The origins of tea
Several legends intertwine concerning the origin of tea. The first tells that it would have appeared in 2737 BC, when leaves were detached from a tree to fall into the hot water of Emperor Chen Nung. Another version says that it appeared in the fifth century thanks to the coming of an Indian monk. He fell asleep after nine hours of meditation and his weakness then prompted him to punish himself by cutting his eyelids. Once fallen to the ground, legend says that they would have given birth to a plant: tea. In fact, and more theoretically, historians believe that the cultivation of tea began in China in the region of Sichuan and Yunnan. Tea containers dating from the Han dynasty, i.e. the second century BC,were also found. Tea then entered Japan and the Arab world as early as the ninth century. The trade exchange networks then transported this plant on horseback all over the planet, as early as the third century. Moreover, a famous road was called the tea road. This is how tea entered Europe in the 16th century.
The different types of teas
Today, there are many different teas in color. These can be black, green, yellow, white, oolong or post-fermented. In reality, they are obtained by a different treatment of the harvested leaves. The main stages in the production of teas are picking, withering, desiccation (only for white, green, yellow or oolong tea), oxidation (for black, oolong or yellow teas), rolling, drying , sorting, final cooking or roasting (for black or oolong teas).
Tea in perfumery
The first tea note in perfumery was introduced in 1985 by Annick Goutal. It was a smoked tea. Nevertheless, it was popularized by Jean-Claude Ellena in 1992. Coming from an Irish family, it is a bit of his personal history that he has incorporated into several of his perfumes. All kinds of teas are then involved in our essences, whether it is green tea, black tea, tea flavored with jasmine, etc. These are obtained by distillation, infusion or reproduction from other essences. They impart an aromatic and more or less sustained odor to the perfumes which contain them. As such, the green tea note is regularly used in perfumery. It creates a fresh trail. Black tea, meanwhile, gives a more smoky and woody dimension.
