80: Tea- Legends, Spirits, a Monk's Best Friend

Time to make yourself a hot cup of tea and curl up for story time!

From Shennong’s divine vision to Bodhidharma’s eyelids becoming the first tea plants, tea has always been a gateway between realms.
In this expansive episode, we trace tea’s evolution from green herbal medicine to the creation of Oolong through accidental alchemy, from ancient trade routes and tea brick currency to the colonial obsessions that sparked revolutions and wars.
We breathe life into the myths of Guanyin, dragon wells, mountain spirits, and the Tea Immortals, while exploring tea’s role as healer, oracle, offering, and empire-builder.
A lush, myth-soaked journey into the leaf that changed human consciousness.

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