Tea has been used in China as a medicinal beverage to promote health in mind and body for about 5000 years. The earliest known reference to tea as a health aid dates back to 2737 B.C.

Green tea has been the beverage of choice among the Chinese elite intellects and bureaucrats who usually have the means to maintain an affluent dining habit. Historically, freshly plucked tea leaves were used directly for tea brewing or lightly heat-processed for preservation of the "health ingredients" if not consumed immediately.

The word "tea" always means green tea in the "Middle Kingdom". Tea was an expensive beverage in ancient China. Its use was confined to the wealthy segments of the population.