Hi, today I’m going to be talking about a Chinese invention, tea. First, I’m going to talk about the history of tea. Tea was originally used as a herbal medicine: One time, Emperor Yan almost died after eating poisonous grass. Luckily, he was saved by drops of water that dripped from a tea tree leaf into his mouth. Since then, tea has become a medicine for detoxification. As tea became introduced to the Western world, it became one of the most popular drinks in the world. Every day, three billion cups of tea are drunk around the world. 

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          Tea leaves come in various shapes and sizes. For example, tea leaves can be flat as well as long and pointed. Based on the shape of leaves, there are also different methods to make the tea. The three main methods are "xia tou fa” (下投法), “zhong tou fa” (上投法), and "shang tou fa” (上投法). Xia tou fa means putting the tea leaves in the glass first and then filling it with water, which gives the tea a puffier look. Zhong tou fa is the best way to brew tender, young green tea, where you first fill 30% water, then put the leaves into the cup, and then pour water to be 70% full. Shang tou fa is a method used to brew extremely small, tender tea leaves with tight curls. This method is the opposite of xia tou fa, where the water is first poured into the glass and then the tea leaves. 

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             Finally, there are many different types of tea with over 1,500 types around the world. The three main types are green tea, black tea, and oolong tea. Green tea is unfermented, black tea is fully fermented, while oolong tea is partially fermented. Fermentation, or its lack, is what makes each tea unique in its color and aroma. 

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            Ultimately, everyone loves drinking tea! This invention is not only extremely important to China, but also to the rest of the world.