The Legend of Dragon Peak and A New Era for Whole Leaf Tea

600 plus years ago, in 1391, the founder of the Ming dynasty, the Hung-Wu Emperor, (aka Zhu Yuan Zhang, shown above) decreed that tributes of loose-leaf tea would replace traditional compressed teacakes. Simply put, the emperor thought cake tea was snobby and wasteful. Born of humble background, orphaned, and raised in a Buddhist Monastery, Zhu Yuan Zhang thought previous Chinese nobles had wasted too much time with elaborate tea making rituals.

His simple love of leaf and water transformed the art of making whole leaf teas throughout China and changed the way most of the world learned about and thought about tea.

The emperor’s first whole leaf tribute tea was probably Dragon Peak Green. The reason for this comes from a preceding period of struggle, when the emperor was battling to reunify China after centuries of Mongolian rule. According to the story, after losing the battle of JiuJiang, the emperor’s prescient advisor and strategist Liu Bo Wen retreated deep into the mountains where a peasant on Dragon Peak took pity on him and offered some tea.

Though General Liu hadn’t slept for the last three nights, one sip of this brew refreshed his spirit—spreading energy in his limbs and brightness in his eyes.

When asked about the tea, the farmer said, “It’s called Lightning Tea. After an early spring lightning bolt hit my field, 19 new trees were formed, and that’s where these leaves get their name. I’m honored that you like it.”

A keen mind, with a legendary ability to see the future, Liu Bo Wen had stumbled on something amazing. Born when lightning struck on Dragon Peak, a symbol of the imperial power, this tea was a sign of things to come. With the help of peasants and guidance from heaven, his troops would find new strength and seize the imperial throne. A grateful, general Liu rested for several days, thanked the peasant and returned to battle.

The tea was renamed when Liu was close to victory, and he brought the soon-to-be-emperor back to Dragon Peak and the peasant. Once again, with one taste, Zhu was amazed.

“Let’s call it Dragon Peak.” Said the leader. “Lightning Tea sounds too dangerous.”

And so a tea, a new dynasty, and new traditions were born.