"Everything Beautiful Happens by Mistake": How Tea Became the World's Most Popular Beverage

Consumed by billions of people every day, tea is the most popular beverage in the world after water.

It is the story of the drink that started wars and shaped the modern world.

中文版 | Indonesian

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Upon entering a trendy tea bar nestled in the heart of Sydney's Kings Cross, visitors are treated to a wide range of rare tea varieties and blends from around the world.

Inside, science graduate turned tea expert Cathy Zhang reflects on the chance opening of such a place in a historically famous neighborhood for hedonism, noting the similarities to discovering tea itself.

"Discovering tea was a mistake - opening that shop was also a mistake," she says .

While the exact origins of tea remain unclear, a legend says that an errant tea leaf blew into the hot water cup of a Chinese emperor thousands of years ago, accidentally creating a primitive "brew".

Another tells the story of a Chinese farmer who accidentally poisoned himself but was revived after the wind blew a small leaf into his mouth, which he chewed.

"Everything beautiful in life happens by mistake - by accident," says Cathy.

Anyone who has had the pleasure of tasting the first c...