Royals, officials, scholars, and common people are enjoying tea and writing poems inspired by this beverage that has taken China by storm.

In the post-Lu Yu world, tea starts to take off like a rocket. It will take a little longer for tea to get the needed traction in Japan but during the Tang, they get to see it and appreciate it up close.

This time, we give a once-over to his masterpiece, The Cha Jing or Classic of Tea.

In this episode, we finally introduce the Tea Saint. What Elvis was to rock n' roll, Lu Yu was to the popularity of tea in Chinese society.

Tea's rise during the Sui and Tang are introduced this time, and we’ll look at the important role tea played in Tibet and other border regions.