A tea from 2150 years ago was found in the Han Yang Lin Mausoleum. It was a tomb built for the Emperor Jing Di the fourth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, near the city of Xi’an in China.The tomb was discovered by the monks of the Gurgyam monastery in 2005 and a systematic excavation was made in 2012. The tomb was buried under a river, with a square wooden coffin and a preserved skeleton. Other Artifacts were also found such as silk pieces, ceramics, pottery figures, ceramic animals, wooden tools, weapons, bronze vessels, and a golden mask. Full-size chariots with horses were also found. Foods such as millet, rice, and chenopod were also found. Full-size chariots complete with their horses. The tea was found when the 2,200-year-old tomb
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They were able to determine that the tea was 2150 years old. The decomposed plant remains had little morphological features so a taxonomic identification could not be done. The tea leaves were examined by examining the tiny crystals on their surface.This resulted in knowing that the tea was likely fine and made from young, unopened tea buds. These buds date back to around 141 B.C when the emperor died. This discovery indicates that the emperor Jing Di was a tea drinker and also says that tea was being exported along trade routes. These trade routes might have helped the silk road.The Emperor Jing Di died in 141 BC and the date determined on the tea dates from around that same year. The tea’s popularity is generally associated to the Tang Dynasty that ruled during the 7th and 8th centuries A.D, and the oldest sample of tea from that dynasty dates back to about only 1,000 years ago.To extract the theanine from the samples, it was weighed, grounded to powder, and put into a tube of water. It was then was boiled, subjected to sonication and then filtered. Finally, it was evaporated. These methods seem appropriate as any other method could not resolve the plant's mysteries. Radiocarbon dating could have been used as the tea is older than 1500
They were able to determine that the tea was 2150 years old. The decomposed plant remains had little morphological features so a taxonomic identification could not be done. The tea leaves were examined by examining the tiny crystals on their surface.This resulted in knowing that the tea was likely fine and made from young, unopened tea buds. These buds date back to around 141 B.C when the emperor died. This discovery indicates that the emperor Jing Di was a tea drinker and also says that tea was being exported along trade routes. These trade routes might have helped the silk road.The Emperor Jing Di died in 141 BC and the date determined on the tea dates from around that same year. The tea’s popularity is generally associated to the Tang Dynasty that ruled during the 7th and 8th centuries A.D, and the oldest sample of tea from that dynasty dates back to about only 1,000 years ago.To extract the theanine from the samples, it was weighed, grounded to powder, and put into a tube of water. It was then was boiled, subjected to sonication and then filtered. Finally, it was evaporated. These methods seem appropriate as any other method could not resolve the plant's mysteries. Radiocarbon dating could have been used as the tea is older than 1500