Tea on Cilvarth

History

Origin & Global Spread

The discovery of tea coincides with the discovery of the Silver Desert and Lake Kettle. Fifteen thousand years ago, as cilvarthians migrated to the south of Aurea, they approached the Silver Desert.

It was there that they discovered Camellia ceruleanis, a large bush with vibrant blue flowers. At some point in time people figured out that sun-drying the desert leaves and infusing them in water created the delicious beverage now known as tea. Tea is a highly addictive substance for cilvarthians, and naturally people could not get enough.

Through word of mouth, stories of this incredible drink passed along, spreading across the entire globe. People across the planet were realising the potential of these Camellia plants that grow in practically every nook and cranny, and more unique flavours of tea were popping up everywhere.

In just two hundred years tea replaced water as the most consumed drink. It grew more popular until it weaselled its way into every community on Cilvarth.

Modern Tea

As modern cilvarthian culture developed and people became more sophisticated, so did tea. Drinking tea became a cultural event, seen at every birthday, anniversary, group and gathering. Precious teapot artifacts, many thousands of years old, have been uncovered across Cilvarth. Tea was drank by the lowest and highest groups in society, completely indiscriminately. It was something that bonded people of any culture, breaking barriers.

The Space Age brought cilvarthian tea to other planets. When slimes from planet Osao encountered Cilvarth, they were quick to try these delicious beverages. They took samples of various Camellia plants to grow on their home planet, and tea is now abundant there too. Cilvarthians continue to spread the word about tea, encouraging everyone they encounter to try a steaming mug.

Cultivation & Harvesting

Lake Kettle Tea Farming by Mochi

Harvesting tea greatly depends on the species. True Camellia plants are large bushes, growing on land and on water. They are abundant across the globe and its two continents, as one of the most common plant species.

Agriculture is one of the largest industries on Cilvarth, with over a million farms across Jisefea alone, almost four billion acres. The industry gives work to almost ten million tea farmers alone, profiting not just from cilvarthians but from distributing goods to other planets.

Giant rows of towering tea bushes float atop the rippling waters of Lake Kettle. These are the largest aquatic tea farms on Cilvarth, spanning hundreds of square kilometres and forming immovable walls. Cerulean tea farmers have a problematic history, infamous for several years of worker strikes.

Tea plants like to grow high up in the Middle Mountains, nestled between crevices and on plateaus. They struggle to grow anywhere else, so farms either have to squeeze on flat areas near the mountain peaks, or someone must be daring enough to make round trips across the mountains every few weeks during the growing season.