This tea was discovered in China in 2737 B.C. by the Emperor Chen Nung when a tea leaf fell into his bowl of hot water. The tradition of tea drinking became an integral part of society and was the preferred beverage for all walks of life; from monks to mandarins to the nomadic tribesmen who traded horses for bricks of tea. While it is the Japanese who transformed tea drinking into a sacred ceremony, the Chinese are credited with initiating the time-honored ritual of offering a guest a cup of tea as a sign of hospitality. Scented teas have been around for a long time and are produced according to ancestral recipes. Before the advent of essential oil extracts one of the easiest scents to duplicate was ‘Rose.’ Plantations would cut rose blossoms from the bushes bordering fields and pathways and sprinkle these into the tea. The result was a delicate but finely flavored tea. Today the practice remains virtually the same, but essential oils are used to speed up the scenting process and freshly cut flowers are added to the tea for visual effects. The result is a delightfully attractive tea leaf accented with rose petals and combined with the refreshing flavor of roses. The next time a guest drops by why not offer a truly special cup of hospitality accented with the scent and petals of roses.