What is tribute tea

It is said that the tribute tea started in the tea production area of Sichuan, but became a system in the Tang Dynasty. The tribute tea was the high-quality tea offered to the emperor. In the beginning, the tea was offered by the local officials willingly. But when tea drinking became popular, the demand for the tea tribute increased. The court increased the tea tribute of the states and prefectures on the one hand, and set up the Tea Tribute Institution in Guzhushan (today's Changxing, Huzhou, Zhejiang) in 770 o the other to produce Zisun tribute tea.