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Origins and History
Tea was first discovered in China around 2700 BC. It originated
in the mountains around Sichuan and Yunnan,
and according to earliest legend Emperor Shen Nung first sampled
the drink when some unidentified leaves fell into his pot
of hot water. Allegedly, Shen Nung used to wander the country
recording the effects of infusions made from the leaves and
berries of various plants. He discovered that tea cured him
of a stomach ache contracted as a result of drinking a toxic
herb.
Tea drinking became an elaborate art form during the Tang
Dynasty (616 – 907). This was the heyday of the Chinese
Empire, and traders journeyed to China from the Middle East
to obtain silk, porcelain and tea. Over time, the practice
of drinking tea spread across Asia, and later to Europe and
the America.
Teas Around the World
There are three basic types of tea. Black tea is fully
oxidised and is the most popular variety in Europe & the
US, green tea, a staple in the Orient, is non-oxidised
and has more delicate flavour, and Oolong tea, which
is partly oxidised and is a cross between the other two in
flavour and taste.
Whatever the type of tea they favour, different countries
have their own unique history of tea-drinking tradition and
taste.
Japan
A Buddhist Priest called Yeisei was the first person to bring
tea seeds from China to Japan. He had observed the beneficial
use of tea in meditation, and from this early use tea has
continued to be associated with Zen Buddhism.
It quickly gained popularity in the imperial court and other
sectors of society, and became elevated to an art form universally
known as the ‘Japanese Tea Ceremony’. The
ceremony involves making and serving tea in the most perfect,
polite and gracious manner, and it requires years of training
to administer at a tea ceremony.
America
The first tea was brought to the United States in the 1650s,
by a Dutchman called Peter Stuyvesant. At this time the city
now known as New York was a Dutch colony called New Amsterdam.
When the British acquired the colony they were astonished
at how popular tea was with the colonial women.
By 1720, the tea trade was centred in New York, Boston and
Philadelphia. However, the colonial people were disgruntled
at the tough taxes imposed on tea by the British. Their resentment
reached a fever pitch in December 1767, when the men of Boston
dressed up as Indians, openly purchased smuggled tea and threw
hundreds of pounds of British tea into the port. These events
went down in history as the Boston Tea Party, and precipitated
the American Revolution.
At the beginning of the 20th century the Americans invented
iced tea, now a popular summertime beverage. At around the
same time a New Yorker named Thomas Sullivan first came up
with the eminently practical concept of tea bags. These days,
tea is enjoying a revival in popularity with health conscious
Americans but is secondary to the American staple brew of
coffee.
England
By the 17th century Dutch traders brought tea to Europe,
where it rapidly gained popularity. When the Dutch Infanta
Catherine Braganza married King Charles II in 1662, she brought
with her to England a chest of tea. It immediately became
the beverage of choice in English high society, replacing
ale as the national drink.
The English serve tea with milk, and add sugar to taste.
Afternoon tea is an English institution, accompanied by sandwiches,
scones or cake.
India
India is responsible for cultivating much of the world’s
tea, and Indian varieties such as Darjeeling, Assam and
Nilgiri are amongst the most popular. However the first
plantations in India were only established by the British
colonisers in the 19th century.
Russia
The Russians first encountered tea in 1618, when the Chinese
made a gift of several chests to Tsar Alexis. By the end of
the 17th century China and Russia were engaged in trade relations,
but the journey between the two countries was long and hazardous
and the cost of tea was extortionate. It was another hundred
years before the price of tea fell sufficiently for the habit
to percolate through to all sectors of society. These days
tea and vodka are the Russian national drinks. The Russians
make tea in using a samovar, a large water heater and tea
pot, and drink it strong and sweet. |
