Whenever you savor a steaming cup of orange pekoe, oolong, or Earl Grey, do you ever ponder the origins of this now-ubiquitous beverage, enjoyed in homes and restaurants worldwide?
Tea boasts a rich, vibrant history, far more colorful than that of coffee. Historians pinpoint its “invention” to a specific moment, though some debate whether it’s fact or legend.
In the Beginning
In 2737 BC, Chinese Emperor Shen Nung, sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled water—a common practice—saw stray leaves drift into the pot. An herbalist convinced of nature’s healing properties, he tasted the brew and loved it. The drink’s popularity soared across China. Archaeologists have uncovered tea containers in tombs from early centuries A.D. During the Tang Dynasty in the seventh century, author Lu Yu penned the *Ch’a Ching*, or *Tea Classic*, the first book dedicated to tea.
Tea soon reached Japan, brought by monks studying in China. The Japanese Tea Ceremony, still a cultural cornerstone, likely draws from a ritual in the *Ch’a Ching*. Initially, tea in Japan was costly, reserved for the aristocracy.
Tea’s Journey to the West
Despite its Eastern popularity, tea took centuries to reach Europe and North America. A Venetian first mentioned tea in Europe, praising its healing properties and linking Asian longevity to its consumption. Portuguese priests, spreading Catholicism in China, also described the drink.
In the early 1600s, the Dutch introduced tea to Europe via Java, with the Dutch East India Company marketing its medicinal qualities. Expensive and exclusive, tea became a drink of the elite, much like in early Japan. Wealthy women hosted tea parties, sparking disapproval from husbands and religious leaders who pushed for bans.
In 1650, the Dutch brought tea to their New Amsterdam colony (now New York). Around the same time, tea appeared in English coffee houses. Its popularity surged in England after 1662, when Charles II married a tea-loving Portuguese princess, reportedly reducing alcohol consumption. Elegant tea gardens flourished, and people of all ages enjoyed the beverage.
Russians embraced tea in the early 17th century, often adding honey or strawberry jam. In the late 18th century, tea—and the high taxes on it—sparked the American Revolution. The Boston Tea Party saw colonists dump costly tea into the harbor to protest England’s exorbitant tax.
Post-Revolution, Britain slashed tea import taxes, curbing widespread smuggling. By 1785, America legally imported 11 million pounds of tea. Meanwhile, Indian botanists successfully cultivated tea in Assam by 1835, establishing the first plantations. By the 1880s, swift clipper ships made America the largest tea importer.
The Twentieth Century
Iced tea debuted at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, becoming a sensation. Today, 70% of tea consumed in America is iced. Tea bags emerged around the same time, with Thomas Lipton designing pouches for boiling water to brew the perfect cup.
Now, most tea is grown in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Argentina, and China, yet people worldwide enjoy this beverage daily. With thousands of varieties, you could savor a different flavor every day!
