The History of Tea

Tea is a British institution, or so the present generation understands. It is not hard to see why. Even C.S. Lewis’ characters in The Chronicles of Narnia had tea whether they were in Britain or in another world. Twinings, a famous tea place, looks like an English breakfast place. The food accompanying the tea are the very English muffins and scones.

However, tea is much older than that. According to legend, tea should be just under 5,000 years old. It also originated on the other side of the world: in the so-called ‘Orient.’

The Legend of Tea

Both the Japanese and the Koreans, who have their own versions of the legend of tea, admit that tea first came from China. In the Chinese legend, tea was first discovered in 2,700 B.C. Shen Nong, an herbalist and agricultural specialist, drank boiling water which some tree leaves had fallen into. He felt refreshed, and called it tsa (cha).

What is sure is that tea did indeed originate in China, and that it was very popular in that nation. Buddhist monks brought the tea into Japan and China, and the practice also trickled down into the Korean Peninsula.

Tea in Asia

China

By 200 B.C., the Chinese Emperor had already assigned tea a specific written character. The drink’s popularity grew, especially from the 4th to the 8th centuries A.D. As a result, tea plantations developed all over the mountainsides, forming villages whose main source of livelihood was tea leaves.

Japan

During the Heian Period (794-1185 A.D.), Emperor Saga encouraged the cultivation and drinking of tea. At the time, only imperial court officials and Buddhist leaders took the rare drink. The first tea seeds officially planted in Japan were in the Saga Prefecture, Seburisan. Tea became part of polite culture, especially samurai culture. The elaborate tea ceremony of Japan arose from there.

Tea in Europe

The Dutch East India Company was the first to bring tea into Europe. The first ships from Japan to Holland brought tea leaves in jars. The Dutch advanced to trade directly with China, and tea became a fashionable drink among Dutch nobles. The taste of tea spread all around Europe, but the French preferred their wine and the Germans their beer. In England, however, the practice took off.

Tea in England

In 1662, Charles II of England married Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese princess. Since tea was a popular drink at the Portuguese court, Catherine looked for the drink and introduced it to noble society. It became fashionable enough at the royal court that it turned into a national fad. The British East India Company began trading for tea.

Eventually, England decided it would be simpler to cultivate its own tea. Its trade monopoly with China had broken down, and the competition and demand for tea had driven up the price. England began tea plantations in India, which was under the British Empire. This increased the supply of tea to England and made it much cheaper. Until now, tea is practically a British institution.

The History of Tea: A Trip Around the World

There are so many kinds of tea, now, that it has become multicultural. In Twinings alone, the jars and jars of tea can make one dizzy. There is practically one tea for every different kind of taste. This uniqueness is part of what gives this popular drink its charm.

This fun-filled history lesson was brought to you by the University of Memphis History Department.