The History of Tea Its Influence & Spread Around The World

Andy | November 10, 2011

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History of Tea in China
While most agree that tea was first discovered in China
about 5000 years ago, the specifics of tea's discovery are lost
forever in the mists of time. The oft repeated tale tells the
story of the legendary emperor Shen Nung who discovered
tea in 2737 B.C., when a few leaves from a wild tea plant fell
into his boiling water. The emperor found the resulting drink
to his liking.
Chinese historians warn that this colorful story should not be
taken literally because Shen Nung, who is also known as the
Divine Cultivator, may never have existed as more than a
Chinese legend. Still, any literary reference to tea, no matter
how ancient, is more likely based upon the far older oral
traditions of China, so tea is without a doubt one of the oldest
beverages known to man.
During the third millennium B.C. in China, healers
experimented with the medicinal qualities of herbs, and it is
likely that the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, was among those
used at that time.
One of the difficulties in clearly identifying the origin of tea
stems from the early use of the Chinese character t'u to
represent tea and at least one other plant, the sowthistle,
which is botanically unrelated to the tea plant. While several
early references to the character t'u exist in Chinese
literature, there is much uncertainty as to whether the tea
plant was actually the herb being discussed. It is known that
Confucius (551-479 B.C.) was an advocate of a beverage
made from an herb called "t'u;" although some doubt that
this was an infusion made from Camellia sinensis, it is quite
likely that this was indeed the same tea that we enjoy today.
It appears that the character ch'a was in use by the time of
the western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-7 A.D.), as a specific
reference to tea (Camellia sinensis), but
interestingly, ch'a differs from t'uonly by the lack of a single
stroke. An early use of ch'a may have been to differentiate
the higher grade teas from those of lesser quality. By the
eighth century A.D. ch'a became synonymous with tea --
more correctly, green tea (the Chinese had not yet developed
a process for making black tea).
According to tea sage Lu Yu's Canon of Tea, which was
written in the eighth century (T'ang Dynasty), tea was used
as a medicinal during the Zhou Dynasty (eleventh century
B.C.), and tea's use as a medicine probably continued for
several centuries before it became more widely consumed as
a beverage. Even today many Chinese believe that tea has
health benefits beyond those which can be ascribed to its
vitamin and mineral content. Certain teas, such as Pu-Erh,
are especially prized for their health benefits, and
increasingly, modern scientific studies are substantiating

some of these claims.
The use of tea as a non-medicinal beverage probably began
about two thousand years ago, but the scarcity of tea leaves
restricted consumption to royalty and wealthy elders. By the
T'ang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.), tea became a drink not only of
the privileged few, but also of poets, scholars, and artists.
During the Song dynasty (960-1279 A.D.), tea was the
customary beverage offered to visitors, and from that time
forward tea has been, more than any other beverage, the
symbol of social grace in Asia and around the world.
During the Song dynasty, tea was commonly prepared by
grinding the leaves into a very fine powder, which was then
whipped with hot water and served in shallow bowls. The
entire process of preparing tea became a means of
tranquilizing the mind, and eventually tea gained an even
greater appreciation as a way to achieve a balanced and
wholesome relationship between the body and the soul.
The Ubiquitous Cup of Tea - Chinese Tea Drinking
In The Art of Tea Drinking, Olivia Yang opens with the words: "The Chinese people are
without a doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea." It's hard to exaggerate
the importance of tea in Chinese culture. At various points throughout history, China's
national drink has been designated as the state currency and used as cash.
The Origins of Tea
While references to tea in Chinese literature go back approximately 5,000 years, the origin
of tea's use as a beverage is unclear. Ancient folklore places the creation of the brew at
2737 BC, when a camellia blossom drifted into a cup of boiled drinking water belonging to
Emperor Shen Nung. However, most scholars credit a reference found in Erh Ya, an
ancient Chinese dictionary, dated about 350 BC.
Originally, tea was valued for its medicinal qualities. It has long been known that tea aids
in digestion, which is why many Chinese prefer to consume it after their meal. (Another
interesting side effect for smokers is that tea hastens the discharge of nicotine from the
body). The elevation of tea drinking to an art form began in the 8th century, with the
publication of Lu Yu's "The Classic Art of Tea." The highly esteemed poet and former
Buddhist priest had strict notions about the proper procedure for brewing, steeping, and
serving tea. For example, only water from a slow-moving stream was acceptable, and the
tea leaves had to be placed in a porcelain cup. The perfect milieu for enjoying the finished
product was in a pavilion next to a water lily pond, preferably in the company of a
desirable woman. (To be fair, his work also contained several practical tips for
manufacturing tea, many of which are still in use today).
In the centuries following the publication of Yu's work, tea's popularity spread rapidly
throughout China. Not only did tea drinking become a fitting subject for books and poems;
Emperors bestowed gifts of tea upon grateful recipients. Later, teahouses began dotting
the landscape. While the Chinese have never developed a ritualistic ceremony surrounding
tea drinking resembling the Japanese tea ceremony, they have a healthy respect for its role in
their daily lives.
Types of Tea
Tea aficionados are often surprised to learn that all tea comes from the same source: the
Camilla Sinensis bush. While there are hundreds are varieties of Chinese teas, most fall
into four basic categories. Reputed to provide the most health benefits, white tea is made
from immature tea leaves that are picked shortly before the buds have fully opened. Green
teasare not fermented during processing, and thus retain the original color of the tea leaves.
The most famous green tea is the expensive Dragon Well tea, grown in the hillsides of
Hanghou. Also known as "red tea," black teas are made from fermented leaves, which
accounts for their darker color. Popular varieties of black tea include Bo lei, a Cantonese
tea often drunk with dim sum, and luk on - a milder tea favored by the elderly. Finally,
oolong teas are partially fermented, resulting in a black-green tea. Examples of oolong tea
include Soi sin, a bitter tasting brew cultivated in the Fukien province.
There is also a fourth category known as "scented teas," made by mixing various flowers
and petals with green or oolong teas. The best known among these is jasmine tea. And
white tea, made with unripened tea leaves that are still covered with a downy, silvery fuzz,
is becoming quite popular.
While most of us have neither a pavilion nor a lily pond conveniently situated in our back
yard, we can still indulge our penchant for this centuries-old beverage. With a little
practice it's easy to brew the perfect cup of tea. And budding fortune-tellers who eschew
tea bags can hone their skills in the art of tasseomancy (reading tea leaves).
Chinese Tea Recipes
Shrimp with Green Tea Leaves - a dish that originated in Beijing's Imperial Court
Tea Smoked Duck - In this Hunan dish duck is smoked with black tea leaves before deep-
frying.
The History of Tea
The Legendary Origins According to Chinese mythology, tea was discovered in
2737 BC by Shen Nong, also known as Yan Di or Shen Nong Shi (2,852-2737
B.C.), the second of the three Chinese Emperors of the San Huang Period, (3,000
2,700 B.C.). He was a scholar, the father of agriculture and the inventor of
Chinese herbal medicine.His edicts required that all drinking water be boiled as a
hygienic precaution. One summer day while visiting a distant region, he and the
court stopped to rest, and his servants began to boil water for the court to drink.
Dried leaves from the nearby bush fell into the boiling water, and a brown liquid
was infused into the water. As a scientist, the Emperor was interested in the new
liquid, drank some, and found it very refreshing. The tree was a wild tea tree, and
so, tea was created.
The Chinese Influence
The original English pronunciation of the word tea was tay and can be traced
back to around 1655 when the Dutch introduced both word and beverage to
England. The pronunciation tee also originated in the 1600s but only gained
predominance after the late 18th century.
Both words may have come from the Malay the and from the Chinese Mandarin
character cha pronounced te in the Amoy (Xiamen) dialect. The word was
used to describe both the beverage and the leaf. The Japanese character for tea
is written exactly the same as the Chinese, though pronounced with a slight
difference.

Tea is first mentioned in Chinese writing in 222 AD as a substitute for wine, and
in a circa 350 AD Chinese dictionary.By the third century AD tea was being
advocated for its properties as a healthy, refreshing drink and the benefits of tea
drinking, but it was not until the Nobility of the Tang Dynasty (618 AD 906 AD)
made tea fashionable, that tea became Chinas national drink. As the demand for
tea rose steadily, Chinese farmers began to cultivate tea rather than harvest
leaves from wild trees.

Tea was commonly made into roasted cakes, which were then pounded into small
pieces and placed in a china pot. After adding boiling water, onion, spices, ginger
or orange were introduced to produce many regional variations.Tea consumption
spread throughout the Chinese culture.

In 780 A.D., Lu Yu wrote the first definitive book on tea, the Cha Ching. He was
orphaned and raised by scholarly Buddhist monks in one of Chinas finest
monasteries. However, as a young man, he rebelled against the discipline of
training. In mid-life he retired for five years into seclusion. Drawing from his vast
memory of observed events and places, he codified the various methods of tea
cultivation and preparation in ancient China. The vast definitive nature of his work
projected him into near sainthood within his own lifetime. Lu Yu is known as the
Tea Saint.
The book inspired the Zen Buddhist missionaries to create the form of tea service
that would later be introduced to imperial Japan as the Japanese tea
ceremony, Chanoyu. The spread of tea cultivation throughout China and Japan is
largely accredited to the movement of Buddhist priests throughout the region.
960-1280 Sung Dynasty. Tea was used widely. Powdered tea had become
common. Beautiful ceramic tea accessories of dark-blue, black and brown glazes,
which contrasted with the vivid green of the whisked tea, were favored.
1101-1125 Emperor Hui Tsung wrote about the best ways to make whisked tea. A
strong patron of the tea industry, he had tournaments in which members of the
court identified different types of tea. Legend has it that he became so obsessed
with tea he hardly noticed the Mongols who overthrew his empire. During his
reign, teahouses built in natural settings became popular among the Chinese.
1206 1368 Yuan Dynasty. Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan conquered Chinese
territories and established a Mongolian dynasty in power for more than a century.
Tea became an ordinary drink, never regaining the high status it once enjoyed.
1368-1644 Ming Dynasty. People again began to enjoy tea. The new method of
preparation was steeping whole leaves in water. The resulting pale liquid
necessitated a lighter color ceramic than was popular in the past. White and off-
white tea-ware became the style of the time.
Indian legends credit that the practice of tea drinking was begun in honor of
Bodhidharma (ca. 460-534). Bodhidharma was a monk and the founder of the
Chan (or Zen) sect of Buddhism. Born near Madras, India, he traveled to China
in 520.
The Indian legend tells how in the fifth year of a seven-year sleepless
contemplation of Buddha he began to feel drowsy. He immediately plucked
a few leaves from a nearby brush and chewed them, which dispelled his
tiredness. The bush was a wild tea tree.
The Japanese Influence
Buddhist monks introduced the ritual drinking of tea into Japan from China in the
sixth century.
It wasnt until 1191 that tea really took hold in Japan with the return from China
of the Zen priest Eisai (1141-1215). Eisai, the founder of the Rinzai sect of Zen
Buddhism in Japan, introduced powdered tea and tea seeds that he brought back
with him from China. The tea seeds were planted by his friend the priest Myoe
(1173-1232) at the Kozanji temple in the hills northwest of Kyoto.
As a result, he is known as the Father of Tea in Japan.
Tea was elevated to an art form with the creation of the Japanese ritual tea
ceremony (Cha-no-yu), a ritual for the preparation, serving, and drinking of
tea. The ceremony became institutionalized during the Kamakura period (1192
1333 AD) when tea was taken by Zen Buddhist monks to keep them awake
during meditations.
The word Chanoyu, or Cha-no-yu, means hot water for tea cha, tea (from Middle
Chinese) + no, possessive particle + yu, hot water.
Chanoyu is an expression of Zen Buddhism, and its formalities are derived from
the simple and practical manners of the Buddhist monks daily activities in
monasteries
Each art form in Japan is represented by a way that is a tradition and a way of
life pertaining to the respective art form. Popular ways in Japan include the way
of flowers, the way of incense, the way of calligraphy, the way of poetry, the way
of the sword, the way of self-defense, and Chado, the way of tea. Chanoyu, the
Japanese tea ceremony, is the vehicle through which Chado is manifested.
Several prominent tea masters contributed to the development of Chanoyu.
The tea master Sen Rikyu (1522-1591) developed WABICHA or the style of tea
that reflects a simple and quiet taste. From Zen traditions Rikyu established the
four guiding principles of Chanoyu: wa (harmony), kei (respect), sei (purity),
and jaku (tranquility).
A special form of architecture (chaseki) developed for tea houses, based on the
duplication of the simplicity of a forest cottage. A separate tea room (cha-
shitsu) in Japanese homes is constructed so that one enters on your knees to
show humility. The cultural/artistic hostesses of Japan, the Geisha, began to
specialize in the presentation of the tea ceremony.
Europe Learns of Tea
While tea was at a high level of development in both Japan and China,
information concerning this then unknown beverage began to filter back to
Europe. Earlier caravan leaders had mentioned it, but were unclear as to its
service format or appearance. (One reference suggests the leaves be boiled,
salted, buttered, and eaten!)
The first European to personally encounter tea and write about it was the
Portuguese Jesuit missionary, Father Jasper de Cruz in 1560. Portugal, with her
technologically advanced navy, had opened up the sea routes to China, as early
as 1515.
The Portuguese developed a trade route by which they shipped their tea to Lisbon,
and then Dutch ships transported it to France, Holland, and the Baltic countries.
Dutch sailors on the ships encouraged Dutch merchants to enter the tea trade.
Holland was politically affiliated with Portugal then, but when this alliance was
altered in 1602, Holland, with her excellent navy, entered into full Pacific trade on
her own.
East India Company, Dutch, 16021798, chartered by the States-General of the
Netherlands to expand trade and assure close relations between the government
and its colonial enterprises in Asia. The company was granted a monopoly on
Dutch trade East of the Cape of Good Hope and West of the Strait of Magellan.
From its headquarters at Batavia (founded 1619) the company subdued local
rulers, drove the British and Portuguese from Indonesia, Malaya, and Ceylon (Sri
Lanka), and arrogated to itself the fabulous trade of the Spice Islands. A colony,
established (1652) in South Africa at the Cape of Good Hope, remained Dutch
until conquered by Great Britain in 1814. The company was dissolved when it
became scandalously corrupt and nearly insolvent in the late 18th century, and
its possessions became part of the Dutch colonial empire in East Asia.
Tea became very fashionable in the Dutch capital, The Hague. This was due in
part to the high cost of the tea (over $100 per pound), which immediately made
it the domain of the wealthy.
The Netherlands epitomized the height of fashion in tea serving by 1666 and
every well to do home had its own exclusive tearoom. The Dutch were the first
to add milk to both tea and coffee.
Slowly, as the amount of tea imported increased, the price fell as the volume of
sale expanded. Initially available to the public in apothecaries along with such
rare and new spices as ginger and sugar, by 1675 it was available in common
food shops throughout Holland.
As the consumption of tea increased dramatically in Dutch society, doctors and
university authorities argued back and forth as to the negative and/or positive
benefits of tea. Known as tea heretics, the public largely ignored the scholarly
debate and continued to enjoy their new beverage though the controversy lasted
from 1635 to roughly 1657. Throughout this period France and Holland led
Europe in the use of tea.
As the craze for things oriental swept Europe, tea became part of the way of life.
The social critic Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, the Marquise de Seven makes the first
mention in 1680 of adding milk to tea. During the same period, Dutch inns
provided the first restaurant service of tea. Tavern owners would furnish guests
with a portable tea set complete with a heating unit. The independent Dutchman
would then prepare tea for himself and his friends outside in the taverns garden.
Tea Travels to America
In the 1600s tea became popular throughout Europe and the American colonies.
By 1650 the Dutch were actively involved in trade throughout the Western world.
Peter Stuyvesant brought the first tea to America to the colonists in the Dutch
settlement of New Amsterdam (later re-named New York by the English). Settlers
here were confirmed tea drinkers. And indeed, on acquiring the colony, the
English found that the small settlement consumed more tea at that time then all
of England.
1773 The Boston Tea Party, protesting high taxes that England levied on tea,
began of the American colonies fight for independence. Under cover of night,
colonists dressed as Native Americans boarded East India Company ships in
Boston Harbor. They opened chests of tea and dumped their contents into the
water. This was repeated in other less known instances up and down the coast.
1840s Clipper ships, built in America, sped-up the transportation of tea to
America and Europe, livening the pace of trade. Some ships could make the trip
from Hong Kong to London in ninety-five days. Races to London became
commonplace; smugglers and blockade-runners also benefited from the advances
in sailing speeds.
Two major American contributions to tea drinking were:
in 1904, when Richard Blechynden created iced tea for the St. Louis World Fair
and
in 1908 when Thomas Sullivan invented tea bags in New York, sending tea to
clients in silk bags, which they began to mistakenly steep without opening.
Tea Arrives in England
Great Britain was the last of the three great sea-faring nations to break into the
Chinese and East Indian trade routes. This was due in part to the unsteady
ascension to the throne of the Stuarts and the Cromwellian Civil War.
The first printed reference to tea, calling it chau, was a 1598 English translation
of Voyages and Travel of Jan Huyghen van Linschoten, originally published in
Holland. Linschoten, a Dutch explorer, sailed around South Africa to Goa. The
account of his travels and tea drinking customs of India stimulated future Dutch
and English expeditions to the East Indies.
The first samples of tea reached England between 1652 and 1654. Tea was
referred to as the China drink, tcha, chaw, tay, tee, and tea and was at first
regarded more as a medicine than a fashionable drink. By 1657 tea was being
served at Garraways coffee house for such cures as cleaning kidneys and
overcoming superfluous sleep.
When tea was introduced in England a pound of tea cost the average British
laborer the equivalent of none months wages, and was the drink of
Royalty. Teacups were small!
As in Holland, it was the nobility that provided the necessary stamp of approval
and so insured its acceptance.
Tea became a society drink for ladies when in 1662 Charles II married, while in
exile, the Portuguese Infanta Princess Catherine of Braganza 16381705) born in
Vila Viosa, the daughter of King John IV of Portugal. She was married to Charles
in 1662 as part of an alliance between England and Portugal.
Charles himself had grown up in the Dutch capital. As a result, both he
and his Portuguese bride were confirmed tea drinkers. When the monarchy
was re-established, the two rulers brought this foreign tea tradition to England
with them.
Elizabeth I had founded The John Company (East India Company) by Royal
Charter on December 31, 1600 to challenge the Dutch-Portuguese monopoly of
the East Indian spice trade. The spice trade had been a monopoly of Spain and
Portugal until the defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588) by England gave the
English the chance to break the monopoly.
When Catherine de Braganza married Charles she brought as part of her dowry
the territories of Tangier and Bombay. Suddenly, the John Company had a base
of operations.
In 1612 The East India Company, which was officially named Governor and
company of Merchants of London Trading with East Indies defeated the
Portuguese in India and won trading concessions from the Mughal Empire.
With the approval of local Indian rulers, the East India Company established
trading posts in Madras, Bombay and Calcutta, and began trading in cottons, silks,
indigo, saltpeter and tea.
Some notable dates in tea history:
1717 Thomas Twining converted Toims Coffee House into the golden Lyon, the
first teashop in London.
1776 England sent the first opium to China. Opium addiction in China funded the
escalating demand for tea in England. Cash trade for the drug increased until the
opium wars began in 1839.
1835 The East India Company established experimental tea plantations in Assam,
India.
1834 An Imperial Edict from the Chinese Emperor closed all Chinese ports to
foreign vessels until the end of the First Opium War in 1842.
1838 A small amount of Indian tea sent to England was eagerly consumed due to
its novelty.
1840 Afternoon tea was invented by Anna, Duchess of Bedford (1783 1857),
wife of the 7th Duke as a way to quell the inevitable hunger pangs between
lunch and dinner.
1856 Tea was planted in many areas of Darjeeling.
1857 Tea plantations were started in Ceylon, though their tea would not be
exported until the 1870s.
1869 A deadly fungus wiped out the coffee crop in Ceylon, shifting preference
from coffee to tea.
1869 The Suez Canal opened, making the trip to China shorter and more
economical by steamship.
1870 Twinings of England began to blend tea for consistency.
1876 Glasgow grocer, Thomas Lipton opens his first teashop.
1953 Worlds first instant tea is introduced.