Tea

History of Tea

China

According to legend, the practice of drinking tea began over 5,000 years ago in China when the emperor required that all water for drinking be boiled first. One day while his entourage was traveling, the court stopped to rest and water was boiled to drink. The legend contends that leaves blew into the boiling water and caused the water to turn brown. The emperor tasted the brown water and found the taste pleasing. Since then the Chinese people and others have been doing the same since.

The practice of drinking tea in China infiltrated every aspect of Chinese culture including religious practices. Tea was especially important in the religious meditations of Zen Buddhism. Then, in the year 800 A.D., Lu Yu wrote a book detailing the cultivation and preparation of tea. In 805 A.D. tea was introduced to Japan, and in 1500, the first tea pots were made at Yi-Xang.

Japan

Yeisei, a Buddhist Priest brought tea to Japan when he returned from China. He became know in Japan as the “Father of Tea”. The practice of drinking tea spread through Japanese culture much like it had done in China. In Japan, the drinking of tea evolved into a ceremonial art called the Japanese Tea Ceremony, which took years for someone to learn. The ceremony entailed making and serving tea in the most polite and graceful way possible. “Tea Houses” became popular and “Geishas” became experts in presenting the Tea Ceremony. While tea initially was brought to Japan as an important aid in religious meditation, the popularity of identifying tea blends in tournament contests grew and much of the religious significance was lost temporarily. Three Zen Buddhist priests (Ikkyu, Murata Shuko, and Sen-no Rikkyu) worked to restore tea and the tea ceremony to the religiously significant ceremony that it had one been.

Europe

The Portuguese, specifically a Portuguese Jesuit priest (Father Jasper de Cruz) brought tea to Europe in 1560. The Portuguese had a large navy and traded extensively with the Dutch and the French. Initially tea was very expensive and only the rich enjoyed it, but as production increased prices lowered and tea became affordable and available to the common people. Though tea was enjoyed by many, doctors and university authorities debated whether tea was beneficial or harmful to health from 1635 through 1657. The Dutch began offering tea at restaurants and inns in 1680 and the addition of milk to tea is mentioned for the first time during this period.

England

Tea became popular in England by 1654 and became the national drink shortly after. Initially, the English ate twice a day. The first meal was in the morning and the second was a huge meal at the end of the day. Anna, Duchess of Bedford from 1788 through 1861 implemented a third meal of the day, English afternoon tea, at 5pm that consisted of tea cakes, sandwiches, sweets, and tea. This trend caught on with other English hostesses and prevented the weakness experienced by many in the late afternoon, a common occurrence since they hadn’t eaten anything since morning. The food prepared for English afternoon tea became very diverse and there became two types of English afternoon tea: “Low Tea” served earlier in the afternoon and consisted of light foods which was common among the upper classes and “High Tea” served with more substantial food including meat which was popular among the lower classes. Coffee houses and tea gardens also became very popular in England.

America

America had its start in the thick of a 1773 tea scandal- the Boston Tea Party. England attached a tax to the English tea that was imported to the colonies. The colonists rebelled, refused to buy English tea, and purchased Dutch tea instead. .  England continued to ship the tea, leaving it on boats in the harbor until the day when the colonists decided to through the tea overboard.

American, John Jacob Astor started trading tea in 800. American clipper ships were able to deliver the tea faster to ports around the world then English ships. Thus, America became solidly rooted in the tea trade.

Iced tea was invented at the World Fair in St. Louis in 1904. No one was interested in buying tea that day because it was so hot. Richard Blechynden, a tea merchant, seized the opportunity and added ice to the tea enabling him to sell it.

In 1908 Thomas Sullivan invented tea bags in New York quite by accident. He had neatly wrapped the tea samples, and customers began brewing the tea in the package to eliminate the mess of the tea leaves.