The history of tea

The origins of tea

It seems that tea originates from China: although we are not certain of this it is hard to refute. Tea has been documented in China since 2700BC. And since China's tea culture is documented from then on, China has the clearest history of tea in the world.

The original wild tea trees were found in Yunnan, south-west China, and the northern border of Vietnam. These original species (or perhaps their close relatives) are still found in this area. Many Pu-Erh teas are plucked from these wild plants from trees of up to 1000 years old.

In this early period, tea was produced in compressed cakes. This made it easier to transport by pack animal, and helped with storage in an age before airtight containers. In some areas, such as Yunnan and Tibet, this ancient type of tea production is still practised.

Typically, this tea would have been prepared by grinding in a mortar, mixing with water and boiling in a kettle. It was often blended with herbs and spices, and may well have been primarily drunk as a medicine rather than a beverage.

The Tang Dynasty, 600AD

By now tea had become the national beverage of China, and had begun it's journey to becoming the world's most popular beverage.

Tea houses became an important focus of Chinese life: commercial, artistic and political. They have been hotbeds of political discussion and unrest, and have even been banned at times by the Moguls and the Communists.

The finest teas had become a status symbol, as they are in China to this day, and tea first began to be associated with ceremony and meditation.

And during this period the most famous tea book of all is compiled by Lu Yu. Lu Yu's 'The Book of Tea' covers all of the methods of production and enjoyment of tea found at that time. He travelled China exhaustively to compile his work, and it is still important today: it influenced tea production for centuries.

The Song (Sung) Dynasty, 900AD

During the Song Dynasty two forms of tea drinking emerged in China: the loose form we are familiar with today and powered tea, still used buy the Japanese in the 'Tea ceremony'. It is also during the Song Dynasty that White Teas were discovered and perfected . This period also heralded an important change in tea equipage: many of the teapot forms used today originated in the Song Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty, 1350AD

The Ming Dynasty's love of tea and the new way of drinking tea in loose form combined to produce a period of beautiful and refined tea accessories and their appreciation. Also during the Ming Dynasty China started to export tea.

Japan's tea history starts at about 1500AD with the monk Rikuyu. Essai, another Buddhist monk, is widely accepted to have finally succeeded in growing tea in Japan earlier than this time. But it is not until Rikuyu that the tea ceremony as we know it today is formulated. Rikuyu is generally accepted as the first Japanese tea master.

1600AD: origins of the European tea trade

The Dutch are the first to import tea into Europe and they had full control over its import until 1660. The East India Company of England begins to supply the growing demand for tea in England.

1700AD: The American tea trade sparks off the War of Independence

With the colonisation of America, Britain exported large quantities of tea across the Atlantic, where tea was the national drink. In 1770, due to high taxes imposed on tea by the British authorities American traders refused to buy imported tea. Events lead up to the famous Boston Tea Party, which saw Americans board English ships and destroy their cargo by throwing tea chests into the sea. It is accepted that this was the first step in the American War of Independence.

1800AD: the start of the Indian tea trade

An increase in demand for tea pushes the British to plant tea in India and produce for themselves. Tea plantations were developed in Assam and Ceylon spreading to Darjeeling and Africa.

If you would like to know more we will be adding to this section at our blog, where we will go into some of the subjects into more detail.