Results: The Roots of Tea

Mystical Beginnings * The origin of tea is shrouded in myths and stories. From Chinese Emperors to Portuguese princesses, the history of tea is as rich as its taste. The earliest references to drinking tea originate from China where legend has it that a leaf fell into water being boiled for Emperor Shen Nung and he found the taste refreshing. Little did he know, he'd just invented the first cup of tea. Did you know that Tea has been a popular beverage for thousands of years?

Later on during the Tang Dynasty, Japanese Buddhist scholars visiting China brought tea seeds back to Japan. The Japanese fell in love with the drink and instantly welcomed it into their culture, eventually creating the now- famous Japanese tea ceremonies. Have you ever seen a Japanese Tea Ceremony?

Over in Europe, it was the Portuguese who first discovered the pleasures of tea – after missionaries and merchants who lived in Asia brought tea back home as a gift. Yet it was the Dutch who saw the commercial potential of this remarkable leaf. Even then, it would remain incredibly expensive and, for a good many years, only the highest members of society could afford such a delicacy. Did you know that tea was extremely expensive because of the transportation challenges?

The English did not gravitate towards tea immediately. Coffee remained the preferred drink in coffee houses frequented mainly by men. The tea fad caught on slowly with women who perceived it as a genteel drink. In 1657, the first shop to sell tea in England opened, run by Thomas Garraway. The shop sold tea imported by the Dutch and contributed to the rise in its popularity in London's cafes and coffee houses. The drink gained further legitimacy when Charles II married Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese royal, who adored tea and introduced the concept of tea time to the court. Soon thereafter, a key competitor to the Dutch, the British East India Trade Company, established their first foothold in the East by securing a tea factory in Macao. Did you know that the British were paying for Tea Imports with Opium?

By the early 1700s, the British East India Company ("The Company") established itself as the dominant trading power and would go on to monopolize the tea trade with China. Trading stations sprung up in India, including hubs in Bombay, Bengal, and Madras. The Company, acting as an imperial arm of England, would exercise significant political power in helping to create a wealthy and powerful British Empire. This included not only trading tea, but also the right to annex land, direct troops, and dictate British laws. The British would exploit the tea trade for profit and political power over the next century. Were you aware of the British East India Company prior to this survey?