A Brief History of Tea
Posted by Gaynor Birkhead on
A Brief History of Tea.
A cup of tea might be the most British thing possible. Yet history shows us that it dates back to ancient Chinese culture.
While you cannot precisely pinpoint where and how the 1st cup of tea happened, legend states that tea was discovered by Emperor Shen Nung of China. He came across the Camellia Sinensis plant in 2730 7BC.
A few of the leaves spurred on by the wind, fell into his pot of boiling water. Giving the world their first taste of tea.
Others believe that tea originated in 1500 BC-1040 BC in China and was discovered by the Shang Dynasty. Originally used as a medication, tea plays a significant role in Asian culture, and it's not only a beverage but also as a status symbol..
By the end of the third century A.D. tea had become China's number one beverage. By the eighth century, the Chinese were trading tea with the Arabs, Turks, and nomadic Indian Himalayan tribes.
It was not until the 16th century the tea came to European soil. And it was the 17th-century when the British people adopted tea as their favourite beverage.
Tea suffered a lot of damage on the long voyage from China to Europe, so people looked at ways to make the tea keep the freshness. Much of what was exported at this point was green tea, which was delicate.
All tea comes from the same plant and is native to China. However, green tea didn't reach Europe as expected, so they decided to oxidise the leaves naturally before drying them, which is what is now known as black tea.
The exciting thing about tea is that no one can pinpoint exactly where the first cup was taken. Or how many variations we would have in modern times.
What is known, is that The UK Loose Leaf Tea Company has embraced the different flavours and tastes of modern day teas as we know it and our extensive range of teas offer something for everyone’s taste buds. With free UK delivery with orders over £35.00 Make The UK Loose Leaf Tea Company your one stop shop for all your tea needs.