Since April is all about tea, at least for some of us, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at history, with the origins of the beverage and how its popularity spread across the world.

There are many different legends about the origin of tea, one of which tells the story of the divine farmer, Shennong, who accidentally poisoned himself 72 times one day when he was roaming the forest in search of edible herbs. Then, just before the poison managed to take his life, a tea leaf drifted into his mouth and revived him. Thus, the medical properties of the plant was discovered. But perhaps the most popular legend of how the warm tea drink was discovered, is that of the Emperor Shennong. One day, in 2737 BC, when the emperor and his court was out on a journey, a leaf blew into a cup of boiling water. The brown substance had a pleasant smell, which intrigued the emperor. So, he tried some. The drink warmed his body, and this was the beginning of tea, according to an ancient legend that is.

Regardless of how tea actually was discovered, the plant has been used for its medical purposes and pleasant taste in China for thousands of years. Throughout time, tea has been prepared in various ways, and in the beginning it was actually not mixed with hot water to create a beverage, but most commonly eaten in salads as a vegetable. When the pleasant taste of tea mixed with hot water was discovered, it became the standard way to consume the plant. The green tea leaves were grounded into powder and mixed it with water to create the drink called matcha. The earliest known physical evidence of tea as we know it today, was found in the mausoleum of Emperor Jing of Han, who died in 141 BC, which indicates that Emperors in the Han Dynasty as early as 200 BC drank tea. 

From the 4th century onwards, drinking tea for everyday pleasure rapidly increased in popularity among the Chinese. Tea plantations spread across the country, the merchants grew rich and having access to tea wares symbolised status and wealth. Over the next few centuries, a distinct tea culture emerged in China, and tea became one of the “seven necessities to begin a day”, which has gained popularity in the modern day tea culture due to the fact that tea was mentioned.

In the 7th century, a Japanese Buddhist monk brought some tea back to Japan from travels in China. As the drink also gained popularity in Japan, they created their own distinct tea culture, which led to the Japanese tea ceremony. The ceremony, also called “the way of tea”, is more than just having tea. It is a way to show hospitality, and it has become an important part of Japanese culture. 

The first mention of tea in European literature was in Navigationi et Viaggi or “Navigations and Travels”, a collection of travellers’ experiences published by the Italian travel writer Giovanni Battista Ramusio in 1550. He refers to tea as “Chai Catai” or “tea of China”. However, the first time tea was ever brought to Europe is likely to have been by Dutch and Portuguese travellers in the early 1600s. Tea was first introduced as a medical substance, but towards the end of the century also gained popularity as a hot beverage.

It is believed that tea did not reach Britain until 1662, when King Charles II married Catherine of Braganza, a Potuguese noblewoman, who loved tea. The new queen brought a chest of fine Chinese teas to the English court as part of her dowry, which she introduced to the English aristocracy. At first, tea was only available to the social elite, as it was expensive and only a few people had access to or even knew about the drink, though towards the end of the 18th century almost everyone around Britain drank tea regularly. The reason why tea got so popular in Britain and not in the rest of Europe, is thought to have been because they added sugar to the drink, which made it sweeter and more enjoyable for most people.

As the British Empire grew due to overseas colonisation during the 17th and 18th century, tea was introduced to the colonies and the love for the drink spread across the globe. At this point, China still had the monopoly on the tea trade, as the tea plant, which originally only grew wild in the mountains of Southwestern China, was still only grown in China. At first, Britain traded tea for silver, but because that became too expensive, british traders decided to offer another substance, opium. This illegal trade was successful for a while, until the Chinese government tried to suppress the trade by destroying more than 20 000 chests of the drug. As a result, the first Opium Wars arose along the Chinese coast, and China put strict restrictions on the tea export. 

To fulfil the demand for tea, Britain had to go to other measures, like growing their own tea. Britain had already colonised India, which seemed to be the perfect place for the empire’s new tea plantations. The Scottish botanist Robert Fortune was commissioned by the British owned East India Company to go undercover and spy on the Chinese tea growers, to obtain knowledge and sacred processing techniques. He also managed to bring stolen equipment, tea plants and even experienced tea growers back to India, which sparked the British tea industry. Indian tea soon became the most popular most places in the world, and the British took over a big portion of the tea market. Other countries also wanted to be a part of the massive industry, and Russia especially managed to enter the market by growing tea in its colonies. 

Tea is still loved by people across the globe, and it remains the most consumed beverage in the world, after water. Different countries have their own traditions and cultures around tea, and the drink still has a strong position in both China and Britain, among so many other places. People still drink the ancient form of tea, matcha, made by the same plant as it was thousands of years ago, as well as both black and green loose leaf tea. Commercialised tea bags also entered the market in modern times, and is probably the most consumed type of tea in western countries today.