History and Discovery of the Origin of Tea
Tea is one of the most drinking beverages by people around the world. Many people still do not know history and discovery of the origin of tea. Tea has many kinds. People drink tea all over the world because this is the most preferred drink for many people. Tea comes from all parts of the Camellia Sinensis plant. There are several types of Camellia sinensis and mostly grow in the tropics but some species can grow in colder climates such as the United States and Britain.
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| Kinds of Tea |
History and Discovery of Tea
Tea leaf was first discovered by Chinese people more than 4000 years ago. The inventor of tea was the Chinese emperor, Shen Nong. In 2737 BC, accidentally the tea leaf fell to the boiled water of the Emperor and the Emperor liked it. That was the beginning of tea or black tea. Tea was drunk as a refreshing drink that was described for medical reasons. Until the third century BC, drinking tea became a daily habit. Before the Tang Dynasty in 618-907, the consumption of tea leaves had spread and made local government imposing taxes for tea leaves. Then, the tea drink was known as a national drink in China.
During the Tang Dynasty, a monk named Lu Yu then compiled a book called Ch'a Ching or known as Classic Of Tea. In his book, Lu Yu wrote various types of tea, the usability, the presentation, and the benefits of drinking it. It also explained the meaning of spirituality and the tea ceremony. In the Sung dynasty, there are many references to tea leaves and in the Sung Dynasty was also known as the golden age of tea. The presentation of tea was by drying the tea leaves then rolled and heated with a frying pan to stop the oxidation process.
The Spread of Tea from China, Japan to Europe
At the beginning of the 9th century, a Japanese monk named Saicho later introduced a tea leaf in Japan after studying in China. He also brought tea seeds and planted in the monastery where he lived. As time passed, tea gardens appeared in remote monasteries in Japan but the popularity of tea was still very low until the 13th century. Then, a tea dealer in Kyoto named Soen Nagatani discovered a new method of processing green tea leaves in the 18th century. The process was known as Sencha and later became a mainstay in tea culture in Japan.
European merchants, missionaries, and explorers that were traveling to the East Asian began to recognize tea from China and Japan. Tea was not very popular in Europe until the 17th century. Finally, a Dutch merchant seriously began trading the tea in 1610. Tea then began to spread to Russia from China through the famous Silk Road. Tea reached its popularity and quickly spread in cities like Amsterdam, France, and London. At that time, tea consumption was very limited among the Count royalty and the Kingdom.
Tea began to be known in America when Dutch Peter Stuyvesant in 1650 served as head of colonies of British colonization in America. In 1680, Marie de Rabutin-Chantal became the first person that mixed milk with tea. Several centuries later in 1904, Richard Blechyden made ice tea for the first time because at that time his buyers refused to buy hot tea in hot weather. A few years later, a tea merchant named Thomas Sullivan packed tea with silk packing. This was the beginning of the discovery of tea bags. Today, tea has become a famous drink and widely in consumption throughout the world.