A Brief History of Tea

Editor: ourprecioustreasures

From ancient China to the modern Tea Gardens of New York, the history of tea is as rich and universally appealling as a cup of tea itself.

The legend of tea began in ancient China in 2737 B.C. The legend attributes Shen Nung, an emperor who is said to have been a skilled ruler, a creative scientist and a patron of the arts; with tea’s discovery. His edicts required that all drinking water be boiled as a hygienic precaution. One summer day when he visited a region of his realm, he and his court stopped to rest. The servants began to boil water for the court to drink. Some dried leaves from a nearby bush fell into the boiling water resulting in an infusion into the water. The emperor was interested in this new liquid and drank some finding it very refreshing. And, thus tea was created according to this legend.

The drinking of tea spread throughout China into every aspect of the society. When tea drinking got to Japan it was elevated to an art form resulting in the Japanese Tea Ceremony. This tea ceremony requires years of training and practice to graduate in the art; and yet the whole of this art signifies no more than the making and serving of a cup of tea. What is important is that the act of making a cup of tea be performed in the most perfect, polite, graceful and most charming manner possible. With tea at a high level of development in China and Japan, news of it made its way to Europe. The Portuguese developed trade routes by which they shipped tea to European countries. In time tea made its way to England and the Americas. A tea passion swept across England. Soon all levels of society began to drink tea. Tea importation rose from forty thousand pounds in 1699 to an annual average of two hundred forty thousand pounds by 1708.

The English developed the idea of Tea Gardens from experiencing the Dutch tavern garden teas. It was here that ladies and gentlemen took their tea outdoors and were surrounded by entertainment and beautiful gardens. Women were permitted to enter a mixed, public gathering for the first time without social criticism. The gardens were public allowing British society to mix freely for the first time, cutting across lines of class and birth. It was in the Tea Gardens of England that "tipping" began as a response to proper service. Small locked wooden boxes were placed on the tables through the gardens with the letters "T.I.P.S." inscribed that stood for "To Insure Prompt Service." If a guest wanted a waiter to hurry so the tea arrived hot from the kitchen, he dropped a coin into the box on being seated "to insure prompt service." This created the custom of tipping servers.

In about 1670 the English colonists in Boston became aware of tea and within twenty years it was available for sale in the Colonies. The first Tea Garden appeared in New York City around a natural spring. By 1720 tea was a generally accepted staple of trade between the Colonies and England. Tea trade was centered in Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Tea was smuggled into the Colonies by some independent minded American merchants. The John Company of England fumed as they saw their profits diminish and they pressured Parliament to take action. Events deteriorated enough that some Boston men, dressed as Indians, on December 17, 1773, threw hundred of pounds of tea into the harbor—the Boston Tea Party.

Today, there is a robust re-awakening of interest in tea as many Americans seek a more positive and healthy lifestyle. Tea rooms, tea stores and online tea sales are growing rapidly. It seems like almost everyone is jumping on the tea bandwagon—Tea is really making history today!

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