The Untold History For Tea Lovers

The Emperor was inquisitive by nature, and tasted the coloured water. In another myth, Siddhartha Guatma, the founder of Buddhism, fell asleep whilst meditating. He was so upset with himself for falling asleep, that he cut off his eyelids and buried them. They then grew into the first tea plant, with the leaves looking like eyelids.

Tea was around at the same time as Confucious (551-479BC), and rapidly increased in popularity during the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD). By the 3rd Century AD, tea was so popular that it needed its own character symbol, ch'a. This popularity saw it becoming the national drink of China during the Tang Dynasty (618-906AD). During the 8th Century, the writer Lu Yu wrote the first book entirely on the subject of tea, the Ch'a Ching, or Tea Classic which outlined how to make tea, and how tea should be drunk. Tea was also introduced to Japan around this time, by Buddhist monks who had come to China to study.

It took until the late 16th Century for Europeans to discover tea when Dutch and Portuguese traders living in the East Indies started sending tea home as gifts. Although hard to believe now, the British weren't taken with tea, and even by 1658, tea was still a novelty in Britain. The Portuguese Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles 2nd, loved tea, which helped it to become popular in Britain.

Due to a high tax on tea, it was too expensive for the less well-off, and smuggling was rife. Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger drastically reduced the tax on tea from 119% to 12.5% in 1784, which immediately made tea affordable, and stopped the smuggling almost overnight. In 1851 the annual tea consumption in Britain was around 2lbs per person; by 1901 this had trebled to over 6lbs per person. Patents for the first tea bags were made around this time.

Tea still remains the most popular drink in Britain. Whilst tea bags are favoured by over 90% of tea drinkers, tea purists still maintain that loose tea tastes better. In addition, using loose tea allows the drinker to choose their own type and flavour of tea. Different white teas, black teas and green teas are available from different countries.

In the same way that wine connoisseurs know the difference between wines made with different grapes and from different countries, tea experts can tell the difference between teas. Different teas need different brewing times and temperatures for the optimum taste and flavour. Getting this wrong can ruin the taste and flavour of the tea. Getting the brewing process right can lead to a new favourite tea. Learning the optimum times and temperatures for all of your favourite teas may take some time, but it will be worth it.

Now you know more about the history of the nation's favourite drink, why not try some different types of fine gourmet tea instead of a teabag next time you make a cup of tea?

Users Reading this article are also interested in:
Top Searches on Tea Guide:
History Of Cheese History Of Wedding Cakes
About The Author, Chris Jensen
Wu Yi Source offers even more excellent reasons to start drinking wu-yi tea. Learn more about the wu yisource system and see how it can help you look great and get healthier.