HISTORY OF TEA

Tea was originally drunk in its forms as part of Chinese Medicine and was introduced to Europe by merchants and priests as it spread across Eastern Asian.

The tea plant itself originated around southwest China, Tibet, and Northern India. Local people chewed tea leaves for medicinal purposes. Tea drinking became the China’s national drink with an associated tax in the Tang dynasty (618 – 907). ‘Classic of Tea Treatise’ was written by Lu Yu a Buddhist monk during 733 – 804. He described the types of tea, how to prepare its benefits and it’s relation to the religious thoughts of the time. Tea was drunk surrounded by tea ceremony to express harmony and simplicity. The Chinese culture reflected tea in art, religion and politics.

Japanese Buddhist monk introduced tea to Japan in the 9th Century. He brought back seeds to grow at his monastery and soon small tea plantations sprouted up at other monasteries.

Tea preparing in Japan involved grinding the delicate green tea leaves into a fine powder using a stone mill - produce Matcha in Japan, and was popularized by the Zen monk Eisai.

The modern method of brewing whole leaves did not start until 1368 (Ming Dynasty}. This processes was transferred by monks again back to Japan and the tea process was adapted too steaming drying and rolling - Sencha was born.

Tea travelled across to Europe and was written about by Maro Polo in his travel writings but did not make a major impact until the 17th Century then travelled Chinese tea travelled along the famous Silk Road and from Indian on ships with the Dutch East Indian Company. At this time tea was a drink of the aristocrats.

The British East India Company set its self-up as the main global welding extreme political power to increase the wealth and power of the British Empire monopolising the tea trade from Indian and China. This continued for a Century. During this time laws ensured all tea had to be shipped to England. The company finally fell in 1874 due to corruption, mismanagement the movement of independent tea companies revelling their corrupt practices.

Since this time tea drinking as increase amongst all classes and races