History:
a chronological record of significant events
How did tea become the most widely consumed beverage in the world today; second only to water?
Historians have organized and recorded writings and stories that have Helped re-build the past. Here is a simplified time line to help you better understand the evolution of tea, from its discovery to the significance of its place in the world today.
Discovery
Stories say that in 2700 B.C. Emperor Shen Nung, scholar and herbalist, Discovered the magic of tea while sipping hot water under a wild tea tree. As he sat a drift of leaves floated into his cup from above. He sipped, he thought and he discovered, much like the tea drinkers of today.
The Start and Spread of Tea
Evolution of Tea
Medicine -Tonic -Drink
China
2700 B.C. -tea is discovered
206 B.C. and 220 A.D. During the Han Dynasty it was ruled that the Chinese character for tea should be pronounced Cha not Tu
476 A.D. -Tea was bartered beyond the wall in exchange for horses by the nomadic barbarians
780 A.D. - Cha Ching or the Tea Encyclopedia was written about tea by Lu Yu
1100-1125 A.D. - Emporer and poet Huizong ended the use of a "tea master" which started the spread of tea houses throughout China
1492 A.D. - The invention of the Yixing teapot made from the purple clay of Yixing China
Note: Over 500 years later Yixing teapots are still used and preferred in China where tea drinking began.
The refinement of Brewing Techniques
Boiling tea cakes - Whipping Powdered leaf with a whisk - Brewing Loose Leaf
Japan
729 A.D. - The Emperor Shomu served tea to 100 Buddhist monks at his palace
805 A.D. - A monk named Dengyo Daishi brings the first tea seeds from China to Japan for planting in the grounds of his monestary
810 A.D. - Emperor Saga enjoyed tea so much that he ordered that it be cultivated in 5 Provinces near the capitol.
1200 A.D. - Japanese Monk Eisei returns from stud in China bringing back tea plants and Zen to the Japanese people
Zen:
religious meditation that aims at enlightenment by direct intuition through meditation
1368-1644 A.D. - During the Ming Dynasty innovations in processing tea replaced old methods and for the first time tea was made in the loose leaf form
Europe
1610 A.D. - First sample of tea reaches the Netherlands
1637 A.D. - Dutch East India Company imports tea on vessels returning to Europe
1658 A.D. - Thomas Garraway, a coffeehouse proprietor, is the first to sell tea in his store
1662 A.D. - Charles II makes tea fashionable in high society when his bride's, dowry includes chests of tea.
1676 A.D. - The English East Tea Company imports tea of its own
1700 A.D. - Chinese Tea became the first internationally traded commodity
1700 A.D. - Porcelain is discovered by a German alchemist from Dresden. This discovery was critical to the spread of tea drinking in Europe because until this time European pottery could not withstand the heat of boiling water.
Porcelain
Critical to the spread of drinking in Europe
Russia
1618 - First tea reached Russia as a gift from the Chinese to Tsar Alexis
1689 - Caravan of Camels trekked chests of tea to the border of USK Kayakhta. Hence the name of the popular Russian Caravan Tea known for its "smokey" flavor
Note: As you may have imagined tea travel was a little slow.
The journey from Chinese grower to Russian consumer took 16-18 months.
1903 - Completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway minimized travel time to one week.
London
1706 - Thomas Twining opens Tom's Coffee house, later re-named Golden Lyon which became famous for selling loose leaf tea
1804 - First London Tea Room opened
1901-1914 Three course afternoon tea started
1913 - Tango becomes popular and tea dances begin
The Evolution of Transporting Tea
Camels - Clipper Ships - Steamships
United States of America
1767 - Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament attempted to impose a tax on tea being shipped by the East India Company to American colonies.
1773 - The Boston Tea Party leading to the War of Independence
Americans refused to accept dutiable goods ashore.
A band of Boston men disguised as native Americans boarded the ship Dartmouth and threw 340 chests of tea overboard. The British government's closure of Boston Harbor and the arrival of British troops on American soil started the historic War of Independence.
"Fellow countrymen, we cannot afford to give a single inch! If we retreat now, everything we have done becomes useless! If Hutchinson will not send tea back to England, perhaps we can brew a pot of it especially for him!"
- Samuel Adams - December 16, 1773
