History of Tea
Legend has it that the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung discovered tea in 2737 BC. An herbalist, the emperor was sitting, unbeknownst to him, under a wild tea tree. As his servant was boiling drinking water, a tea leaf fell into his cup, and the emperor decided to give it a try. This was the world’s first cup of tea. The modern word "tea" is derived from the Chinese word for the beverage and the leaf: Tchai, Cha, and Tay
Tea drinking spread through Asia through the teachings of Buddhist monks who found tea particularly helpful in staying awake through prayers and chants.
Arab merchants first brought tea out of Asia in the ninth century AD, and from there it spread to Europe through the port of Venice. The seafaring Dutch opened up sea routes to China in the sixteenth century, increasing the beverage popularity in Europe.
In the seventeenth century, the English crown bestowed vast, monopolistic tea trading powers to a firm called the John Company. A small Rival, the East India Company, complained to the court, and was simply incorporated into the John Company. The newly renamed East India Company was the owner of the ships from which the American colonists threw overboard tea in their famous Boston Tea party.
Tea drinking spread through Asia through the teachings of Buddhist monks who found tea particularly helpful in staying awake through prayers and chants.
Arab merchants first brought tea out of Asia in the ninth century AD, and from there it spread to Europe through the port of Venice. The seafaring Dutch opened up sea routes to China in the sixteenth century, increasing the beverage popularity in Europe.
In the seventeenth century, the English crown bestowed vast, monopolistic tea trading powers to a firm called the John Company. A small Rival, the East India Company, complained to the court, and was simply incorporated into the John Company. The newly renamed East India Company was the owner of the ships from which the American colonists threw overboard tea in their famous Boston Tea party.