Source: http://tbthealth..in/2015/06/the-curious-china-again-read-history-of.html?m=1
The history of tea is fascinating and offers
great insight into the history of our world.
Since tea was first discovered in China, it has
traveled the world conquering the thirsts of
virtually every country on the planet. Tea is
the most popular beverage in the world as
well as one of the healthiest. If you have ever
wondered where tea comes from and how we
got to the point where tea is served in
virtually every corner of the world, steep a hot
cup of tea and explore the history of the
simple tea leaf over the centuries!
One legend claims that the discovery of tea
occurred in 2737 BC by the Emperor of China.
For several hundred years, people drank tea
because of its herbal medicinal qualities. By
the time of the Western Zhou Dynasty, tea
was used as a religious offering. During the
Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD), tea plants
were quite limited and only royalty and the
rich drank tea not only for their health but
also for the taste. As more tea plants were
discovered during the Tang Dynasty (618 –
907), tea drinking became more common
among lower classes and the Chinese
government supported planting of tea plants
and even the building of tea shops so
everyone could enjoy tea.
Also during the Tang Dynasty, tea spread to
Japan by Japanese priests studying in China.
Similar to the Chinese adoption of tea, tea
was first consumed by priests and the rich for
its medicinal properties. Tea is often
associated with Zen Buddhism in Japan
because priests drank tea to stay awake and
meditate. Soon, the Buddhists developed the
Japanese Tea Ceremony for sharing tea in a
sacred, spiritual manner. The Emperor of
Japan enjoyed tea very much and imported
tea seeds from China to be planted in Japan,
making tea available to more people.
Tea finally arrived in England during the 17th
century when King Charles II married a
Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza.
The Queen made tea the drink of royalty and
soon tea became a popular import to Britain
via the East India Company. Afternoon tea or
tea parties became a common way for
aristocratic society to drink tea. Though tea
was regularly imported to Britain, the taxes
were so high that smugglers would get and
sell tea illegally for those that could not
afford it. In attempts to turn profits during
the tea smuggling period, the East India
Company began exporting the tea to
America. The American tea was also taxed
heavily and contributed to the cause of the
Boston Tea Party.
If you watched "The Conquerors", you would
know about the Tang dynasty. But come to
think of it, China is a strong nation mehn.
They were claimed to discover rice, silk, and
now tea. W0W!

Hm