History of TeaKirsten Peanueva & Karen Dulaca

TeaTea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. It has a cooling, slightly bitter, astringent flavour which many enjoy.

History of TeaThe history of tea is long and complex, spreading across multiple cultures over the span of thousands of years. Although tales exist in regards to the beginnings of tea being used as a beverage, no one is sure of its exact physical and cultural origins.

Origin and Historythe Camellia Sinensis Var Assamica is native to the area from Yunnan Province in China to the northern region of Myanmar and the state of Assam in India. Sinensis is a native to eastern and southeastern China.

Origin MythsIn one popular Chinese legend, Shennong,the legendary Emperor of China and inventor of agriculture and Chinese medicine was drinking a bowl of just boiled water some time around 2737 BC when a few leaves were blown from a nearby tree into his water, changing the color. The emperor took a sip of the brew and was pleasantly surprised by its flavor and restorative properties.

A variant of the legend tells that the emperor tested the medical properties of various herbs on himself, some of them poisonous, and found tea to work as an antidote. Shennong is also mentioned in Lu Yu s famous early work on the subject, Cha Jing. A similar Chinese legend goes that the god of agriculture would chew the leaves, stems, and roots of various plants to discover medicinal herbs. If he consumed a poisonous plant, he would chew tea leaves to counteract the poison.

A rather gruesome legend dates back to the Tang Dynasty. In the legend, Bodhidharma, the founder of Chan Buddhism, accidentally fell asleep after meditating in front of a wall for nine years. He woke up in such disgust at his weakness that he cut off his own eyelids. They fell to the ground and took root, growing into tea bushes.

History of Tea in Chinathe Chinese have enjoyed tea for centuries. the use of tea as a medical herb useful for staying awake is unclear. China is considered to have the earliest records of tea drinking with recorded use in its history dating back to the 1st millennium BC. the Han Dynasty uses tea as medicine.

History of Tea in ChinaLaozi (ca. 600-517 BC), the classical Chinese philosopher, described tea as "the froth of the liquid jade" and named it an indispensable ingredient to the elixir of life. Tea production in China, historically, was a laborious process, conducted in distant and often poorly accessible regions. This led to the rise of many apocryphal stories and legends surrounding the harvesting process.

History of Tea in IndiaTea cultivation flourished in India under the British Rule and today India is the largest producer of tea in the world. Darjeeling Tea is popular tea in India, grown in the foothills of the Himalayas and is a prized Indian black tea.

History of Tea in Indiacommercial production of tea in India did not begin until the arrival of the British East India Company, at which point large tracts of land were converted for mass tea production. Its products were the basis of the Boston Tea Party in Colonial America.

History of Tea in Indiait is known that the tea plant was a wild plant in India that was indeed brewed by local inhabitants of different regions. The cultivation and brewing of tea in India has a long history of applications in traditional systems of medicine and for consumption.

History of Tea in India

India was the top producer of tea for nearly a century, but was displaced by China as the top tea producer in the 21st century.

History of Tea in Sri Lanka/CeylonRenowned for its high quality tea. It is the 3rd biggest teaproducing country globally. Has a production share of 9% in the international sphere and one of the world's leading exporters with a share of around 19% of global demands.

History of Tea in Sri Lanka/ CeylonCeylon tea is divided into 3 groups : Upcountry Midcountry Lowcountry Based on geography of the land on which it is grown.

History of Tea in Sri Lanka/CeylonThe plantations that were started of the British were initially taken over by the government in 1960's.

But today, it has been privatized and are now run by 'plantation companies' which own a few 'estates' or tea plantations each.

History of Tea in Sri Lanka/ Ceylon

Sri Lankan tea carries the Lion Logo on its packages which indicates that the tea is originated in Sri Lanka. Today, the name Ceylon Tea or Sri Lankan Tea is still regarded as a sign of quality throughout the world.

History of Tea in JapanThe earliest known references to green tea in Japan are in a text written by a Buddhist monk in the 19th century. Tea became a drink of the religious classes in Japan when Japanese priests and envoys that were sent to China to learn about its culture brought tea to Japan.

History of Tea in JapanAncient records indicates that the first batch of tea seeds were brought by a priest named Saicho then by another named Kukai. It became a drink of royal classes when Emperor Saga encouraged the growth of tea plants wherein seeds were imported from China and thus cultivation in Japan began.

History of Tea in JapanGreen tea became a staple among cultured people in Japan. Production grew and tea became increasingly accessible, though still a privilege enjoyed mostly by the upper classes. The tea ceremony of Japan was introduced from China in the 15th century by Buddhists as a semi-religious social custom.

History of Tea in JapanIn 1738, Soen Nagatani developed Japanese sencha, literally roasted tea, which is an unfermented form of green tea. It is the most popular form of tea in Japan today.

History of Tea in KoreaThe first historical record documenting the offering of tea to an ancestral god describes a rite in the year 661 in which a tea offering was made to the spirit of King Suro, the founder of the Geumgwan Gaya Kingdom. Records from the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) show that tea offerings were made in Buddhist temples to the spirits of revered monks.

Tea Spreads to the WorldEarliest records of tea shows in accidental writing said to be found in the statement of an Arabian traveller that after the year 879, the main sources of revenue in Canton were the duties from salt and tea. Great explorer Marco Polo records disposition of a chinese minister of finance of tea taxes.

Tea Spreads to the WorldThe travellers named Giovanni Batista Ramusio, L. Almeida, Maffei, Taxiera, also mentioned tea in their records. In 1557, Portugal established a trading post in Macao and the word of Chinese drink cha'a spread quickly, but there is no mention of them bringing any samples home.

Tea Spreads to the WorldIn the early 17th Century, a ship of the Dutch East India Company brought the first green tea leaves to Amsterdam from China Tea was introduced in France by 1636. it enjoyed a brief period of popularity in Paris around 1648.

Tea Spreads to the WorldIn Russia history of tea can also be traced back in the 17th century. Teas was first offered by China as a gift to Czar Michael I in 1618. The Russian ambassador tried the drink; he did not care for it and rejected the offer, delaying tea's Russian introduction.

Tea Spreads to the World1689, tea was regularly imported from China to Russia via a caravan hundreds of camels traveling the year-long journey, making it a precious commodity at the time. Tea starts to appear in German apothe carries except in coastal areas such as Ostrifriesland.

Tea Spreads to the WorldIn England tea first publicly appeared during the 1650's, and was introduced through coffee houses. The British introduced to its colonies in America and elsewhere.

Top10 Tea Producers of Today

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