Tea is second only to water as the oldest and most popular beverage known to man. Its origin is unclear, however most agree the drink was discovered over 5,000 years ago in Imperial China. Many ancient myths surround tea’s creation, but one in particular is more plausible, and more probable than the rest.
According to legend, the Chinese Emperor Shennong requested that all water be purified by boiling prior to consumption. One day the leaves of a small plant happened to fall in the Emperor’s cup, resulting in a mixture that was flavorful and rejuvenating. Over the centuries that followed, the Chinese developed processing methods such as steaming and roasting that derived variations in flavor and ease in transportation. As a result, tea found its way through most of the Eastern civilization where it took on great significance in tradition and culture.
It wasn’t until 1560 that the first European, Father Jasper de Cruz, tasted the stimulating nectar. By 1610, Dutch merchants discovered the profitable nature of importing tea due to high demand created by Europe’s upper class. They developed trade routes and populated Western Europe with tea by means of the famed Dutch East India Trading Company.
Tea crossed the Atlantic Ocean and landed in the New World around 1650. New Amsterdam, modern day New York, was settled by the Dutch and is thus the location of the first colonial tea exposure. Adoration by New Englanders combined with prime port access for trading vessels caused Boston to become the primary destination of tea from England, a country to which tea had become a staple in everyday life.
In 1773, during a period of heavy taxation, enraged colonists threw an entire boatload of British tea into the Boston harbor. The event known as the Boston Tea Party was one of the pivotal occurrences that led to the American Revolution, and the cementing of tea in American history. In the many years following, tea drinkers witnessed the creation of tea bags and ice tea which rekindled popularity through ease of use and accessibility.
Today tea is experiencing a renaissance that has revived the use of fine tea in place of its instant counterpart, and caused teahouses to pop up in almost every city. Tea has become so prevalent that worldwide consumption stands at nearly 125,000,000 cup on any given day.
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