History



Chronological Record of Significant Events
Origins of Tea - China
Japanese Tea
English Tea
Tea and America
Earl Grey Tea
High Tea & Low Tea
Tea Cuisine
Tea Bricks or Compressed Tea
Tea Inventions in America: Iced Tea and Teabags
The Boston Tea Party



Chronological Record of Significant Events Relating to Tea

China
2700 B.C.
 Discovery of tea
206 B.C.& 220 A.D.
Han Dynasty
 Under rule that Chinese character for tea should be pronounced Cha not Tu
476 A.C.
 Tea for bartered
780 A.D.
 Cha Ching was written about tea by Lu Yu
1100 - 1125 A.D.
 Spread of tea houses throughout China
1492 A.D.
 Invention of the Yixing teapot made from the purple clay of Yixing China
Japan
729 A.D.
 Emperor Shomu served tea to 100 Buddhist monks
805 A.D.
 A monk named Dengyo Daishi brought the first tea seeds from China to Japan for planting.
810 A.D.
 Emperor Saga enjoyed tea and ordered to be cultivated in 5 Provinces near the capital
1200 A.D.
 Japanese Monk Eisei brought back tea plants and Zen to Japan
1368-1644 A.D. Ming Dynasty
 Innovations in processing tea to 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, first sold tea in his store
1662 A.D.
 Charles II makes tea fashionable in high society
1676 A.D.
 The English East Tea Company importsed 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, which could withstand the heat of boiling water.  This discovery was spread of tea drinking in Europe critically by using porcelain tea pot .
London
1706
 Thomas Twining opened 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
U.S.A.
1767
 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

Top
 

Origins of Tea - China


Chinese Tea drinking has a long history in the world which began in ancient China over 5,000 years ago.  Legend has it that the first individual to drink tea was a man called Shen Non Shei, an early emperor who is a skilled ruler, creative scientist and patron of the arts.

The first written reference of tea made in 350 A.D. Kuo Po updated an old Chinese dictionary to include the description of tea as “a beverage made from boiled leaves”.

Tea consumption then spread throughout the Chinese culture reaching into every aspect of the society.  In 780 A.D. Lu Yu wrote the first definitive book on tea, the Ch’a Ching.  During this time, tea drinking evolved into an art form.  This three volume book covered everything related to tea from the proper techniques to growing plans to brewing tea.  Lu Yu because of this book is considered to be the “Father of Tea” in Chinese history.  Lu Yu was brought up in the Zen tradition but decisded to pursue the more poetic and scholarly ways of the Confucian tradition.  

During the Sung Dynasty (690-1279 A.D.), every aspect of tea was further refined.  Harvests became carefully regulated affairs.  After a specific day was chosen to harvest the leaves at their peak, the tea pickers, usually young girls picked leaves to the rhythm of a drum or cymbal. Those young girs keep their fingernails a certain length in order to pick the leaves without touching their skin.  The freshly harvested leaves were sorted by grades with the best grades sent to the emperor as tribute.  Tea during this time was made by breaking a piece off a tea brick and grinding it into a powder.  This powder was then added to hot water and whipped with a bamboo whisk.

Top

History of Japanese Tea


Tea was imported to Japan from China by Zen-buddhistic monks in the 500 century A.D. From the monateries the tradition of drinking tea was spread to the rest of Japan. Japan only produces green teas . The high demand on the domestic market minimises exports; only a fraction of the tea produced is actually exported. If you want to know how sencha in manufactured, click here.

Many theories exist as how tea was intrduced into Japan. The most widely accepted theory fixes the beginning of Japan's tea industri in the year 1191 when EISAI, a Buddhist monk, is tought to have planted seeds he brought from China and then to have encouraged cultivation in other areas by extolling the benefits of the beverage. For 500 years after its introduction to Japan, tea was used in the powdered (matcha) form. Prior to the Endo period (1600-1868), the consumption of tea was limited to the ruling class. It was not until the mid-18th century that the processing method for sencha was discovered. The special cultivation techniques for gyokuro were developed in the in the mid-19th century.

Top

History of English Tea


English teas are renowned throughout the world for their flavor and relaxing qualities. For a while, however, tea was considered an older, almost "quaint" drink. Today tea is rapidly becoming hip in the United States. Tea houses and coffee shops are being combined into a new social hub for gatherings and work.

Tea was invented in China around 350 BC. It reached Japan in 590 AD. Brought from Asia into England, the first mention of tea in English literature actually came from a monk in 1557. There is another, more famous mention in 1559. During the seventeenth century in England, coffee was extremely popular, tea was hardly anywhere to be found. When Charles II took the throne with his tea-drinking Portuguese wife, tea suddenly spread through the English Court to become the rage in London. This custom spread to the American colonies until members of the Boston Tea Party urged a boycott against tea and all things British, for that matter. For this reason, British citizens still drink several cups of tea a day, while in America tea is just becoming popular.

There is, therefore, a proper way to brew English tea. The teapot itself should be warmed in a stove or in a tub of boiling water before the tea leaves are placed into its bowl. Then boiling water should be poured over the leaves to step for five to seven minutes. Sugar cubes should be added after tea is prepared; milk before the tea enters the teacup. An infuser can be used to extract a richer taste from tea leaves. Water should never be boiled twice, as this creates a flat taste. Water may be added to the teapot to allow the tea leaves to steep fluidly while the first cup is drunk, and a tea cozy is necessary for keeping the teapot warm.

It follows naturally that there is a way to serve English tea. No cup of British tea is ever served simply in a saucer. There must be a small teapot, a tray, a sugar holder, a milk pitcher, tongs for sugar cubes, a saucer, a cup, and the tea itself. Tea should be poured with one hand carefully on the top lid so that it does not fall forward. English four o'clock tea should be served with cakes or cookies. Dipping things into tea is never acceptable in polite company. The word "tea" is sometimes another word for lunch.

It is possible, in this day and age, to use an instant tea bag to make a cup of tea. The use of these bags is becoming popular in Britain, but only in the use of pots of tea. The British have no use for smaller teabags and cups. Tea by the potful is the proper way to do things. Iced tea is always brewed by the pot as well, and as a consequence it usually needs much sugar before serving. To distinguish a British tea from another sort, note that British teas are almost always black teas that retain their flavor when diluted.


Top

Tea and America

It was not until 1670 that English colonists in Boston became aware of tea, and it was not publicly available for sale until twenty years later. Tea Gardens were first opened in New York City, already aware of tea as a former Dutch colony. The new Gardens were centered around the natural springs, which the city fathers now equipped with pumps to facilitate the "tea craze". The most famous of these "tea springs" was at Roosevelt and Chatham (later Park Row Street).

By 1720 tea was a generally accepted staple of trade between the Colony and the Mother country. It was especially a favorite of colonial women, a factor England was to base a major political decision on later. Tea trade was centered in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, future centers of American rebellion. As tea was heavily taxed, even at this early date, contraband tea was smuggled into the colonies by the independent minded American merchants from ports far away and adopted herbal teas from the Indians.

The directors of the then John Company (to merge later with the East India Company) fumed as they saw their profits diminish and they pressured Parliament to take action. It was not long in coming.  An agent from the John Company gave this tea it's name. The tea leaf is rolled into tiny, compact, gunpowder like pellets. If the tea only contains the smallest buds and tips it is called Pinhead Gunpowder.The tightly rolled leaves allows gunpowder to retain its flavor longer then other teas. Gunpowder was one of the first teas to be exported in the early seventeenth century. The dried leaves have the color and texture of old Gunpowder. A strong, slightly bitter taste.

More on American Tea Culture

Top

Earl Grey Tea

Earl Grey Tea, the traditional English tea.  A smoky tea with a bit of sweetness, it is generally a blend of black teas and bergamot oil.  It is served plain and is the second most popular tea in the world today.

Earl Grey (1764-1845) was an actual person who was the prime minister of England under Wiliam IV.  He visited to China and was given the recipe and carried it back to England. Tea legends say the blend was given to him by a Chinese Mandarin seeking to influence trade relations.

Top

High Tea & Low Tea

Traditionally, the upper classes serve a "low" or "afternoon" tea around 4:00 PM, at which one might find crustless sandwiches, biscuits, and cake. The tradition stems from the early nineteenth century, when a typical day's dining for English aristocracy consisted of two meals per day - a late breakfast and a late dinner. Unfortunately one aristocrat, Anna, Duchess of Bedford, had a heartier appetite than such a diet allowed, and she would often become weak and hungry by afternoon. To hold her over, she began inviting friends over for afternoon tea and snacks, and before long, the idea became an accepted British norm. Today the ritual has remained true to its original intent.

Middle and lower classes have a "high" tea later in the day, at 5:00 or 6:00. It is a more substantial meal - essentially, it's dinner - which includes bread, meats, scones, and cake. Apparently, many Americans have the impression that "high tea" is the meal served by high-class people. Actually, the names derive from the height of the tables on which the meals are served. Low tea is served on tables, which in the United States would be called "coffee tables." High tea is served on the dinner table

Top

Tea Cuisine

Tea cuisine expanded quickly in 1800's, which included wafer thin crustless sandwiches, shrimp or fish pates, toasted breads with jams, and regional British pastries such as scones (Scottish) and crumpets (English).

What we are commonly known "High Tea" is evolved at this time.  There are two distinct forms of tea services evolved: "High" and "Low". "Low" Tea (served in the low part of the afternoon) was served in aristocratic homes of the wealthy and featured gourmet tidbits rather than solid meals. The emphasis was on presentation and conversation. "High" Tea or "Meat Tea" was the main or "High" meal of the day. It was the major meal of the middle and lower classes and consisted of mostly full dinner items such as roast beef, mashed potatoes, peas, and of course, tea.

Top

Tea Bricks or Compressed Tea

Tea bricks was invented by the chinese under yhe Tiang Dynasty. This was made to simplify transportation and in time the bricks bacame a currency. To make change the reverse side of the brick is scored so it is easy broken. China's compressed tea has a uniform design nowadays and consist of dust hydraulically compressed into bricks.
 
Top

Tea Inventions in America: Iced Tea and Teabags

America stabilized her government, strengthened her economy, and expanded her borders and interests. By 1904 the United States was ready for the world to see her development at the St. Louis World's Fair. Trade exhibitors from around the world brought their products to America's first World's Fair. One such merchant was Richard Blechynden, a tea plantation owner. Originally, he had planned to give away free samples of hot tea to fair visitors. But when a heat wave hit, no one was interested. To save his investment of time and travel, he dumped a load of ice into the brewed tea and served the first "iced tea". It was (along with the Egyptian fan dancer) the hit of the Fair.

Four years later, Thomas Sullivan of New York developed the concept of "bagged tea". As a tea merchant, he carefully wrapped each sample delivered to restaurants for their consideration. He recognized a natural marketing opportunity when he realized the restaurants were brewing the samples "in the bags" to avoid the mess of tea leaves in the kitchens.

Top

The Boston Tea Party

In 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

By December 16 events had deteriorated enough that the men of Boston, dressed as Indians (remember the original justification for taxation had been the expense of the French and Indian War) threw hundreds of pounds of tea into the harbor: The Boston Tea Party. Such leading citizens as Samuel Adams and John Hancock took part. England had had enough. In retaliation the port of Boston was closed and the city occupied by royal troops. The colonial leaders met and revolution declared

Top