The Origin of Tea Drinks

The Chinese have been drinking tea for 5,000 years. The origin of tea in the first place is still a legend. The most famous legend is the story of Emperor Shen Nung (pronounced 'Shay-Nung'). The discovery of tea has not placed him squarely in history, namely in the year 2737 BC.


For thousands of years, the Chinese drink tea for health and enjoyment. No one knows what causes they are interested in green and glossy leaves of Camellia sinensis, but popular legend can give knowledge to us.One day, when Emperor Shen Nung was boiling water will take some leaves from trees that dangle in the wind and fell on the pan of boiling water. The Emperor curious and decided to taste the cooking water that does not resemble the drink. The Emperor found the cooking water was delicious and refreshing the body.

Legend of India preceded the discovery of tea with the monk Bodhidharma. The monks are very tired after ending his hermitage for 7 years. In desperation she chewed some leaves that grow nearby, which spontaneously returned refreshed.India is currently the world's largest producer of tea, but there is no historical record of tea in India before the nineteenth century. Experiments of tea chewing Bodhidharma never disseminated to the general public at the time.



Another of the Japanese mythology of the ascetic monk, Bodhidharma, explaining how she threw a heavy eyelids to the ground in frustration unable to stay awake. Tea tree growing where she threw her eyelids. The leaves of this tree grows a new one miraculously healed.Tea not a original from Japan, then the mythology does not provide an explanation for the sudden existence in Japan. The reality is less diverse: in the early ninth century, a monk from Japan who came home from wandering, named Dengyo Daishi brought tea seeds from China.

The method of making tea with an open pan that was introduced by Emperor Shen Nung was evident after such a long running time. It takes 4,000 years before the method of making tea that we know today developed. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Chinese began to make tea with boiling water. With a little adaptation, where traditional wine pouring from China who use the cover became a perfect teapot.

Definition of "Tea"
'Tea' in the world with all its variations in spelling and pronunciation derived from a single source. 'Te' means 'tea' in China Amoy dialect. China national language of the word tea, 'cha', also produced several derivatives of other words in the world.


Tea entry into Europe in the early seventeenth century. Compared to the excess tea in terms of treatment, the Europeans prefer the aroma of coffee. Only among a few small groups of aristocrats, who popularized tea.The entry of Tea to Europe
In the early seventeenth century, traders from the Dutch and the Portuguese first introduced tea to Europe. Portuguese traders sent by ship from the port of China, Macau, while the Dutch traders brought from Indonesia to Europe.

The new beverage that comes along with a cargo of silks and spices are not experiencing success in an instant. Europeans tasting tea, but they prefer the aroma of coffee. Meanwhile, British traders wait until 1652 before it finally started to trade in tea.

Russia is a nation of tea early fans. Tea they consumed came overland from China using a carriage drawn by camels. When the fans in Russia rose tea, tea ranks camels carrying more elongated.n the late eighteenth century, several thousand camel-drawn carts, approximately 200-300 trains at one time crossed the Chinese border. Cross-Siberian railway to replace the camel-drawn carts, but it leaves the romantic journey of the popular memory of a mixture of delicate China black tea known as Russian Caravan.

Progress Through Royal Tea
In the seventeenth century in Europe, none of which helped the sales of tea in addition to customers of the royal family.

In Britain and some countries, where beer is a common drink for breakfast, tea became another welcome alternative. In the end a satisfying thirst tea warm and refreshing, full of flavor, and is safe to drink.In the 18th century, in a wealthy family, drinking tea is a great event in the celebration. Tea leaves are often stored in high-value storage locked box, where there is only one key.Once or twice a week, the hostess will unlock it and serve tea to treat the family, or to give the impression of the special guests. 


Tea is served with china has good quality, which indicates the level of wealth, in addition to add to the meaning of the celebration. It is also an opportunity for women to show off their pale skin and delicate bone structure than Chinese porcelain. Two of these attributes is a measure of the purity of a woman at that time.

Social life in the early mid-18th century shift from habits such as coffee shops were replaced by tea gardens. Tea garden becomes like a paradise: the trees on the roadside, a lantern that illuminates the path, music, dance, fireworks, and good food accompanied with a delicious cup of tea.

Tea garden is not only a fun place, but also a place for social gatherings. In this exotic place, the royal family and ordinary people can walk together.


Tea consumption increased dramatically during the early 19th century. Mode and price reductions are difficult to build a market filled by the suppliers of goods. To break the monopoly of China, turning the tea trade to India to fill the gap.

The entry of "Tea" to India
When tea consumption increased at the beginning of the 19th century, the East India Company to find new sources of supply. Since the Chinese monopoly on tea cultivation, the solution is to plant tea elsewhere.The first experiment with tea seeds from China managed in Assam, northeast India. But the experiment was not successful, although the same seeds grow well in Darjeeling, northern India.

Then in 1820, the botanists found the local plants that have not been identified. They sent leaf samples to London for analysis. Examples of leaves are immediately recognizable as a tea - plants that did not at first known in India - and Indian tea industry was born.