The Origins of Tea

by Mikee Dunn


Tea is by far the most popular drink the world has ever known, but where does it come from and how did we as people come about using it to make what we drink today? This alone can be a very lengthy discussion, but since this more of a quick glance into where tea comes from and what it's all about, I'll do my best to keep this short! If you want to find out more information I recommend that you seek it out of course, just make sure that you get the correct and truthful information, so choose you're sources wisely.

It all began long ago, and while we don't know a specific date, evidence points to the discovery of tea at around 2737 B.C in the region where India, China & Myanmar meet. It was in the hot wet mountain jungles of this eastern Himalaya region. It first started being eaten and then drunk by local tribal groups in that area. It was not however limited to drinking or eating alone however, and was used in many medicinaly practices of the day. Today tea is still used in certain kinds of medience and has proven to be beneficial to our health.

It wasn't until 879 however that tea was brought into the western European world by Arab travelers. Tea really took off in Europe as a very popular drink around 1285, and the western world hasn't missed a drop yet. If you haven't already guessed, the British took to tea faster and with more passion then any other culture, so far as tea even set a time of day aside for "tea time"! No one really knows why the British love this drink so much, but most believe it has much to do with the fact they started the tea trade.

Tea was then spread to the United States when it was brought over during the colonial period by the British. Tea was a staple drink even in the early US and was extremely popular. A good example of early American passion for tea is the Boston Tea Party where American's protested Britain's tax on tea by dumping much of it in the ocean.

Today tea has become the world most popular drink and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. I personally am a huge fan of tea and know many, many others who are as well. The wonderful thing about tea is the ability to infuse just about any flavor one might want, leaving very little room for boredom among tea drinking palates. From its beginning to now, tea has a deep rooted place in out cultures and tastes, and it looks like it will only become more and more popular as time goes one....

This is only a good thing!