The History of Tea

Tea is one of the most popular and healthy drinks in the world. Its popularity spans almost as far its history, because it has been around for thousands of years. It is believed that it originated in China around 2700 BCE. When first discovered, it was used as a medicine to treat the sick. However, as time went on, it because a drink everyone indulged on a daily basis. Records detailing how tea is grown, made, and consumed first appeared in around 305 BCE. In fact, tea was so popular in China that is became the national drink of the country. About a thousand years later, tea found its way to Japan, where it became extremely popular over the next thousand years. The Dutch brought tea seeds to the West in the 1600s, where it became popular as well. However, it was reserved only for the rich considering its high price at the time. During this time, tea also made its way to India, where it also became a cultural phenomenon. Eventually, tea made its way to Britain and became a quick hit. When Charles II married a Portuguese woman addicted to tea named Catherine, the drink became popular in British high society. Because of the high prices and high taxes placed on tea, tea smuggling actually became a booming business in Britain. Many who wanted to drink tea but could not afford it would pay criminals to smuggle it in to the country for them, which became a source of livelihood for many people. Tea was the cause of many conflicts, and was even the first step to American independence. The high taxes placed on tea in America by the king of England were so high that the Americans refused to allow any goods to come to shore. This led to the Boston Tea Party, one of the first events of the war of independence. Since this, tea has gone down dramatically in price and become an everyday indulgence for many!