Who invented tea drinking

Whenever a guest or a casual visitor arrived, the offer of a cup of tea would show at least respect, if not friendship and affection. Therefore, for more than a thousand years, the serving of tea to a guest has been the universal etiquette in China. It contains L-theanine, theophyllin, and bound caffeine sometimes called theine. Decaffeinated brands are also sold. While herbal teas are also referred to as tea, most of them do not contain leaves from the tea plan cameillia Sinensis.

Tea may be consumed early in the day to heighten calm alertness. In different cultures, tea has become a popular way of dieting. It has been credited with helping to boost metabolism and aid people in losing weight. For example, Feivan tea a Chinese herbal tea that includes green tea, lotus leaves, cansia seeds, and vegetable sponge is believed to promote weight loss by improving metabolism, reducing blood fat and cholesterol, reducing bloatedness, detoxing the body, and suppressing the appetite.

Other examples include herbal teas that contain dandelion or nettle, two herbs that have diuretic properties and are believed to eliminate excess water, hence reducing weight.

Black tea is the second most consumed beverage on Earth after water, in many cultures it is also consumed at elevated social events, such as afternoon tea and the tea party. Tea ceremonies have arisen in different cultures, such as the Chinese and Japanese tea ceremonies, each of which employs traditional techniques and ritualised protocol of brewing and serving tea for enjoyment in a refined setting. One form of Chinese tea ceremony is the Gongfu tea ceremony, which typically uses small Yixing clay teapots and oolong tea.

Ireland has, for a long time, been one of the biggest per-capita consumers of tea in the world. The national average is four cups per person per day, with many people drinking six cups or more. The Irish love of tea is perhaps best illustrated by the stereotypical housekeeper, Mrs Doyle in the popular sitcom Father Ted.

Tea is prevalent in most cultures in the Middle East. In Arab culture, tea is a focal point for social gatherings. Both black and green teas are popular and are known locally as sabz chai and Kahwah, respectively.

The popular green tea called kahwah is often served after every meal in the Pashtun belt of Balochistan and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is where the Khyber Pass of the Silk Road is found.

In the transnational Kashmir region, which straddles the border between India and Pakistan, Kashmiri chai or noon chai, a pink, creamy tea with pistachios, almonds, cadamon, and sometimes cinnamon, is consumed primarily at special occasions, weddings, and during the winter months when it is sold in many kiosks.

It became such a favourite that during the late eighth century a writer called Lu Yu wrote the first book entirely about tea, the Ch'a Ching, or Tea Classic. It was shortly after this that tea was first introduced to Japan, by Japanese Buddhist monks who had travelled to China to study.

Tea drinking has become a vital part of Japanese culture, as seen in the development of the Tea Ceremony, which may be rooted in the rituals described in the Ch'a Ching. So at this stage in the history of tea, Europe was rather lagging behind. In the latter half of the sixteenth century there are the first brief mentions of tea as a drink among Europeans.

These are mostly from Portuguese who were living in the East as traders and missionaries. But although some of these individuals may have brought back samples of tea to their native country, it was not the Portuguese who were the first to ship back tea as a commercial import. This was done by the Dutch, who in the last years of the sixteenth century began to encroach on Portuguese trading routes in the East. By the turn of the century they had established a trading post on the island of Java, and it was via Java that in the first consignment of tea was shipped from China to Holland.

Tea soon became a fashionable drink among the Dutch, and from there spread to other countries in continental western Europe, but because of its high price it remained a drink for the wealthy. Britain, always a little suspicious of continental trends, had yet to become the nation of tea drinkers that it is today.

Since , the British East India Company had a monopoly on importing goods from outside Europe, and it is likely that sailors on these ships brought tea home as gifts. But the first dated reference to tea in this country is from an advert in a London newspaper, Mercurius Politicus, from September The first coffee house had been established in London in , and the terms of this advert suggest that tea was still somewhat unfamiliar to most readers, so it is fair to assume that the drink was still something of a curiosity.

It was the marriage of Charles II to Catherine of Braganza that would prove to be a turning point in the history of tea in Britain. She was a Portuguese princess, and a tea addict, and it was her love of the drink that established tea as a fashionable beverage first at court, and then among the wealthy classes as a whole.

Capitalising on this, the East India Company began to import tea into Britain, its first order being placed in - for lbs of China tea to be shipped from Java. The British took to tea with an enthusiasm that continues to the present day. It became a popular drink in coffee houses, which were as much locations for the transaction of business as they were for relaxation or pleasure. They were though the preserve of middle- and upper-class men; women drank tea in their own homes, and as yet tea was still too expensive to be widespread among the working classes.

In part, its high price was due to a punitive system of taxation. The first tax on tea in the leaf, introduced in , was so high at 25p in the pound that it almost stopped sales. It was reduced to 5p in the pound in , and from then until as recently as , when tea duties were finally abolished, politicians were forever tinkering with the exact rate and method of the taxation of tea.

One unforeseen consequence of the taxation of tea was the growth of methods to avoid taxation - smuggling and adulteration. By the eighteenth century many Britons wanted to drink tea but could not afford the high prices, and their enthusiasm for the drink was matched by the enthusiasm of criminal gangs to smuggle it in.

Their methods could be brutal, but they were supported by the millions of British tea drinkers who would not have otherwise been able to afford their favourite beverage. What began as a small time illegal trade, selling a few pounds of tea to personal contacts, developed by the late eighteenth century into an astonishing organised crime network, perhaps importing as much as 7 million lbs annually, compared to a legal import of 5 million lbs!

Worse for the drinkers was that taxation also encouraged the adulteration of tea, particularly of smuggled tea which was not quality controlled through customs and excise.

Tea as a Status Symbol As an imported luxury, only the wealthy could afford to drink tea. The least expensive pound of tea available cost the average laborer about a month's worth of wages.

The lofty tea prices made tea highly fashionable and elitist. The ability to serve and drink tea with elegance and skill marked social status and indicated good breeding and intellect. To that end, many wealthy 18th century English and Dutch families had paintings made of the family having tea.

The "Afternoon Tea" Afternoon tea, still a popular British institution, is credited to Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, who complained of the long gap between a light breakfast and a late evening meal. To appease her cravings, she advised her maid to bring a pot of tea and light refreshments to her room. Anna soon began to invite friends to join her for afternoon tea The "High Tea" High tea is a very much a different thing than the Afternoon tea. High tea, though it sounds more elite, is actually a 19th century working class custom.

High tea is served later around PM and consists of a full dinner meal for the common people. High tea is served alongside meats, fish or eggs, cheese, bread and butter, and cake. High tea is more of a man's meal, while Afternoon tea is more of a lady's social diversion.

The Role of Tea in Globalization The Dutch dominated the tea trade until when the British began importing tea on a commercial scale. The British Royal family, seeking full control and profits over trade, chartered the East India Company and granted it a monopoly on all trade throughout Asia and Eastern Africa.

The East India Company quickly became the most powerful monopoly the world has ever known - and tea was its primary commodity. They were given the right to acquire territory, coin money, keep armies and forts, punish lawbreakers, form foreign alliances, and even declare war. The reign of the East India Company continued until the British Parliament declared the trade routes open to competition in There were, however, many lasting effects of the centuries of dominance. The Chinese were more interested in silver than in cotton, Britain's main export.

Finding enough silver to trade for tea became increasingly difficult, however, so the British turned to growing opium in its large Asian colony The scheming British sent opium to China across the Indian border in exchange for silver, then traded the same silver back to China for tea. The illegal opium scheme worked until when a Chinese official sent 20, chests of opium to a watery grave in a sea near Canton. A year later, Britain declared war on China and China retaliated by placing a strict embargo on all exports of tea.

China believing their nation to be self-sufficient and took steps toward isolation. The difficulty of obtaining Chinese tea prompted Britain to explore other alternatives The climate and high altitudes of Northern India made it a promising location for tea cultivation.

Also, explorers had discovered indigenous tea plants growing in Assam, India as early as Before long, Indians became experts on growing very beautiful tea plants, but lacked knowledge on tea processing. Robert Fortune, a Scottish botanist, is credited for spying on China's ancient sacred tea processing techniques and returning to India with knowledge, equipment, and a small team of experienced Chinese growers.

Europe's same traditions and rules of etiquette crossed the Atlantic; Teahouses and elegant silver and porcelain tea accessories were popular in the new cities of New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. The American Revolution By the second half of the 18th century, tea constituted the single largest and most valuable commodity exported by Britain. The British government ordered a specific "tea tax" to capitalize off its popularity in America.

In defiance, the American ports refused to allow any dutiable goods ashore. This resulted in the infamous Boston Tea Party, the British government's closure of Boston harbor, and the arrival of British troops on American soil.