| Tea has a rich and varied history. One Chinese myth | | | | popular in Britain. |
| states that around 2737BC, the Chinese Emperor, | | | | Due to a high tax on tea, it was too expensive for the |
| Shennong, was boiling a cauldron of water when | | | | less well-off, and smuggling was rife. Prime Minister |
| some leaves from a nearby bush blew into the | | | | William Pitt the Younger drastically reduced the tax on |
| cauldron, and changed the colour of the water. The | | | | tea from 119% to 12.5% in 1784, which immediately |
| Emperor was inquisitive by nature, and tasted the | | | | made tea affordable, and stopped the smuggling |
| coloured water. In another myth, Siddhartha Guatma, | | | | almost overnight. In 1851 the annual tea consumption in |
| the founder of Buddhism, fell asleep whilst meditating. | | | | Britain was around 2lbs per person; by 1901 this had |
| He was so upset with himself for falling asleep, that he | | | | trebled to over 6lbs per person. Patents for the first |
| cut off his eyelids and buried them. They then grew | | | | tea bags were made around this time. |
| into the first tea plant, with the leaves looking like | | | | Tea still remains the most popular drink in Britain. Whilst |
| eyelids. | | | | tea bags are favoured by over 90% of tea drinkers, |
| Tea was around at the same time as Confucious | | | | tea purists still maintain that loose tea tastes better. In |
| (551-479BC), and rapidly increased in popularity during | | | | addition, using loose tea allows the drinker to choose |
| the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD). By the 3rd Century | | | | their own type and flavour of tea. Different white teas, |
| AD, tea was so popular that it needed its own | | | | black teas and green teas are available from different |
| character symbol, ch'a. This popularity saw it becoming | | | | countries. |
| the national drink of China during the Tang Dynasty | | | | In the same way that wine connoisseurs know the |
| (618-906AD). During the 8th Century, the writer Lu Yu | | | | difference between wines made with different grapes |
| wrote the first book entirely on the subject of tea, the | | | | and from different countries, tea experts can tell the |
| Ch'a Ching, or Tea Classic which outlined how to make | | | | difference between teas. Different teas need different |
| tea, and how tea should be drunk. Tea was also | | | | brewing times and temperatures for the optimum taste |
| introduced to Japan around this time, by Buddhist | | | | and flavour. Getting this wrong can ruin the taste and |
| monks who had come to China to study. | | | | flavour of the tea. Getting the brewing process right |
| It took until the late 16th Century for Europeans to | | | | can lead to a new favourite tea. Learning the optimum |
| discover tea when Dutch and Portuguese traders living | | | | times and temperatures for all of your favourite teas |
| in the East Indies started sending tea home as gifts. | | | | may take some time, but it will be worth it. |
| Although hard to believe now, the British weren't taken | | | | Now you know more about the history of the nation's |
| with tea, and even by 1658, tea was still a novelty in | | | | favourite drink, why not try some different types of |
| Britain. The Portuguese Catherine of Braganza, wife of | | | | fine gourmet tea instead of a teabag next time you |
| Charles 2nd, loved tea, which helped it to become | | | | make a cup of tea? |