History

Tea has been known for nearly 5000 years, and after water it is the most heavily consumed drink in the world.

With so much to know, we must be careful to draw out what really matters.

At Jing, we believe that having just a little knowledge about the history of the tea leaf will make each cup more enjoyable.

This is an introduction to tea, from the legends which surround its birth to the debut of the teabag.

The Myths

Chinese legend dictates that tea was discovered in 2737BC by Emperor Shen Nung in the third millennium BC. Also known as the Divine Husbandman, he was supposedly conceived by a Princess under the influence of a heavenly dragon.

He once burnt a tea bush and in doing so he was entranced by the aroma of tea. As his mouth moistened with desire, he dropped a few leaves into a cup of hot water and found it to his liking.

Japanese and Indian Buddhists claim that tea came to exist when the Saint Bodhidharma fell asleep while meditating. When we woke, he was so ashamed of himself that he cut off his eyelids. Where his eyelids touched the ground, tea plants sprang up, and so was born the antidote to sleep.

The Facts:

Tea originated in China and was introduced into Japan in around 600 AD along with the introduction of Chinese culture and Buddhism by the Prince-Regent Shotuko.

350AD Tea was first recorded in the dictionary by Kuo Po in as ‘Tu’ and was simply described as, ‘a beverage made from boiled leaves’.

476AD Central Asian nomads were first recorded bartering for tea along the Great Wall.

780AD The adopted son of a monk, Lu Yu, wrote the first recognized study of tea, simply titled, ‘The Classic of Tea’. It is said that his devotion to tea was monk like and he is recognized in China as the patron saint of tea.

620 – 1279AD Tea exploded in popularity during the Tang Dynasty (620-907 AD). This is said to be the Golden Age of Tea, where every aspect of tea production was refined and perfected. Following this, the Sung Dynasty (960-1279 AD) was responsible for ‘spreading fragrant tea in the nine districts’ of China.

1279 – 1368. Tea lost its way a little during the Mogul rule (1279-1368), however thrived again during the Ming Dynasty when fermentation was discovered to produce teas ranging from Green to Oolong to Black.

1492. The teapot was being made, in Yi-Xing.

1610. The Dutch East India Company is formed and trading links between China and Europe started to develop substantially.

1650. The first tea samples reach England. By the end of the century Britain was importing more that 100,000lbs a year.

1658. The first advertisement for tea appeared in England.

1715. Green tea comes to England for the first time.

1810. The Chinese introduce tea cultivation to Formosa (Taiwan).

1835. Tea is introduced to Assam by the British Scientific Commission in India.

1839. Assam tea seeds are sent to Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

1866. The Height of the Tea Clipper races. 11 tea clippers from China race to London and is won by ‘Ariel’, who completes the journey in 99 days.

1884. London’s first tea shop opens.

1908. The tea bag is invented. It came about in New York when William Sullivan sent out samples in small, silk bags. Some of his customers, instead of pouring it out of the bag into a pot, just threw the whole bag in.