Tea Culture & History

Tea originated in China, where it has been consumed for thousands of years. According to legend, Emperor Shen Nung discovered tea in 2737 BC when tea leaves blew into his boiling water.

All true teas come from the Camellia sinensis plant. The differences between black, green, white, and oolong tea come from how the leaves are processed after harvesting.

Chanoyu (also called chado or sado, meaning 'the way of tea') is the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, a choreographed ritual of preparing and serving matcha green tea.

Black tea is the most oxidized type of tea. The leaves are fully oxidized, giving them their dark color and strong, robust flavor compared to less-oxidized varieties.

Turkey has the highest per capita tea consumption in the world, with the average Turk consuming about 7 pounds of tea per year, mostly as cay (Turkish black tea).

The Boston Tea Party occurred on December 16, 1773, when colonists protested British taxation by dumping 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor, a key event leading to the American Revolution.

Matcha is finely ground powder made from specially grown green tea leaves. Unlike regular tea, you consume the whole leaf, getting more antioxidants and caffeine.

Traditional British afternoon tea is typically served around 4:00 PM. It was popularized by Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, in the 1840s to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner.

Chai (masala chai) is a spiced tea drink from India made by brewing black tea with a mixture of spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, along with milk and sugar.

White tea is made from young leaves and buds that undergo minimal processing (just withering and drying). It is the least processed type of tea and has a delicate, subtle flavor.

Earl Grey is a black tea flavored with oil of bergamot, a citrus fruit grown mainly in Italy. It is named after Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey and British Prime Minister in the 1830s.

Pu-erh is a fermented tea from Yunnan province that can be aged for years or even decades. Like fine wine, well-aged pu-erh is highly prized and can command high prices.

Yerba mate is a caffeinated drink from South America made from the leaves of the Ilex paraguariensis plant. It is traditionally drunk from a gourd (mate) through a metal straw (bombilla).

The British East India Company played a central role in establishing tea plantations in India and Ceylon to break China's monopoly on tea production in the 19th century.

Morocco is famous for its mint tea (Moroccan whiskey, as it is jokingly called). It is poured from a height to create a frothy top and is a symbol of hospitality.