Tea - Article on different Teas around the world and the history of Tea:

Tea in China

The origin of tea dates back to over 5,000 years ago in ancient China. Emperor Shen Nung was not only a skilled ruler but a scientists and patron of the arts. Being a man of science he required that all drinking water be boiled prior to consumption for hygienic purposes. During a summer trek to a distant land he and his court stopped to rest. His servants were asked to boil water in preparation to drink it but as they did dry leaves from a nearby bush fell into the boiling water. The water soon became infused with a brown liquid to which the Emperor found quite interesting. He took a sip of the liquid and found it quite refreshing. Thus, tea was created.

All facets of Chinese culture consumed tea. The first book on tea called the Ch’a Ching was written in 800 A.D. by Lu Yu. His book describes the various methods of cultivating and preparing tea in ancient China. For his work he was nearly projected into sainthood within his own lifetime. Raised by Buddhist monks as a child his writing clearly displayed the Zen philosophies that missionaries would later bring to Imperial Japan.

Tea in Japan

Yeisei, a Buddhist priest, was the first to bring the first tea seeds to Japan. He did so because he had seen the value of tea in China in enhancing meditation. Because Yeisei was the first to bring tea to Japan it has always been associated with Zen Buddhism. The consumption of tea soon spread from the royal court and monasteries to other areas of society.

Tea preparation soon became an art form named “Cha-no-yu”, or Japanese Tea Ceremony. It took years of training and practice to master as the act of preparation must be in the most perfect, polite, graceful and charming way possible.

A new form of architecture called chaseki was founded to design tea houses to hold the sacred ceremonies. The Geishi, Japan’s cultural and artistic hostess, began to specialize in the presentation of the tea ceremony. As the popularity of tea grew the culture and Zen attitude associated with the ceremonial aspects of it waned. Tea tournaments were held among wealthy where they would receive riches for naming various tea blends.

Tea in Europe

Tea arrived in Europe in the early 1600’s because of the success of the Dutch navy in the Pacific. Tea became prominent in the Dutch capital, the Hague. The cost of tea was exorbitant at over $100 per pound which made it exclusively for the wealthy. As the amount of imported tea increased, the price fell which allowed for it to be available in common shops throughout Holland.

It was in Holland where the first arguments on the positive and or negative health benefits of tea were voiced by doctors and university authorities in debates called tea heretics. Despite the debates the public continued to enjoy tea throughout the controversy. It was also in Holland that Inns provided the first restaurant service of tea. Taverns supplied their guests with a portable tea set and a heating unit so they could make tea for them and their friends in the tavern’s garden.

Tea in England

Tea finally reached England in the mid 1600’s and quickly replaced ale as the national drink of England. The John Company was founded by Elizabeth I for the purpose of promoting trade with Asia. The John Company monopolized the trade east of the Cape of Good Hope and west of Cape Horn. The success of the John Company brought failure to the East India Company until the two merged after Parliament instructed them to do so. The New East India Company was formed and enabled them to a complete trade monopoly on all commerce in China and India.

The importing of tea rose from 40,000 pounds in 1699 to 240,000 in 1708 and was drunk by all classes of society. Anna, the Duchess of Bedford was the first to host afternoon tea parties to satisfy late afternoon hunger pangs. She invited friends over at five o’clock for small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, assorted sweets and tea. The concept of afternoon tea soon caught on with other social hostesses and expanded to tea and walks in the large open meadows.

The English are credited with creating Tea Gardens where ladies and gentlemen took their tea outdoors to enjoy various forms of entertainment. For the first time it was acceptable for women to enter a mixed public gathering without being subjected to social criticism.

It was also at the Tea Gardens where tipping was born. Small wooden boxes were placed on the tables throughout the gardens with the inscription T.I.P.S. (To Ensure Proper Service). If somebody wished the waiter to hurry he dropped a coin in the box to ensure that the pot of tea arrived hot from the kitchen.

Tea in America

English colonists in Boston became aware of tea in 1670 although the sale of tea was not available until 20 years later. Tea Gardens opened in New York and were centered around natural springs which were equipped with pumps to satisfy the tea craze.

Tea was a stable of trade between the Colony and England by 1720. As early as 1720, tea was heavily taxed which led the colonists to smuggle contraband and adopt herbal teas from the Indians.

The Boston Tea Party

On December 16, 1773 a group of colonists headed by Samuel Adams and John Hancock expressed their displeasure toward the various taxes imposed on them by England. Dressed as Indians, they threw hundreds of pounds of tea into the harbor as an act of rebellion. England retaliated and closed the port of Boston and sent troops to occupy the city. Colonial leaders met and revolution was declared against England.

Richard Blechynden, a tea plantation owner, brought his product to the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. He intended to pass out samples of hot tea to visitors but there were not many takers due to the heat wave that hit. Determined not to waste his investment, he dumped a load of ice into the tea and served it as “iced tea” and it became the hit of the fair.

Thomas Sullivan of New York developed the concept of bagged tea. He was a tea merchant who delivered each sample in bags to restaurants. He took notice that the restaurants were brewing tea in the bag to avoid the mess of the leaves.

Today, tea has made a resurgence as Americans seek a more healthy and positive lifestyle. Some of the finer hotels throughout the States are once again hosting afternoon tea services.

The Health Benefits of Green Tea

The Chinese have used green tea to treat everything from headaches to depression as early as 4000 years ago. Research scientists in Asia and the west are providing evidence for the health benefits of drinking green tea. The National Cancer institute published an article in 1994 that reported that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by sixty percent. In America, Purdue researchers concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. Research also exists that drinking green tea lowers cholesterol levels as well as improving the ratio of good to bad cholesterol.

Green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin (EGCG). EGCG is a strong antioxidant that is known to inhibit the growth of cancer cells without harming good tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels and inhibiting the formation of blood clots, the leading cause of strokes and heart attacks.

Researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, the compound found in red wine that limits the effects of rich diets and smoking in the French. EGCG may explain why heart disease in Japanese men is low despite 75% of them being smokers.

Green tea is even credited as being a diet aid. Researchers reported that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given caffeine only with a placebo.