Origins & History Of Tea

According to an ancient Chinese legend, tea was discovered by the Chinese emperor Shen Nung in 2737 B.C. Leaves from a wild tea bush fell into a pot of his drinking water as it was being boiled. He enjoyed the flavor of this brew, perhaps the world's first cup of tea.

For centuries the tea plants in China provided all the tea there was in the world. Then, in the 9th century A.D., Japan began to grow tea from plants imported from China.

Traders from Europe sailing to and from the Far East in the 16th century began to bring back word of an unusual Oriental beverage called tea. The first European book mentioning tea was published in Venice in 1559. But it was not until the 17th century that the Dutch began bringing tea to Europe in any quantity. By the 18th century, tea had become England's national beverage. In 1823 tea was found growing wild in India by a British Army major named Robert Bruce. In the next few years many tea plantations were established in India. In 1839 eight chests of tea, the first ever to come from India, were auctioned in London. The price was as high as $8.50 a pound. But it was not until 1880 that tea became an important part of India's economy.

The first tea on the islands of Indonesia WAS planted about 1684. But on the island of Ceylon coffee was the chief crop until a few years following 1869. Starting that year, a terrible blight attacked the coffee trees and gradually killed them all. Since the farms had to be planted all over again, tea was planted instead of coffee. Today tea is Ceylon's principal crop.

Tea is made from the leaves of an evergreen tree with the botanical name of Camellia sinensis. The plant can grow to be 20 to 30 feet high, but on tea plantations it is constantly cut back so that it is only 2 or 3 feet tall. It spreads into a low bush, from which it is easy to pluck the leaves.

Tea grows best in temperate and tropical zones where the rainfall is heavy and well distributed throughout the year. It can be grown anywhere from sea level to 7,000 feet. The best-quality tea, however, is grown at the higher altitudes.

Tea plants usually are grown from cuttings or seeds. The tea seedlings, or small plants, are carefully placed in the soil about 3 to 5 feet apart. The young plants are often shaded to protect them from the fierce heat of the sun. At least 3 years must go by before a tea plant is ready for plucking. Then the two leaves and bud at the top of each young shoot are plucked. Only new shoots are used.

During the growing season, plucking is done every 10 days or so, depending on the climate, the height, and the age of the bushes. The leaves are gathered in baskets by workers, who may each pick as much as 40 pounds a day.

There are three different types of tea: black, green, and oolong. The special appearance and flavor of each kind of tea come more from the method of processing than from the type of leaf used. However, certain varieties of tea leaves are better suited for making one or more of the three types of tea.

By: Ryan C. Mccord

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Ryan contributes informative content to the online world, his latest website on John Deere Riding Lawn Mowers which discusses the pros and cons of such lawn mowers at www.johndeereridinglawnmowers.org is worth visiting.