“On this page, we will tell a bit about the history of tea and why tea has become so widespread and popular.”
Tea’s history in brief
Tea’s history dates back to 2737 BCE when Chinese Emperor Shennong, according to legend, camped under a tea tree. Some tea leaves accidentally fell into their boiling water, releasing a delightful aroma that caught the emperor’s interest. Thus, tea was discovered. It later spread to the rest of China and other Asian countries, including Japan. Eventually, tea reached Europe through Dutch traders who brought it on their cargo ships.
The tea comes to the United Kingdom.
Europe embraced tea as an exotic and exciting commodity, becoming increasingly popular. In the 18th century, tea gained popularity in the United Kingdom. However, due to high import duties, it was expensive, and only the wealthy could afford to enjoy it. Despite the steep tariffs, tea consumption grew, and England is now almost synonymous with tea-drinking. Tea smuggling became prevalent to evade the high duties during this time.
Britain increasingly purchased tea from China, incurring significant costs paid in silver coins. As Britain had little of interest to offer in return, being limited to cotton at that time, the introduction of opium became a solution to this trade imbalance. Facilitated by intermediaries due to foreigners being prohibited in China, the trade faced complications. When a Chinese official seized 20,000 opium chests from the British, leading to their destruction on a beach by tides, it triggered a response from Britain. War was declared against China, which responded by prohibiting all tea exports, marking the beginning of the infamous Opium Wars.
Unable to obtain tea from China, the British had to reconsider their approach. Previous expeditions to India with British botanists revealed the existence of wild tea in the region, suggesting a suitable climate for tea cultivation. Although the Indian tea was not as flavorful as the carefully cultivated Chinese teas, the British devised a plan, m
arking what could be considered the world’s first organized industrial espionage mission.
Industrial espionage emerged with Robert Fortune.
Robert Fortune, a Scottish botanist and true adventurer, was sent to China. Previously, Fortune had spent three years in China in secret, studying plants. Since foreigners were forbidden in China, Robert had to disguise himself as a Chinese man, wearing traditional attire and a classic queue hairstyle, successfully convincing most that he was a local. He had even learned some of the local languages and hired an interpreter. China, being a vast country with diverse ethnic groups, meant that not everyone spoke the same language at that time.
Fortune spent many years immersing himself in the art of tea cultivation. He traveled extensively throughout the country, venturing to places where no European had been before. His mission was to gather the best tea bushes from China and transport them to India, which was part of the British Empire at the time. Since tea was considered the emperor’s property, it posed some risks. After many dramatic years in China, including encounters with pirates, Fortune gathered enough information and tea bushes. He assembled a large team to transport the plants to India and assist in cultivating tea. Under the cover of night, 20,000 tea plants were smuggled across the border into India, marking the birth of tea production in the region.
The first Indian teas reached London in 1838, leading to the establishment of The Assam Tea Company. Later, the renowned Indian Darjeeling tea was also produced, originating from China. Around 1870, the British began tea production in Ceylon, known today as Sri Lanka. The tea market in England experienced a significant boost when Thomas Lipton started purchasing tea directly, bypassing intermediaries. With stores across England, Lipton became synonymous with tea worldwide, giving rise to the Lipton brand.
The development is driven by tea production.
The entire societal development is propelled forward by the intense competition to procure tea for Europe first. Tea is sailed to Europe, a journey taking several weeks. The introduction of Clipper ships improves shipping, allowing tea to reach Europe faster. The large quantity of tea in the cargo also makes the ships resilient to storms on the high seas. These ships were used until the prevalence of steamships, which outcompeted sailboats.