The birth of Tea

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is often thought  as being a British drink, drinking it over 350 years. But the history of tea goes much further back and begins in China. According to legend, the Chinese emperior  Shen Nung in 2737 BC was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water, when some leaves from the tree blew into the water. Chine Emperior, Shen Nung, a renowned herbalist, decided to try the infusion that his servant had accidentally created. The tree was a Camellia sinensis, and the resulting drink was what we now call tea.

Tea originated in Southwest China,  and was used as a drink for medicinal use. It was during Chinese Tang dynasty popularized as a recreational drink. During the 16th century tea drinking spread to other East Asian countries and Portuguese priests/merchants introduced it to Europe. During the 17th century, drinking tea became fashionable among Britons, who started large-scale production and commercialization of the plant in India.

Tea is an aromatic beverage commonly prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis, an evergreen shrub (bush) native to Asia. After water, it is the most widely consumed drink in the world. There are many different types of tea; like Darjeeling and Chinese greens, having cooling, slightly bitter, and astringent flavour.