I—and perhaps others—associate tea drinking with the British Isles. Way too narrow! India is the world’s largest tea-drinking nation, although the per capita consumption of tea is modest (26 oz per year). Türkiye, with 5lb 8oz of tea consumed per person per year, is the world’s greatest per capita consumer.

According to Wikipedia, after plain water, tea is the most widely consumed drink in the world. According to Tea Bloom, people consume 100 million cups every day. However, Big Heart Tea estimates the number to be closer to three billion cups of tea per day. In any event, in 2023, global tea consumption was more than 14 million pounds. 

Origins of Tea

Legend has it that in 2737 BCE, Chinese Emperor Shen Nong discovered tea when leaves from a wild tree blew into his pot of boiling water. He found the flavor refreshing, the beginning of tea’s journey through history. Whether myth or reality, this serendipitous discovery has affected millions of daily routines.

People in ancient East Asia ate tea for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years before ever drinking it. They would nibble on the leaves raw, add them to soups or greens, or ferment and chew them.

Tea drinking may have begun in the region of Yunnan, where people originally used it for medicinal purposes. Although people have assumed—and asserted—health benefits throughout history, there is no high-quality evidence showing that drinking tea provides significant benefits other than (possibly) increasing alertness, due to the caffeine in the tea leaves. Caffeine makes up about 3% of tea’s dry weight, which translates to between 30 and 90 milligrams per 8.5 US fl oz cup, depending on the type (black has more caffeine than green or white), brand, and brewing method.

Historians believe that people in Sichuan began boiling tea leaves for a concentrated drink without the addition of other leaves or herbs, producing a bitter, stimulating drink, rather than a medicinal concoction.

Archeologists discovered the earliest physical evidence of tea in 2016 in the mausoleum of Emperor Jing in Xi’an, who died in 141 BCE. Han dynasty emperors drank tea from the genus Camellia as early as the second century BCE.

In ancient China, people pressed tea leaves into bricks for use as currency during trade or as a form of tribute. This practice underscores the value and importance of tea in historical societies. These tea bricks were useful for trading goods, paying taxes, or as dowries.

Tea in Europe

Portuguese priests and merchants introduced tea to Europe during the 16th century. The earliest European reference to tea, written as chiai, came from Delle navigationi e viaggi written by Venetian Giambattista Ramusio in 1545.

During the 17th century, drinking tea became fashionable among the British upper classes. Shortly after, British aristocrats started to plant tea on a large scale in India, where it had previously served only as a medicine.

Garaway’s coffee house in London first sold tea in 1657. Samuel Pepys wrote of tasting tea in his diary in 1660. Catherine of Braganza took the tea-drinking habit to the English court when she married Charles II in 1662. Still, tea was not widely consumed in the British Isles until the 18th century.

British drinkers preferred to add sugar and milk to black tea, and black tea overtook green tea in popularity in the 1720s. In Britain and Ireland, people initially viewed it as a luxury item for special occasions, such as religious festivals, wakes, and domestic work gatherings.

The price in Europe fell steadily during the 19th century, especially after Indian tea began to arrive in large quantities; by the late 19th century, tea had become an everyday beverage for all levels of society.

The popularity of tea played a role in U.S. history: the Tea Act of 1773 provoked the Boston Tea Party that escalated into the American Revolution.

In fact, John Adams called tea a “Traitor’s Drink.” Sentiments like this led to a 10-year boycott of tea altogether. Many American colonists switched to growing and drinking coffee.

Varieties of Tea

There are many types of tea; some have a cooling, slightly bitter, and astringent flavor, while others have profiles that include sweet, nutty, floral, or grassy notes.

Most Camellia sinensis leaves are harvested when the plant is about three to five feet tall. If the growers leave the plant to grow, it can turn into a massive tree that can soar over 50 feet tall!

The term herbal tea refers to drinks not made from Camellia sinensis. They are infusions of fruit, leaves, or other plant parts, such as steeps of rosehip, chamomile, or rooibos. These are not to be confused with tea made from the tea plant.

Darjeeling tea only grows in one specific region of India. The Darjeeling district is about 70 square acres and sits at the base of the Himalayas.

According to legend, British aristocrat and Prime Minister Charles Grey was given tea infused with bergamot oil. He asked merchants to recreate it, and they named the tea “Earl Grey” for the man who loved it so dearly.

Pu-Erh teas stay usable even after decades in storage. Makers of pu-erh press fermented and aged leaves into pucks and shapes that they then wrap and store.

Ludwig Roselius developed the first commercial decaffeination process. He began marketing decaf coffee (Kaffee HAG) in Europe by about 1905 and later in the United States in 1923.

Decaffeinated tea is very popular for those want the taste and feel of tea without the stimulant. To make decaffeinated tea at home, steep your leaves for twenty seconds to one minute. This releases most of the caffeine. Pour out the caffeinated water and fill your teapot or kettle again to re-steep the decaffeinated tea to the desired strength.

Modern Convenience

“Instant tea” (similar to freeze-dried instant coffee ) is a modern alternative to brewed tea. Food scientists developed it in the 1930s, though Nestlé introduced the first commercial product in 1946. Redi-Tea introduced instant iced tea in 1953. Additives such as chai, vanilla, honey or fruit, are popular, as is powdered milk.

During World War II, British and Canadian command issued soldiers an instant tea in their composite ration (“compo”) packs. These blocks of instant tea, powdered milk, and sugar were not always well received!

In 1981, Japanese brewers introduced canned tea ready to drink. PT Sinar Sosro, an Indonesian company, introduced the first bottled tea 1969 with the brand name Teh Botol Sosro (or Sosro bottled tea). In 1983, Swiss-based Bischofszell Food Ltd. was the first company to bottle iced tea on an industrial scale.

Tea Culture

It is nearly impossible to overstate the importance of tea as a cultural phenomenon. Many countries with a history of growing or importing tea have developed social patterns around drinking it. Turkish merchants share glasses of çay before starting any serious deal-making. Traditional Chinese doctors often prescribe precise infusions of 茶 for a variety of ailments. Vietnamese couples serve trà sen to older family members as part of a Đám Hỏi wedding ceremony. Tibetans will drink up to 60 cups of yak butter bho jha every day.

British Teatime

When we think of teatime, what comes to mind is likely some variation of British afternoon tea. It comes in many shapes and forms, from an afternoon cup of a favorite blend to a formal event with multiple teas, scones, clotted cream, and finger sandwiches. Afternoon tea —also known as “low tea” for the low coffee tables it’s served on — was enjoyed by royalty and the upper-class. 

Social events like parties and dances grew out of the afternoon teatime custom. People invite friends and neighbors for socializing, music, and dancing, followed by sharing afternoon tea.

In Britain, high tea is very different. Common among the lower classes, it is a hearty evening meal served at a high dining table with a pot of tea.

Japanese Teaism

In the 1500s, the tea master Sen no Rikyu perfected the Japanese tea ceremony, elevating it to an art form. In Japanese, the word “teaism” is more accurate than the English “ceremony”, as it more closely captures the religious and philosophical elements of the occasion.

Zen Buddhism and Shinto Buddhism both influenced teaism, as seen in the architecture of teahouses and ritual purification steps.

The most formal style of chaji occurs around noon during cool weather. Guests and hosts follow a precise order of steps, including reflecting on a scroll or flower arrangement, eating special foods, purifying and arranging utensils, and passing a cup of matcha.

Making Tea

2000 tea leaves make one pound of tea—or 200-250 cups. There are a variety of methods for steeping and enjoying a hot brew.

The process starts with heating water, often in a dedicated kettle or samovar. Connoisseurs will take care to heat the water to precise temperatures for optimal brewing. White tea steeps best in water 160-180 degrees; black tea steeps best in water 200-212 degrees.

By measuring loose tea leaves individually for use, the “brewer” has maximum control over strength and flavor. Strainers, tea balls, tea presses, filtered teapots, and infusion bags prevent loose leaves from floating in the tea and over-brewing. Too inconvenient?

Tea bags and balls hold leaves while allowing for hot water to circulate. Most conventional teabags are made with materials that don’t decompose, but it is possible to find reusable or biodegradable bags. Tea balls are small metal or porcelain containers for holding leaves while infusing, with a spring or latch holding them closed.

On August 26, 1901, the two Wisconsin women, Roberta C. Lawson and Mary Molaren, filed a patent (US723287) for a unique (at the time) ‘Tea-Leaf Holder’ that is remarkably similar to the modern tea bag. Statistics show that as many as 98 percent of Americans and 96 percent of U.K. residents use tea bags. Tea-drinkers also use them extensively in India, Japan, and elsewhere.

Tea Sets

A tea set typically includes everything needed for steeping and serving hot tea. At a minimum, this may just be a teapot and a cup.

• A full British set will include several cups and saucers, a sugar bowl, a milk jug, and a few teaspoons.
• A Turkish set will include a çaydanlık pot, ince belli glasses, spoons, and a bowl for beet sugar cubes.
• A Russian set will include a samovar, containers for hot and cold water, several bowls for a variety of sweeteners, spoons, and either porcelain cups and saucers or glasses with metal podstakannik holders.

Some teapots include a mesh or strainer on the inside of the spout to catch soggy leaves before they can tumble into the cup.

Interesting Tea Facts

The word tea itself has multiple meanings: beverage, leaves, plant, social event, evening meal, slang for marijuana, and slang for personal or secret information.

Tasseography—or tasseomancy—is a fortune-telling method that a trained practitioner can perform with tea leaves, coffee grounds, and even wine sediment. A “Highland Seer” wrote the book Reading Tea Leaves in 1881. Tasseographers still use it as a guide today.

According to the Tea Association of the U.S.A. (yes, that’s a thing), 84% of the tea consumed in America is black—of that, 75-85% is served as iced tea. 

Although tea originates in the southern regions of China, today it grows anywhere with the correct climate. There are plantations in India, Sri Lanka, the Republic of Georgia, Kenya, Vietnam, Türkiye, and South Africa. It’s even grown in South Carolina and Hawaii!

Furniture and Accessories

The popularity of tea and its role in social functions has led to the creation of specialized paraphernalia to aid in its enjoyment. In English, we refer to a whole class of towels, spoons, carts, and tables specifically by their association with brewed Camellia sinensis leaves.

In the 18th century, most tea caddies had a lock, the key kept by the lady of the house to prevent theft. Early artisans made these containers of various materials, including blue and white porcelain from China. Later caddies were typically made of wood adorned with brass, ivory, tortoiseshell, and other elements. 

A tea chest can mean a synonym for a caddy. Alternatively, it can refer to a square wooden case, usually lined with sheet lead or tin, used for shipping the dried leaves.

Tea pets are tiny clay statues that have no soul when you purchase them. Over time, as you pour tea — which has a soul — over them, the soul within your tea transfers to your pet.

A teapoy is a piece of furniture, originally a three-legged table. The name originally came from the Hindi word tīn, meaning three, and the Persian word pāi, meaning foot. By association with the word “tea” in the middle of the 19th century, it is also used to describe a table with a container for tea, or a table for holding a tea service. In the 19th century, the word was also sometimes applied to a large porcelain or earthenware tea caddy, and more frequently to the small bottles, often of enamel, which fitted into receptacles in the caddy and actually contained the tea.

Bottom Line: January is National Hot Tea Month. There’s more to tea than you probably knew!