Tea is often thought of a rather typical British drink, and that the British have been drinking it for over 350 years. But in fact the history of tea goes much further back. The story of tea begins in China. According to legend, in 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water, when some leaves from the tree blew into the water. 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. The British were actually one of the last countries in Europe to try tea. It probably comes as no surprise that the origins can be found in ancient China. Whatever the real truth about the discovery of tea is, it remained the Orient's best kept secret for centuries.
From its earliest recorded use, tea was widely believed to refresh the spirit, alleviate tiredness, fight off depression and illness, and boost energy. It is for many of these reasons that we still enjoy tea today, and in fact it is the world’s number one beverage after water. Tea is a drink that enters all cultures and continents.
Tea first reached Europe in the late sixteenth century, but the delicate leaves often suffered during the long sea voyages from China to the continent. Profit-conscious tea producers were forced to adopt more sophisticated methods of manufacture, packing and transportation.
Tea was transported in wooden'tea chests'
The incredible distance it travelled was one of the reasons for its hefty price-tag; tea was an exclusively middle class privilege. Whilst it enjoyed a brief period of fashionable favour in France and Germany, it was quickly usurped by coffee as the favourite Parisienne beverage, whilst it was regarded in Germany as a medicinal drink, rather than one to be enjoyed. It was Portuguese Catherine of Braganza, future wife of King Charles II, who was largely responsible for making tea a fashionable drink amongst the English when she arrived at Court in 1662.
The poorer classes increasingly wanted to partake in this delicious indulgence and scruples tea traders began to mix Camellia sinensis leaves with all manner of additives.
So what happened next?
A 1676 act taxed tea and required coffee house operators to apply for a license. This was just the start of government attempts to control, or at least, to profit from the popularity of tea in Britain. By the mid 18th century the duty on tea had reached an absurd 119%. This heavy taxation had the effect of creating a whole new industry - tea smuggling.
Even smuggled tea was expensive, however, and therefore extremely profitable, so many smugglers began to adulterate the tea with other substances, such as willow, licorice, and sloe leaves. Used tea leaves were also redried and added to fresh leaves.
Finally, in 1784 William Pitt the Younger introduced the Commutation Act, which dropped the tax on tea from 119% to 12.5%, effectively ending smuggling.
The first tea bags were hand-sewn fabric bags. First appearing around 1904, tea bags were successfully marketed by the tea and coffee shop merchant Thomas Sullivan from New York, who shipped his tea bags around the world. The loose tea was intended to be removed from the sample bags by customers, but they found it easier to brew the tea with the tea still enclosed in the porous bags.
And how did the'afternoon tea' start?
Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford is said to have complained of
"having that sinking feeling" during the late afternoon. At the time
it was usual for people to take only two main meals a day, breakfast, and
dinner at around 8 o'clock in the evening. The solution for the Duchess was a
pot a tea and a light snack, taken privately in her boudoir during the
afternoon.
Cream Tea - Tea, scones, jam and cream
Light Tea - Tea, scones and sweets
Full Tea - Tea, savories, scones, sweets and dessert
In England, the traditional time for tea was four or five o'clock and no one stayed after seven o'clock. Most tea rooms today serve tea from three to five o'clock. The menu has also changed from tea, bread, butter and cakes, to include three particular courses served specifically in this order:
Savories - Tiny sandwiches or appetizers
Scones - Served with jam and Devonshire or clotted cream
Pastries - Cakes, cookies, shortbread and sweets
(Click here for source)
'Afternoon Tea'
Above all, I was quite surprised in a positive way by finding out all of this information. It's impressive how devoted the British are to drinking tea on a daily basis. I think today we can all agree on one thing, that tea has been and will always be a part of the U.K. It seems that a cup of tea or a “cuppa” as they call it, solves everything from sickness to crisis. Great Britain truly seems to be one of the tea capitals of the world.
Source: http://www.history.uk.com/history/history-tea-britain/
