CHAPTER 2

HISTORY OF TEA

Little did Chinese Emperor Shen Nung realize that in 2737 B.C., when dried leaves
blew into his cup of hot water, the beverage he discovered would cause sensations
around the world. During this time, water was always boiled for hygienic reasons.
The pleasant aroma and refreshing taste enchanted him and soon everyone in the
realm was drinking tea.
Japan was introduced to tea by Yensei, a returning Buddhist priest residing in China
at the time of the discovery. Tea was immediately embraced by Japanese society and
resulted in the creation of the intricate Japanese Tea Ceremony, elevating tea to an
art form.
Tea continued to travel throughout the Orient and it was during the time of the
Europe annex plorers tea made its cultural broad jump. The East India Tea Company
brought tea into Holland but its prohibitive cost of $100 per pound kept tea as a rich
man's beverage until so much was imported that tea prices fell and was sold in small
food shops. In 1650, Peter Stuyvesant brought tea to the American colonists in New
Amsterdam, later called New York. Soon the colonists were drinking more tea than
all England. In England, tea gardens, ornate outdoor events with fancy food and tea,
fireworks and gambling, seemed to sprout up overnight as entertainment centers of
the day and many British enjoyed the festivities offered there.