A Brief History Of China Green Tea

Based on legend green tea was first consumed as a happy accident when Chinese Emperor Shennong drank from a glass of water which a dry tea leaf had fallen into. Upon discovering the unique taste provided by the mix of water and CHINA GREEN TEA leaves the noble class of China began to seek out and consume tea on a regular basis. Throughout the proceeding centuries green tea as well began to take shape as a cultural touchstone within Chinese culture and cultural identity.

During the 16th Century European sailors and traders began making consistent sustained contact with China. Through that relationship the European sailors began consuming tea when visiting the Chinese mainland and bringing back dried leaves to sell to their contemporaries. As we all know many Europeans, particularly the English loved tea, providing a new outlet for green tea to spread throughout the world. This progression would eventually transport tea across the Atlantic to the New World, the Americas.

Tea in the early days of the Americas played a significant role in the development of the nation, particularly the Boston Tea Party. This revolutionary event signified the Colonists resistance to British rule by dumping tea in the Boston Harbor as a form of protest of the British tea taxes which had been implemented without the colonists’ consent. Since then the United States has innovated the tea market in two key ways in the modern era, tea bags and iced tea. Tea bags, created in the early 20th century accidently as a way to transport tea conveniently for sale. The bags were initially intended to make tea easier to sell also turned out to make tea is easier to steep and dispose of. Iced tea, which is typically associated with black tea but can be applied to all styles of tea including green tea, was introduced at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair and shortly after became sensation. Iced tea today has become deeply integrated with our culture and in certain circles is more popular than traditional hot tea. This brings us to the modern state of tea, a beverage which is second in popularity only to water.