Legend would have us believe Tea was discovered in China in 2737 B.C. Written history records tea during the 3rd. Century. The character in Chinese writing that stands for "Tea" was created during the 8th. Century A.D. There are references to bartering with Turkey in 476 A.D. All tea was green tea until the Ming Dynasty from 1368 to 1644. Japan records tea consumption in 729 A.D. Their Tea Ceremony is _base_d on the interweaving of 4 Principles: Harmony Respect Purity Tranquility

Portuguese shippers brought tea to ports of Europe, mainly Holland, France and Baltic Ports. Dutch companies continued on to places like Italy, Germany, Russia & finally England by the 17th. Century. London merchants are recorded advertising in a weekly paper in September 1658 saying tea was an excellent medicinal drink for all ailments.

King Charles II and his Portuguese Princess bride, Catherine of Braganza established the habit of tea drinking. Unfortunately King Charles had the nasty habit of heavily taxing everything including tea, people began mixing the tea leaves with other things like licorice, sloe (plum leaves) or used leaves which were dried and re-stained by all manner of nasty things. Because it was easier to pollute green teas, more consumers switched to black teas. Black teas grew in popularity and consumption through the 1700's with the newly fashionable Tea Gardens. Tea was drank at all times of the day 'til the early 19th century when Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford started the custom of "Afternoon Tea". High Tea, also known as Meat tea was a hearty meal at 5:30 to 6:00 P.M. by the working class people.

Opium wars of the early 1800's drove the tea market to the Assam district of India with the first shipment from there arriving in London in 1838. Ceylon (Sri Lanka) switched from coffee to tea production during the 1860's after a blight wiped out the coffee crops. The first shipments arrived in England in the 1870's. Thomas Lipton, already a successful grocer by trade branched into tea marketing during this same time. The Indian tea market reduced the Chinese tea trade to a minimum with Moroccan and U.S. markets buying the most. During the 1970's British markets grew to a healthy level again in the Chinese market. North America was drinking tea from as early as the 1650's following in Europes' fashion. Imposing tea taxes destroyed the tea market in the U.S. and the onset of the War of Independence.

It was at the St. Louis Worlds' Fair of 1904 where the first "Iced Tea" was served during a heat wave, and in 1908 a Thomas Sullivan of New York created the concept of the "tea bag".

This is sooo fascincating.. Histories truly have lots of secrets and wonders stored in them..