Tea Blog - Learn All About Tea — Tea History

The British Navy, after defeating (or, perhaps, nature's defeat) the Spanish Armada, was in prime position, and the Queen sanctioned the development of a private trading company. Supported by contributions from private investors, which – though she could not have known it – impacted the following centuries in ways arguably more devastating and important than any other similar group. Raw silk from China and Japan, saltpeter (for gunpowder) from India and China, indigo dye from the Persian coastline, cotton from the hotter eastern regions, and of course: tea. Though largely untasted in England when the company was formed, tea would...

Tea is remarkably prominent in Russian culture.  This is largely due to the fact that tea is hot, and Russia is cold.  Thus, tea there, as it is consumed in most places in the world, is consumed hot.  It was introduced to Russia in the mid-1600’s, but by the 1800’s, it was being imported in such large quantities that it became accessible to most Russians, rather than just the wealthy.  Some tea has been grown in Russia, but it isn’t exactly a thriving industry, because Russia is, again, cold. Russian teas tend to be known for their smoky flavor.  The...

While today, it may be owned by the same megacorporation as Pepsi, Lipton tea began with a single grocery store, founded by the Irish immigrant Thomas Lipton.  Before this man came into the tea industry, tea was a luxury good.  It was difficult for Americans and Europeans to obtain for a variety of reasons.  Countries which were able to grow it, which is to say, China, guarded it jealously.  It was also very difficult to ship the tea to Europe, and getting it to America meant sending it on a ship quite literally to the far side of the globe....

The American revolution was not the only war fought over tea.  Britain also fought two separate wars with China in the 19th century, over trade disputes about obtaining tea.  The first Opium war lasted from 1839-1842. China was reluctant to trade with Britain, having seen what  happens to most of the other nations which opened themselves up to trade, which is to say, imperialism, colonialism, and general exploitation.  Their economy was pretty self-sufficient, and they frankly didn’t need what the English offered.  However, the Chinese did open themselves up to a limited amount of trade, only to the British, only...