Once upon a time, there was water. And sunshine. And leaves from a bush called Camellia sinesis. Legend has it that in 2737 B.C., the Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung (called "The Divine Healer") put the three together and created the elixir known as tea.

Shen-Nung, wise man that he was, saw the potential in boiled water and tea leaves, and his wisdom spread from China to Japan and other Far Eastern lands.
But it took until the 1640's for tea to make it to Europe and to 1670 to sail to the Americas. And then tea really took off.

The world's passion for tea is legendary, and as it became less a drink for the rich and more a drink for the masses, the commerce of tea became big business.

In the 1800's, clipper ships made transporting tea faster and more economical. In 1904, the St. Louis Exhibition showcased a new phenomenon, iced tea. And a few years later, tea bags made their first appearance.

Today, tea is the world's second most popular drink (after water). It's easy to make, affordable and one of the fastest growing beverages (6.5% over 5 years). So enjoy your tea. Everyone else in the world definitely is.


Of course, the Boston Tea Party of 1773 is famous for protesting King George's tea tax. But there were plenty of tea parties in those days, including one at Greenwich, N.J., Charleston, Philadelphia, New York, Annapolis and Edenton, N.C., where the women of the town refused to serve tea.


Eat a cup of tea? In the early Colonies, like Salem, the leaves were boiled at length, creating a bitter concoction. Then the leaves were salted and eaten with butter.

Thomas Sullivan, of New York, was looking for a cheaper way to distribute tea when he came up with the idea of packaging leaves in little silk bags. And the tea bag was born.

All About Tea for You & Me ... David Harrison Levi