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The Tea Plant
The tea that graces tables in virtually every country around the globe comes from the
same plant, Camellia sinensis, a member of the evergreen family. From the leaves of this
one plant spring three basic types of tea and more than 3,000 varieties. The wild tea plant
can grow to 30 yards high and flourishes in hot days, cool nights, and plenty of rain, but
high quality tea is grown in mountainous regions. During the growing season, tea is
harvested every seven days; only the uppermost leaves and terminal buds are plucked by
hand. After this gentle beginning, the leaves are left in a hot room to wither then put in a
machine that rolls them and releases their juices. These juices react with the air
(oxidation) giving black tea color and flavor. The tea is then dried in ovens (fired) and
graded according to leaf size. Teas differ based on where the tea is grown, how it is
plucked, and how it is processed. There are four basic types of tea: black, green, white
and oolong.
Herbal Teas are actually not teas at all. In herbal teas, dried flowers, roots, and bark are
brewed. For many centuries, herbal teas have been used as folk medicines throughout
Asia and Europe. Today's herbal teas usually contain the same mixtures they have
always had, but often black, green, or oolong teas are added.
The Origin of Tea
According to Chinese mythology, in 2737 BC the Chinese Emperor, Shen Nung, scholar
and herbalist, was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water. A leaf
from the tree dropped into the water, and Shen Nung decided to try the brew. The tree was
a wild tea tree.
From the earliest times tea was renowned for its properties as a healthy, refreshing drink.
By the third century AD many stories were told and written about tea and the benefits of
tea drinking, but it was not until the Tang Dynasty (6818 - 906 BC) that tea became
China's national drink.
Later, tea drinking was spread throughout China and Japan. This dispersion is largely
accredited to the movement of Buddhist priests throughout the region.
The first mention of tea outside China and Japan is said to be by the Arabs in 850 AD.
They were reputed to have brought it to Europe via the Venetians circa 1559. However, the
Portuguese and Dutch claim the credit of bringing tea to Europe. The Portuguese opened
up the sea routes to China as early as 1515, and Jesuit priests travelling on the ships are
reputed to have brought the tea drinking habit back to Portugal. The Dutch sailors
manning the ships were said to have encouraged the Dutch merchants to enter the trade
and had set up regular shipments of tea to ports in France, Holland, and the Baltic coast
in 1610.
England entered the trade via the East India Company, or the John Company as it was
known, in the mid to late 17th Century. Thomas Garway was among the first to trade tea in
Britain. He offered it in dry and liquid form at his coffeehouse in Exchange Alley in the City
of London, holding his first public sale in 1657. In 1660, Garway issued a broadsheet
selling tea as "wholesome, preserving perfect health until extreme old age, good for
clearing the sight," able to cure "gripping of the guts, cold, dropsies, scurveys" and
claiming that "it could make the body active and lusty." Also in 1660, Charles II, the Merry
Monarch, brought tea into fashion. After he married Portuguese Princess Catherine, who
brought a large chest of tea as part of her dowry, tea because the rage at court. During
this time, tea was taken green, without milk or sugar, from Chinese bowls of blue and
white porcelain, and hot water poured onto the leaves in oriental style from red-brown
stoneware pots.
By the middle of the 18th century, tea had replaced ale and gin as the drink of the masses
and became Britain's most popular beverage.
Along with the popularity of tea rose the popularity of the tea ceremony. Although the
Chinese and Japanese tea ceremonies long preceded the English teas. The Japanese
Tea Ceremony transformed tea drinking into a complex art form. The Irish-Greek
journalist-historian Lafcadio Hearn wrote from personal observation, "The Tea ceremony
requires years of training and practice to graduate in art...yet the whole of this art, as to its
detail, signifies no more than the making and serving of a cup of tea. The supremely
important matter is that the act be performed in the most perfect, most polite, most
graceful, most charming manner possible". The cultural/artistic hostesses of Japan, the
Geishi, began to specialize in the presentation of the tea ceremony. "Tea Tournaments"
were held among the wealthy; nobles competed among each other for rich prizes in
naming various tea blends.
In England, tea ceremony, whether high or low, focuses on conversation. Conversation is
accompanied with proper tea paraphernalia, including a tea service of porcelain or silver
and a tea caddy complete with compartments for different varieties of tea, a crystal
blending bowl, and, most importantly, a lock against pilferers.
Smuggling
By the middle of the 18th Century, the tea tax reached 119 percent, so smuggling tea into
Britain began. Because of the popularity of tea, many types of people became involved in
the smuggling, from farm workers and shopkeepers to priests and politicians. Smuggled
tea came mainly from Holland and Scandinavia. Taken ashore by fleets of small craft
crewed by local fishermen, the tea was smuggled inland, often through underground
passages or along hidden pathways. Above ground, carters drove the tea to secret
hide-outs for storage in secret passages, under covered trapdoors or behind false walls.
Often the best place for storage was the local church! Because of this cost, and because
tea was both popular and profitable, the practice of adulteration began, even though
banned by Act of Parliament in 1725. Black tea had willow, licorice, elder and sloe leaves
added to it as well as 'smouch,' which is made from ash leaf and sheep's dung! Even old
tea leaves, already used and then dried, were mixed with new tea. Smuggling continued
to increase, so that in 1784 Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger had the Commutation
Act passed by Parliament which slashed the tax from 119% to 12.5%. This effectively
ended tea smuggling in Britain. Adulteration remained profitable however, and continued
until the English Food and Drug Act of 1875 imposed heavy fines or imprisonment
against the practice.
America and Tea
Peter Stuyvesant brought the first tea to America to the colonists in the Dutch settlement of
New Amsterdam (later re-named New York by the English). Settlers here were confirmed
tea drinkers. And indeed, on acquiring the colony, the English found that the small
settlement consumed more tea at that time then all of England put together. It was not
until 1670 that English colonists in Boston became aware of tea, and it was not publicly
available for sale until twenty years later. By 1720 tea was a generally accepted staple of
trade between the Colony and the Mother country, and tea trade was centered in Boston,
New York, and Philadelphia.
As tea was heavily taxed, even at this early date, contraband tea was smuggled into the
colonies by the independent minded American merchants from ports far away and
adopted herbal teas from the Indians.
England had recently completed the French and Indian War, fought, from England's point
of view, to free the colony from French influence and stabilize trade. It was the feeling of
Parliament that as a result, it was not unreasonable that the colonists shoulder the
majority of the cost. After all, the war had been fought for their benefit, so taxes were
imposed. The colonists rebelled, and new, heavier taxes were leveled by Parliament for
such rebellion. Among these was, in June 1767, the tea tax that was to become the
watershed of America's desire for freedom.
By December 16 events had deteriorated enough that the men of Boston, dressed as
Indians threw hundreds of pounds of tea into the harbor: The Boston Tea Party. Once
aboard ships owned by the British East India Company, thirty to sixty men smashed open
the tea cargoes from wooden chests and threw them over. Washed up on shore next
morning, the cargo was of course worthless. Other ports followed suit, and every patriotic
American gave up tea drinking and turned to coffee.
England had had enough. In retaliation the port of Boston was closed and the city
occupied by royal troops. The colonial leaders met and revolution declared.
Eventually, America stabilized her government, strengthened her economy, and expanded
her borders and interests. Soon after the Revolutionary War, the first three American
millionaires, T. H. Perkins of Boston, Stephen Girard of Philadelphia, and John Jacob
Astor of New York, all made their fortunes in the China trade. America's newer, faster
clipper ships out sailed the slower, heavier English "tea wagons" that had until then
dominated the trade.
By 1904 the United States was ready for the world to see her development at the St. Louis
World's Fair. Trade exhibitors from around the world brought their products to America's
first World's Fair. One such merchant was Richard Blechynden, a tea plantation owner.
Originally, he had planned to give away free samples of hot tea to fair visitors. But when a
heat wave hit, no one was interested. To save his investment of time and travel, he
dumped a load of ice into the brewed tea and served the first "iced tea". It was (along with
the Egyptian fan dancer) the hit of the Fair.
Four years later, Thomas Sullivan of New York developed the concept of "bagged tea." As
a tea merchant, he carefully wrapped each sample delivered to restaurants for their
consideration. He recognized a natural marketing opportunity when he realized the
restaurants were brewing the samples "in the bags" to avoid the mess of tealeaves in the
kitchens.
Afternoon Tea Today in the USA
Tea is more popular than ever in America today. Currently, there is a re-awakening of
interest in tea as many Americans seek a more positive, healthy lifestyle. Fine hotels
throughout the United States are re-establishing and planning afternoon tea services.
Today, Americans drink 136 million cups of tea each day, and 80 percent of it is served
over ice.
The tea that graces tables in virtually every country around the globe comes from the
same plant, Camellia sinensis, a member of the evergreen family. From the leaves of this
one plant spring three basic types of tea and more than 3,000 varieties. The wild tea plant
can grow to 30 yards high and flourishes in hot days, cool nights, and plenty of rain, but
high quality tea is grown in mountainous regions. During the growing season, tea is
harvested every seven days; only the uppermost leaves and terminal buds are plucked by
hand. After this gentle beginning, the leaves are left in a hot room to wither then put in a
machine that rolls them and releases their juices. These juices react with the air
(oxidation) giving black tea color and flavor. The tea is then dried in ovens (fired) and
graded according to leaf size. Teas differ based on where the tea is grown, how it is
plucked, and how it is processed. There are four basic types of tea: black, green, white
and oolong.
Herbal Teas are actually not teas at all. In herbal teas, dried flowers, roots, and bark are
brewed. For many centuries, herbal teas have been used as folk medicines throughout
Asia and Europe. Today's herbal teas usually contain the same mixtures they have
always had, but often black, green, or oolong teas are added.
The Origin of Tea
According to Chinese mythology, in 2737 BC the Chinese Emperor, Shen Nung, scholar
and herbalist, was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water. A leaf
from the tree dropped into the water, and Shen Nung decided to try the brew. The tree was
a wild tea tree.
From the earliest times tea was renowned for its properties as a healthy, refreshing drink.
By the third century AD many stories were told and written about tea and the benefits of
tea drinking, but it was not until the Tang Dynasty (6818 - 906 BC) that tea became
China's national drink.
Later, tea drinking was spread throughout China and Japan. This dispersion is largely
accredited to the movement of Buddhist priests throughout the region.
The first mention of tea outside China and Japan is said to be by the Arabs in 850 AD.
They were reputed to have brought it to Europe via the Venetians circa 1559. However, the
Portuguese and Dutch claim the credit of bringing tea to Europe. The Portuguese opened
up the sea routes to China as early as 1515, and Jesuit priests travelling on the ships are
reputed to have brought the tea drinking habit back to Portugal. The Dutch sailors
manning the ships were said to have encouraged the Dutch merchants to enter the trade
and had set up regular shipments of tea to ports in France, Holland, and the Baltic coast
in 1610.
England entered the trade via the East India Company, or the John Company as it was
known, in the mid to late 17th Century. Thomas Garway was among the first to trade tea in
Britain. He offered it in dry and liquid form at his coffeehouse in Exchange Alley in the City
of London, holding his first public sale in 1657. In 1660, Garway issued a broadsheet
selling tea as "wholesome, preserving perfect health until extreme old age, good for
clearing the sight," able to cure "gripping of the guts, cold, dropsies, scurveys" and
claiming that "it could make the body active and lusty." Also in 1660, Charles II, the Merry
Monarch, brought tea into fashion. After he married Portuguese Princess Catherine, who
brought a large chest of tea as part of her dowry, tea because the rage at court. During
this time, tea was taken green, without milk or sugar, from Chinese bowls of blue and
white porcelain, and hot water poured onto the leaves in oriental style from red-brown
stoneware pots.
By the middle of the 18th century, tea had replaced ale and gin as the drink of the masses
and became Britain's most popular beverage.
Along with the popularity of tea rose the popularity of the tea ceremony. Although the
Chinese and Japanese tea ceremonies long preceded the English teas. The Japanese
Tea Ceremony transformed tea drinking into a complex art form. The Irish-Greek
journalist-historian Lafcadio Hearn wrote from personal observation, "The Tea ceremony
requires years of training and practice to graduate in art...yet the whole of this art, as to its
detail, signifies no more than the making and serving of a cup of tea. The supremely
important matter is that the act be performed in the most perfect, most polite, most
graceful, most charming manner possible". The cultural/artistic hostesses of Japan, the
Geishi, began to specialize in the presentation of the tea ceremony. "Tea Tournaments"
were held among the wealthy; nobles competed among each other for rich prizes in
naming various tea blends.
In England, tea ceremony, whether high or low, focuses on conversation. Conversation is
accompanied with proper tea paraphernalia, including a tea service of porcelain or silver
and a tea caddy complete with compartments for different varieties of tea, a crystal
blending bowl, and, most importantly, a lock against pilferers.
Smuggling
By the middle of the 18th Century, the tea tax reached 119 percent, so smuggling tea into
Britain began. Because of the popularity of tea, many types of people became involved in
the smuggling, from farm workers and shopkeepers to priests and politicians. Smuggled
tea came mainly from Holland and Scandinavia. Taken ashore by fleets of small craft
crewed by local fishermen, the tea was smuggled inland, often through underground
passages or along hidden pathways. Above ground, carters drove the tea to secret
hide-outs for storage in secret passages, under covered trapdoors or behind false walls.
Often the best place for storage was the local church! Because of this cost, and because
tea was both popular and profitable, the practice of adulteration began, even though
banned by Act of Parliament in 1725. Black tea had willow, licorice, elder and sloe leaves
added to it as well as 'smouch,' which is made from ash leaf and sheep's dung! Even old
tea leaves, already used and then dried, were mixed with new tea. Smuggling continued
to increase, so that in 1784 Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger had the Commutation
Act passed by Parliament which slashed the tax from 119% to 12.5%. This effectively
ended tea smuggling in Britain. Adulteration remained profitable however, and continued
until the English Food and Drug Act of 1875 imposed heavy fines or imprisonment
against the practice.
America and Tea
Peter Stuyvesant brought the first tea to America to the colonists in the Dutch settlement of
New Amsterdam (later re-named New York by the English). Settlers here were confirmed
tea drinkers. And indeed, on acquiring the colony, the English found that the small
settlement consumed more tea at that time then all of England put together. It was not
until 1670 that English colonists in Boston became aware of tea, and it was not publicly
available for sale until twenty years later. By 1720 tea was a generally accepted staple of
trade between the Colony and the Mother country, and tea trade was centered in Boston,
New York, and Philadelphia.
As tea was heavily taxed, even at this early date, contraband tea was smuggled into the
colonies by the independent minded American merchants from ports far away and
adopted herbal teas from the Indians.
England had recently completed the French and Indian War, fought, from England's point
of view, to free the colony from French influence and stabilize trade. It was the feeling of
Parliament that as a result, it was not unreasonable that the colonists shoulder the
majority of the cost. After all, the war had been fought for their benefit, so taxes were
imposed. The colonists rebelled, and new, heavier taxes were leveled by Parliament for
such rebellion. Among these was, in June 1767, the tea tax that was to become the
watershed of America's desire for freedom.
By December 16 events had deteriorated enough that the men of Boston, dressed as
Indians threw hundreds of pounds of tea into the harbor: The Boston Tea Party. Once
aboard ships owned by the British East India Company, thirty to sixty men smashed open
the tea cargoes from wooden chests and threw them over. Washed up on shore next
morning, the cargo was of course worthless. Other ports followed suit, and every patriotic
American gave up tea drinking and turned to coffee.
England had had enough. In retaliation the port of Boston was closed and the city
occupied by royal troops. The colonial leaders met and revolution declared.
Eventually, America stabilized her government, strengthened her economy, and expanded
her borders and interests. Soon after the Revolutionary War, the first three American
millionaires, T. H. Perkins of Boston, Stephen Girard of Philadelphia, and John Jacob
Astor of New York, all made their fortunes in the China trade. America's newer, faster
clipper ships out sailed the slower, heavier English "tea wagons" that had until then
dominated the trade.
By 1904 the United States was ready for the world to see her development at the St. Louis
World's Fair. Trade exhibitors from around the world brought their products to America's
first World's Fair. One such merchant was Richard Blechynden, a tea plantation owner.
Originally, he had planned to give away free samples of hot tea to fair visitors. But when a
heat wave hit, no one was interested. To save his investment of time and travel, he
dumped a load of ice into the brewed tea and served the first "iced tea". It was (along with
the Egyptian fan dancer) the hit of the Fair.
Four years later, Thomas Sullivan of New York developed the concept of "bagged tea." As
a tea merchant, he carefully wrapped each sample delivered to restaurants for their
consideration. He recognized a natural marketing opportunity when he realized the
restaurants were brewing the samples "in the bags" to avoid the mess of tealeaves in the
kitchens.
Afternoon Tea Today in the USA
Tea is more popular than ever in America today. Currently, there is a re-awakening of
interest in tea as many Americans seek a more positive, healthy lifestyle. Fine hotels
throughout the United States are re-establishing and planning afternoon tea services.
Today, Americans drink 136 million cups of tea each day, and 80 percent of it is served
over ice.
About Camille's Tea:
Camille's Tea, based in the San Antonio, Texas area, offers a wide variety of gourmet teas, including flavored teas, traditional teas, green teas,
herbal teas, decaffeinated teas, decaf teas, caffeine free teas, and iced teas, and lavender, Time & Again Shea butter, Chantal teapots,
Lomonosov teapots, tea infusers, tea accessories, Aroma Naturals candles, Bearington Bears, tea linens, neck warmers, Herbal Concepts
slippers and eye pacs, and Pre de Provence bath and body products. We also feature multiple tea of the month clubs. Read more >>
Camille's Tea, based in the San Antonio, Texas area, offers a wide variety of gourmet teas, including flavored teas, traditional teas, green teas,
herbal teas, decaffeinated teas, decaf teas, caffeine free teas, and iced teas, and lavender, Time & Again Shea butter, Chantal teapots,
Lomonosov teapots, tea infusers, tea accessories, Aroma Naturals candles, Bearington Bears, tea linens, neck warmers, Herbal Concepts
slippers and eye pacs, and Pre de Provence bath and body products. We also feature multiple tea of the month clubs. Read more >>
| To pay by check or money order, email your order to camille@camillestea.com. |
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