History of Tea
Chinese Emperor Shen Nung discovered tea in 2737 B.C. when leaves from a wild tea bush blew into his cup of hot water. Now tea is the most popular drink in the world after water.
TEA HISTORY TIME LINE
| 2737 BC | Legends say that the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung had some leaves fall into his boiling water and accidentally discovered tea which at this time was primarily used for medicinal purposes |
| 206-220 BC | During the Han Dynasty, tea was drank for pleasure - not only for medicinal reasons |
| 1191 | A Japanese monk brought the seed of the tea plant to Japan |
| 1610 | The first shipment of tea to Europe from China arrived in Holland |
| 1652-1654 | Tea was introduced to England |
| 1773 | The Boston Tea Party |
| Late 1800's | Rooibos cultivation and trading outside of Cape Province, South Africa begins |
| 1904 | Iced tea is made popular throughout the U.S. |
| June, 1998 | The London Tea Auction closes after nearly 300 years of trading |
| 1990-2000 | The U.S. tea business nearly quadruples |
