History of black tea

How did tea spread in the world?

The brown place of origin is a large area which reaches Assam in India centering on the southern part of China. Use of tea leaves began from southern China in the ethnic minority who lives in a mountain range, and spread to whole China by the Han race.

According to record, it is supposed that it was drunk from around the 4th century.

Tea was not necessarily a liquid from the beginning. At the time, tea shaved the solid and was drunk as labor. However, since a big labor was for making this, it did not develop. And it became a style which fills tea leaves with hot water like the present age.

It is carried out around 1610 that tea was imported by Europe. This was carried not in the Silk Road but in the sea route. If it is called tea, you will visualize Britain.

then, it will be when that tea was first imported by Britain ? This was imported from the Netherlands prosperous those days. The Netherlands bought tea leaves from Japan or China around 1610. And it came to sell to Germany, France, Britain, etc. in 1630.

In the Netherlands at this time, tea was mainly drunk by the upper classes. The Dutch were putting in and drinking expensive sugar in bitter tea. How to drink moved from the cup to the saucer, and was drinking. Moreover, the way of drinking into which milk is put recently also spread. Britain took the leadership of trade with China from the Netherlands taking advantage of war of Britain and the Netherlands in 1652. And the Orientalism of Britain increased. Ordinary homes purchase a Chinese teapot and teacup and came to drink tea.

In 1700, the green tea and the oolong tea in which the quality of the tea which Britain imported from China is bad were almost the case. Aristocrats using a silver pot and the pot of pottery, brewing tea in front of a visitor, and enjoying conversation prevailed around 1720.

Then, how was tea produced? When carrying tea to Britain from "China as a famous opinion, humidity and temperature became high, fermented and tea was made. There is the opinion ". This is a mistake. It is because tea cannot be built from green tea.

Tea is made by people's hand. Oolong tea was evolved in China and tea was made.

The oolong tea imported by Britain in early stages was quite crude. There were some which have mixed an unrelated plant and impurities into tea in inside. Moreover, since the direction of oolong tea passed the oil and fat content in a mouth in the least on the eating habits of a meat subject, oolong tea was popular in Britain.

In the time of the Industrial Revolution, and Britain, tea became a popular drink further. It was recommended tea drank also by a health aspect rather than having drunk an alcoholic beverage. The way of drinking which how to drink tea also brews thinness and drinks straight. It brewed deeply, and it changed so that milk and sugar might be added and drunk. Thus, when it entered in the 19th century, Britain developed original tea culture.