History

2737 вс

A leaf from the Camellia sinensis tree fluttered down and dropped into a cup of hot water belonging to Emperor Shen Nong, known as the Devine Farmer. (He was recognized as one of the Three Kings , a group of mythological rulers and deities from ancient China circa 2852 to 2070 BC. ) It tasted good and revived his spirits. Thus the first cup of tea was sipped by a mythical deity seen as the father of Chinese agriculture and medicine. In short, tea, discovered by a god.

1000 BC 

Camilla Sinessis plants were domestically cultivated in China. Jinxiutea King(锦绣茶王) with a height of 10.6 meters, waist of 5.82 meters, and it is as old as more than 3200 years has become a member of the Chinese tea industry, or even the world tea industry, as well as the largest ancient tea tree in the world.

300 BC 

Tea has been widely cultivated by monks in Fujian region. The medicinal values have been unveiled on top of being a daily beverage. 

130 BCE

Tea started to be traded as a common commodity through the Silk Toad, together with silk, fur , grains and porcelains. 

6th Century AD 

From the 6th century to the 20th century, people in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces traveled by foot and horseback with pack horses to exchange tea for horses with people in Tibet — and thus the pathway was called the Tea Horse Road. These commercial paths by foot carried this legendary leaves to surrounding nations.  At the same time, tea has been pressed into cake forms to be more easily transported. 

1610

The Dutch East India Company introduced tea to Europe. 

1682

An Act was passed imposing duty of 8 pence per gallon on tea. Tea remained heavily taxed for many years, making it a principal target for smugglers. Illegal tea abounded.

1707

The year of the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. 

1720

Black Bohea tea at 25 shillings (the equivalent of thirteen days' labour for a skilled tradesman in 1720, about £145 today) per pound. Bohea (said to have come from the word Wuyi', referring to the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian, China) tea was the name used by European merchants to cover all black teas. It was extremely expensive, but bought safe in the knowledge that Fortnum's tea was pure, unadulterated and legal.

1773

December 16. The Boston Tea Party. The Sons of Liberty objected to the new Tea Act, which allowed the British East India Company (yep, them again!) to sell China tea in American colonies tax-free, something American traders and residents were unable to do. Protesters, some disguised as Native Americans, destroyed an entire shipment of the Company's tea in Boston Harbour. The incident was one of the sparks that ignited the American Revolution.

1797

Tea consumption in Britain estimated at 2lbs per head of population.

1833

At long last, the East India Company lost its monopoly on the tea trade, thus opening up the business in Britain to competition for the first time since Charles II was on the throne. This monopoly lasted more than two centuries. 

1841

Chinese tea plants introduced to Darjeeling by Archibald Campbell, a surgeon in the Indian Medical Service. The experiment was successful, and in 1847 the British government set up tea nurseries in the area.

1839

The Assam Tea Company was established. Britain would no longer be dependent on China for what was fast becoming the national drink.

1830

Charles Bruce, brother of Robert Bruce (and the man recognised as having discovered a new variant of tea sent seeds, plants and processed leaves to the Botanical Gardens in Calcutta, where it was named officially Camellia sinensis var. assamica.

1840

Afternoon tea was created by Anna, Duchess of Bedford, a lifelong friend of Queen Victoria, and Lady of the Bedchamber at the time. She experienced 'a sinking feeling' around four each afternoon, and asked her servants to serve her tea with bread and butter, and a little cake, in her rooms. She started to invite friends over, and a British institution was born.

1859

British shipbuilders started to build 'extreme clippers' - graceful sailing ships, built for speed, specifically for the tea routes from China.

1876

The art critic and social reformer John Ruskin was part of a conglomerate that promoted the provision of pure, unadulterated tea to the British working classes . 

1908

There’s some debate about who invented the very first tea bag. One of the most popular legends has it that American tea importer Thomas Sullivan shipped out samples of his product in silk pouches in 1908, not intending his customers put them directly in the hot water that way, but some tried it and asked for more of the same. 

1914

The tea break was introduced officially into British industry, as a means of improving morale and productivity. It was also the year in which tea became part of the official rations of the British 

1936

A water analysis was conducted in UK in service for tea. Flasks were sent to residents to fill with their local water; this was analysed in London and either a current blend, or a bespoke one, was suggested to the customer as ideal for their domestic water. 

1940

In January, tea was rationed in Britain, at 2 ounces per person per week. Customers did not have to register their tea rations with a particular shop, but the Ministry of Food's advice was one teaspoon per person and none for the pot. 

1952

Tea rationing finally ended in Britain.

1958 

Teabags were marketed in UK .