The Beginnings Of Tea And How It Proliferated The Planet

Because of the various current studies that have been released concerning green tea health benefits, more and more people want to know about the history of this healthy tea. Many Americans want to know what makes this drink good for the body and how it was actually brought to the United States consumer. These are things that consumers who are really concerned about the things they buy would want to know. It is important to know where products come from and how they came to be exactly what they are today in order to fully understand the positive aspects that this beverage can have on the body.

The first tea leaves were thought to have originated in Southeast Asia, especially parts of Southern China and parts of India, to name just two. People in these regions would pick the leaves, then place a few of them in boiling hot water to allow the flavors to be released. It was also used for medicinal purposes since the individuals of this region believed the leaves had special healing powers. They also believed this beverage would be of assistance to the brain function. In these early times, the leaves were also really good items with which to bargain. Once countries in Europe began colonizing and trading with these tealeaf cultivators, this beverage quickly spread throughout the Earth.

This beverage was brought to Western Europe in a few different phases. Most notably, though, was when the cultivation of the leaves and the actual drink were both introduced to the British Empire via the former British colony known today as India. By the time it came to Britain the people of India had added many different spices for flavor so the leaves from the parts of India had a much different taste than the leaves from China.

As it became more and more popular in Britain, this beverage became a part of British way of living. By 1750, this hot beverage was thought of as the national drink of England. The people of the British Empire were some of the first in recorded history to commence with the addition of, like sugar, to the drink. During the 1800s, the Duchess of Bedford began having small groups of her friends over in the late afternoon to enjoy this beverage with some light sandwiches, scones, and fruit hours before dinner was to be served.

This drink came to North America when the British colonists left England to begin their new life. The beverage played a huge part in American history when it was dumped into the Boston Harbor by colonists who were angry over the taxation of the drink without representation. For Americans, this beverage did not take off in terms of popularity as it did in England and the rest of the United Kingdom. In fact, for hundreds of years, Americans have been known to have a preference for coffee; however, that is changing as studies are constantly proving that tea leaves might be better for the body. The history of this beverage is very fascinating because buying and selling the product has helped many nations and empires become very powerful. In fact, some would argue that countries like China and England would not be the powerful countries they are today without the industry that came from cultivating tea leaves.