Tea, today, is often considered the Englishman’s drink. Sipped from delicate ceramics, this beverage has a strong association to the British. However, its roots also extend to East Asia, where tea was exported.
It first became a mainstream drink in Asia during the 4th century, transforming from an odd medicinal drink to one that was consumed regularly. Though it had supposedly been discovered centuries prior, the lack of historical references to tea until 1 BCE suggests that tea, while consumed as solid foods for medicinal purposes since prehistoric times, did not become a drink—at the very least, a well-known one—till later. Their popularity was facilitated by Buddhist monks, as this drink was known to enhance their practice.
During the Tang Dynasty, tea peaked in popularity and was declared the national beverage. One of the reasons for tea’s popularity was its medicinal properties. Like coffee, tea contains caffeine, which rejuvenates consumers to an extent. Moreover, tea had antiseptic properties that made it a safer beverage than water, much like alcohol.
Due to China’s prestige and power, it acted as a center of trade and attracted many other cultures. This allowed tea to become more prevalent in other parts of Asia by exporting tea leaves in exchange for other products. The rarity and luxurious nature of tea meant that tea was even used as a substitute for paper currency, as the latter became less valuable the farther one went away from the Chinese capital. One Asian country that adopted tea drinking is Japan, where elaborate tea ceremonies were created and came to represent social sophistication. Even when the Mongols’ brief rule established a milk-based alcohol drink as the predominant one, tea quickly made a comeback after the Yuan Dynasty’s fall.
Meanwhile, Europe was much slower to adopt tea. Though trade between European merchants and China—the latter of which was at a distinct advantage—had persisted since the early 16th century, it was only in 1610 that tea was commercially shipped by the Dutch to Europe. It quickly spread from the Netherlands to other European countries like France and England, and though most European nations were interested in this fascinating and exotic drink, England showed the most interest, partly due to Catherine of Braganza’s own preference for it.
However, tea did not become a mainstream drink for decades after its introduction, mainly because of its expensive and rare nature. Originally, it was a luxury drink afforded only by the elite for its medicinal properties or to showcase the drinkers’ social standing. However, as the British East India Company focused their efforts on importing tea, the drink became much cheaper. This change, coupled with the establishment of a tea-drinking cafe for women called Thomas Twining and the creation of tea gardens, made tea-drinking a social affair adopted by most of society. Even the poor could afford it, and by the end of the 18th century, almost everyone in England was consuming it.
Source:
Standage, Tom. A History of the World in 6 Glasses. Atlantic Books, 2006, pp. 141-176
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