History of Tea

Tea has a very long history, of at least 3 000 years, since the Han Dynasty. The origins of tea were first recorded in ancient texts from the western regions of China – from present day Sichuan province. There, ancient wild tea trees were harvested for the leaves and later tea trees began to become cultivated. Trade in tea leaves then developed. At first tea was used for its medicinal properties. Then, it developed into a thick soup or stew. Then, it developed into a beverage.

Along with this long history of tea, there has been constant development in tea customs and tea culture throughout the various regions of China.

During the Tang Dynasty, we had boiled tea. During the Song, we had whipped tea. During the Ming we had steeped tea. And during the Qing, we had gongfu tea.

In modern times, we can still follow the tea traditions of the Ming and Qing. Today, we still steep loose leaf teas in teapots. And today we can still enjoy gongfu style tea.

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