Tea
Timeline
| 2737 BCE | According to Chinese myth, Emperor Shen Nung of China discovered tea while sitting under a wild tea tree with a cup of hot water. A leaf from the tree fell into his water, creating the first tea. | |
| 222 | Chinese writing "dated to the year 222 mentions tea as a substitute for wine." 1 | |
| 805 | Tea brought back to Japan by Buddhist monk Saicho and served to Emporer Saga, who popularized tea in his court. 1 | |
| 879 | Arabian travelers visit Canton mention tea in their logs. 1 | |
| 960 - 1279 | Tea's popularity grows in China during the T'ang and Sung dynasties. First documented tea houses founded. 1 | |
| 1191 | Japanese Buddhist monk Eisai returns from studying in China, writes a book about the medicinal value of tea, and founded the first tea plantations in Japan. 1 | |
| 1271 - 1295 | Marco Polo notes a Chinese official who was removed from office for raising the tea tax. 1 | |
| 1597 | The first English printed reference to tea appears in a translation of Dutch navigator Jan Hugo van Lin-Schooten's Travels. He calls the beverage "chaa". 2 | |
| 1685 | Treatise on coffee, tea and chocolate published by French druggist Dufour, titled "Traitez nouveaux & curieux du café du thé et du chocolate". [Details] | |
| 1890 | Lipton tea is first introduced. | |
| 1904 | American tea and coffee merchant Thomas Sullivan invents the tea bag for sending samples to his customers. |
References
- Pendell D. Pharmako / Dynamis. Mercury House, 2002.
- Encyclopedia Britannica. 1957.