History of Tea

Before we delve into the History of Tea, let’s just touch on the origins of the word “tea”. The Chinese originally called it “Kia”. During the course of the 6th century AD, the name evolved into “Cha”. When it arrived in the West, it became Té which is the name for tea in many countries.

As legends go, tea was discovered somewhat by accident. In 2737 B.C. the emperor of China, Shen Nung, a renowed herbalist who liked to have his drinking water boiled, during one of this travels asked a servant to boil some water. When the servant began boiling the water, leaves from a nearby shrub blew into the water and the water turned a slight brownish colour. The emperor was unaware of this and he drank the water and found the taste very refreshing…….. and so tea was born.

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