Jen's Tea House

Because of the many new studies that have been released concerning green tea health benefits, more and more people want to know about the history of this healthy tea. People 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 cautious about the things they buy would want to know. It is important to know where products come from and how they came to be the way 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 a few. People in these regions would pick the leaves, then put them in boiling hot water to allow the flavors to be released. It was also used for medicinal purposes since the Chinese believed the leaves had special healing powers. They also believed this beverage would help brain function. In these early times, the leaves were also excellent items with which to bargain. Once countries in Europe began colonizing and trading with these tea leaf cultivators, this beverage quickly spread across the globe.

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

As it became more and more popular in Britain, this beverage became a part of British life. By 1750, this hot beverage was considered the national drink of England. The people of the British Empire were some of the first in recorded history to begin adding sweeteners, like sugar, to the drink. During the 1800s, the Duchess of Bedford began having little gatherings of people 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 find a new life. The beverage played a major role 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 the British Empire. In fact, for hundreds of years, Americans have been known to prefer 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 really interesting 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 what they are today without the industry that came from cultivating tea leaves.