Tea originated in East Asia, with the Camellia sinensis plant believed to have its roots in the borderlands of China and northern Myanmar. The earliest uses were medicinal and ritual, and over time tea spread from China to other parts of Asia and then to Europe and the wider world. Legends place its discovery around 2700 BCE in China, often linked to Emperor Shen Nong, while historical records of tea drinking begin in China a few centuries later and eventually reach Europe via trade routes in the early modern period. Key points
- Origin region: area around Yunnan and Sichuan in China, with the plant C. sinensis native to the region near the borders of China, Tibet, northern Myanmar, and northeast India.
- Early use: documented in Chinese medical and medicinal texts; tea drinking as a beverage evolved from medicinal infusion to a daily drink.
- Legend vs. history: legends (Shen Nong, Bodhidharma) describe early discovery; historical references track tea’s spread through China and later to Japan, India, Europe, and Britain.
- Global diffusion: Portuguese traders introduced tea to the Western world in the 16th century; British involvement in tea cultivation and trade helped establish global tea culture.
If you’d like, I can pull up a concise timeline or comparison of major tea- drinking cultures (China, Japan, Britain, India) with approximate dates and key milestones.
