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Tea Origins Tea Production Lifecycle
The history of tea dates back to ancient China,
almost 5,000 years ago

According to legend, in 2732 B.C. Emperor Shen Nung discovered tea when leaves from a wild tree blew into his pot of boiling water. He was immediately interested in the pleasant scent of the resulting brew, and drank some. Legend says the Emperor described a warm feeling as he drank the intriguing brew, as if the liquid was investigating every part of his body.
Up to the mid-17th century, all Chinese
tea was Green tea
As foreign trade increased, though, the Chinese growers discovered that they could preserve the tea leaves with a special fermentation process. The resulting Black tea kept its flavor and aroma longer than the more delicate Green teas and was better equipped for the export journeys to other countries.
The Dutch dominated the tea trade until 1678 when the British began importing tea on a commercial scale

The British Royal family, seeking full controls and profits over trade, chartered the East India Company and granted it a monopoly on all trade throughout Asia and Eastern Africa. The East India Company quickly became the most powerful monopoly the world has ever known, prompting a global economy - and tea was its primary commodity.
 
Tea-growing Regions


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