| Marylyn Monroe famed amongst other things for her | | | | to go to the Tea regions in China, to learn how the |
| love of Tea once said that, "World Peace would be | | | | closely guarded tea was produced and eventually to |
| with us if politicians drank tea at meetings" - or | | | | bring back samples of the plants. In fact this 'thief' |
| something to that effect. And she was very true in | | | | was Robert Fortune a Botanist from England and he |
| her words, very true indeed. A cup of Tea does | | | | was commissioned by the Tea Commission to steal |
| wanders to all that drink it. | | | | from the Chinese and observe their secretive |
| Did you know that people in Britain and the Republic | | | | methods of Tea Making. Wow, what a brave man he |
| of Ireland consume the most tea per person in the | | | | must have been! He managed to watch and gain |
| world? I always thought it was Japan or China but | | | | valuable insight into the arts of growing tea, to |
| then their cups are much smaller than our cups! It is | | | | appropriate various tea plants and to take them to |
| also interesting to note that more than 2,000,000,000 | | | | Calcutta. A Botanist to Thief to Tea Grower - an |
| cups of tea are drunk every day throughout the | | | | excellent career move! |
| world! That is a gigantic amount of cups and I can | | | | He noted that: Tea needs loose, deep and acidic soil |
| but imagine how many I contribute to that figure, | | | | and high altitudes to grow best and he eventually |
| about one I might guess! In weight terms, that | | | | saw his dream come alive with the planting of |
| equals out to 2 and a half million tones of Tea being | | | | twenty thousand tea tree saplings at the foot of the |
| drunk throughout the world every year or from a | | | | Himalayan Mountains. And from this point we come |
| British point of view just under 6lb's per person per | | | | across some of the famous names in Tea. Those |
| year is consumed! | | | | that are with us today and who were at that time |
| Where does tea come from, who' had the first cup | | | | referred to as "gentlemanly Tea Merchants". To |
| of Tea and why does everybody like it? The answer | | | | name but a few: Thomas Lipton, Thomas Twining |
| is not from the supermarket, my mother and | | | | and James Taylor. Through Robert Fortunes thieving |
| because it is cheap and easy to make. There is a | | | | skills the Tea Island of Cyprus sprang into being, India |
| deep routed culture and history behind Tea, | | | | became famous for its Assam Tea and Darjeeling |
| something that all dedicated Tea drinkers should have | | | | and today Tea is now a major revenue earner for |
| knowledge of. | | | | over forty countries. |
| Tea became very popular to the British gentry in the | | | | Tea Drinking is a ritual in many a society. In China |
| seventeenth Century. This was when Tea became | | | | guests must be greeted with a bowl of tea, tea is |
| widely known and built itself initially into an upper | | | | synonymous with Buddhism in the Far East and to |
| class act of snobbery! Tea at this time was only | | | | the Zen faith in Japan. Russians love of tea is |
| grown in China and was a closely guarded secret of | | | | depicted through the Samovar, in Morocco we have |
| the Chinese Emperors of the time. Tea was bought | | | | the famous Mint Tea and in Europe's Tea Houses |
| and shipped from China to the rest of the world, | | | | history and culture lives on deep and faithful as part |
| Japan, Formosa, India, America and Europe in a | | | | of life itself. And in Japan one can gain a Diploma in |
| variety of ships of different nationalities. Dutch and | | | | Tea Mastery from one of three schools dedicated to |
| Spanish ships competed with the massive fleets of | | | | the teachings in the "Way of Tea" (cha-do) So Tea |
| the British Empire to carry tea to where it was most | | | | culture is very strong all over the world but why is |
| needed. For the most part companies like the Dutch | | | | this so? |
| East Indian Company whom first imported Tea to | | | | Why do we drink tea? Why do we insist on drinking |
| Europe and The British East India Company controlled | | | | tea every day of every week? What is it that |
| most of the market for themselves. | | | | makes us sit down and slowly consume a cup when |
| From any old ship to specially built Clippers this tea | | | | there are things to do, shopping to get and kids to |
| was brought from China to the Western World in | | | | feed? Why do we suddenly give up all that is |
| ever increasing quantities, yet no matter how many | | | | necessary and sit back with a cup of tea and smile |
| ships were built or how much tea was grown they | | | | as if we have not a care in the world? |
| could not keep up with the Western Demand! | | | | The answer is in itself. People love Tea for its calming |
| Famous ships' like the Cutty Sark will ring a bell with | | | | essence and the culture that goes with it. Tea is |
| most. This ship is typical of those used purely to | | | | used in times of trouble and to escape from life, not |
| carry Tea from China to Europe and hence to the | | | | because of any association but because Tea does |
| Tea Rooms' of the wealthy. Large barrel like ships | | | | have many a body altering ingredient, even if we |
| designed to carry as much cargo as possible and built | | | | know nothing about them. We in the Western World |
| with quantity in mind rather than of speed. The early | | | | drink cups of Black Tea and do not associate such |
| Nineteenth Century saw ships like the Cutty Sark | | | | with any medical or body altering feature but little do |
| being replaced by sleeker and faster ships and in | | | | we know. Even those thousands of years ago when |
| 1834 a ship called The Oriental completed a voyage | | | | China alone drank tea, they drank it to cure many an |
| from Canton to London in 95 days. 15 days less than | | | | ailment or problem that they might suffer from. It is |
| the Cutty Sark would have taken. | | | | known today that certain teas can cure headaches, |
| Tea in America was the third most important import | | | | reduce cholesterol or improve ones sight amongst |
| during the eighteenth century and Tea sparked off | | | | many hundreds of other cures and results. These are |
| what was to become the separation of Britain and | | | | specialty teas and not the ones we associate with |
| America - the War of Independence. Does the | | | | morning or afternoon Tea-time but they are readily |
| Boston Tea Party ring a bell? This was where armed | | | | available should one look into it. Our Western culture |
| immigrants dressed as Indians secretly boarded three | | | | is sparked from the calming essence associated with |
| clipper ships in Boston Harbor and threw all of the | | | | the Black Tea, more from a cultural point of view |
| imported tea into the sea. A show of resistance | | | | than from its physical properties. For your information |
| against the high taxation of the British Government | | | | though; the average Tea contains vitamins A, B and |
| on Americans settlers and by throwing the Tea away | | | | E. A cup of tea is rich with minerals of iron, copper, |
| they sparked off the war. Yep, the Boston Tea | | | | zinc, sodium and contains fluoride to fight the cavities. |
| Party in December of 1773. Maybe they should have | | | | So much, all in a cup? Yes, it is true that so much can |
| all just sat back and have a cup of tea to think | | | | be in so little! So whilst you are sitting back and |
| about it, but then that would mean that Britain would | | | | relaxing, you can now think about what it is doing for |
| still control colonies in America! Wow, except for | | | | you! |
| "Tea" history would be so different. | | | | Two points that tea drinkers often struggle with is |
| In the late eighteenth/nineteenth Century America | | | | the question of milk! The first is the question of, |
| and Europe fast became the major players in the | | | | "with or without Milk"? First of all Green teas and Mint |
| Tea Trade. Competition was fierce and ships battled | | | | Teas do not go with milk. They are kept well away |
| the seas to leave first, sail fastest and arrive first to | | | | from that sort of thing. Milk goes with Black Tea to |
| whichever port they may be going. Bigger ships, | | | | dilute it's often bitter and harsh taste and has |
| faster ships and more of them were used yet at no | | | | stemmed from there into an everyday requirement. |
| point could they keep up with the growing demand. | | | | The second is that of milk before or after pouring |
| Tea was rapidly being reduced in price and spreading | | | | the tea into the cup? Does one pour the milk in first |
| through all walks and classes of society. The rich and | | | | and then the tea, or the tea first and then top up |
| the poor could now all relax with a cup of tea but | | | | with milk? Each to his/her own way, I say, but there |
| only if faster ships could be built or more vessels | | | | is a rather more rooted reason for milk first. Milk was |
| could be found! The Chinese tried to keep the trade | | | | originally placed in the cup first to prevent the gentle |
| even with all countries but Britain in a show of | | | | porcelain from cracking when the hot tea was |
| determination wooed the Chinese with inbound Opium | | | | poured into it. What becomes more important is |
| from India thus breaking any vestiges of rebellion. | | | | whether or not the Tea is brewed in a Teapot or it |
| Through opium shipments and thus a resultant lack of | | | | is being infused in the Cup itself. I say this with |
| orientation on the part of the Chinese through drugs | | | | regard to people who place a Tea Bag in the cup, |
| the British controlled Tea Shipments out of China and | | | | then pour milk onto the tea bag and then add the |
| to the rest of the world for many a year. | | | | boiling water. This is not allowed! This way destroys |
| Bigger ships and faster ships but all still very slow and | | | | all the culture associated with Tea and needless to |
| small in comparison to the ships of today. The start | | | | say the Tea itself does not infuse correctly. In this |
| of the decline of the Clipper era was in 1869 when | | | | case the Milk must be added after the water and |
| the Suez Canal opened thus shortening sailing times | | | | infusion has taken place. |
| from Asia to Europe by many days. Then with the | | | | Whilst writing all the above a certain picture kept |
| invention of the steam ship good-byes where said to | | | | coming into my mind, a piece of "Tea Culture" that is |
| the heroic dashes and brave men who battled the | | | | depicted in the famous Asterix and Obelix Cartoon |
| oceans to bring tea to our shores on the wooden | | | | Series. It is in the one where The Romans come to |
| sailing ships. | | | | Britain to expand their Empire and are very upset |
| The story of Tea does not end with the demise of | | | | because the British always stop fighting at 'Tea |
| the sailing ships and clippers. Long before that | | | | Time". The picture in my mind is of the Romans |
| happened many a budding tea drinker found great | | | | hanging around impatiently, wanting to attack and |
| interest in Tea Growing. How was tea grown, where | | | | conquer the British, but they are all sitting back and |
| does it come from and many asked the simple | | | | sipping Tea - not fighting until they have finished their |
| question of "why do we have to buy it from China?" | | | | brews! |
| Of course, if the secret of "how to grow tea" could | | | | Beware though folks of the tea today! Tea bags are |
| be found then all would be so much simpler. If | | | | produced and made for the simple reasons of |
| somebody could get that secret from the Chinese | | | | economy and ease of transportation to your |
| then tea could be grown in other places and closer to | | | | supermarket shelves. Tea bags are easy to use but |
| the demands of European and American Tea drinkers. | | | | do be suspicious of a tea that as soon as it is in |
| If somebody could steal the secret and grow it in | | | | contact with water turns black! I am sure that it |
| India, Ceylon, Turkey and other such places where | | | | cannot be Tea. Stick to the real stuff that has taste. |
| ships could ply their trade on shorter and therefore | | | | If you have any further questions please do go to |
| more frequent voyages and where tea was closer to | | | | the Tea Council Web Site to dialogue with the |
| the places it was needed in, life would be so much | | | | experts or to gain extra information to what has |
| better. | | | | been given above. Failing that an excellent Book on |
| Tea was first used in China a thousand or so years | | | | Tea is available and called "The Little Book of Tea" |
| before the rest of the world even knew about it. It | | | | and published by Flammarion. A French Publisher - |
| took a 'thief' in 1849 disguised as a Chinese Merchant | | | | good excuse to go to France and taste some wine! |