Tea History
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“The Use and Abuse of Tea” (1877)
If you were a medical professional in 1877 and happened to be reading Physician and Surgeon: A Professional Medical Journal, you would have run across an article called The Use and Abuse of Tea. It begins with the following statement: “A French observer has recently tabulated the evil results which in many cases follow the… Continue reading
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“The Evils of Tea Drinking” by Author Unknown
Among most people who bother to have an opinion on tea these days, that opinion is likely to be a positive one. Which has been the case throughout much of history, at least for the most part. From the earliest days of tea drinking in the West, there were those who praised tea for its… Continue reading
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The Origin of the Tea Plant
Most tea drinkers are familiar with the famous legend of tea’s discovery. According to the story, the ancient Chinese emperor Shen Nong was boiling water when leaves from a nearby tea plant drifted into his kettle. Curious, he tasted the resulting infusion and unknowingly introduced one of the world’s most influential beverages. It’s a wonderful… Continue reading
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Teapots at the British Museum – Part 2
Following on from Part 1, this instalment uses two other teapots I came across in the British Museum as a starting point to reflect on the journey of tea culture across the world; the history of tea drinking is a diaspora of teapots as much as a diaspora of tea. The teapots pictured below are… Continue reading
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Tea Pioneers: Catherine of Braganza
If you’ve visited this site before you might recall that yours truly and various other contributors have occasionally discussed (and sometimes debunked) some of the better known myths about tea. To name just a few, there’s the one about the Chinese emperor who discovered tea some centuries ago when tea leaves drifted on the wind… Continue reading
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Great Tea Races of Yesteryear
As a non-smoker, I wouldn’t walk a mile for a Camel, as the old advertising slogan goes. But a cup of tea from a wide selection of blends and varieties? That’s another story entirely. If the reward were a pound of tea, I might even consider entering a race for it. This brings us—somewhat indirectly—to… Continue reading
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For Drinkers of Tea
Americans love their coffee. Which is admittedly an offbeat way to start an article about tea, but it’s true. By one estimate, we drink a little more than 20 times as much coffee as tea on a per capita basis. One popular assumption about our tea drinking habits here in the good old USA is… Continue reading
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A Brief History of Tea
Coffee gets more than its fair share of press nowadays, but it’s important to remember that, according to some experts, tea is actually the second most popular beverage in the world, after water. The precise origins of tea drinking are unknown, but the ancient Chinese were probably the first to steep leaves from the Camellia… Continue reading
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Book Review — “The True History of Tea”
I’ve had the pleasure of reading and reviewing a number of excellent tea books over the past few years, several of which took a reasonably close look at the history of tea. But worthwhile though these might be, in the history department they don’t really hold a candle to Mair and Hoh’s thorough and entertaining… Continue reading
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Some Thoughts on Teatotallers
The image of befeathered patriots dumping tons of tea into Boston Harbor conjures strong feelings even today. Even more so in the eighteenth century. You may have read my previous article about the feelings of those early Americans towards our favorite beverage. Today, we drink tea out of choice, among a plethora of other beverages.… Continue reading
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