In 2737 BC, legend has it that leaves from
a tree dropped into Emperor Shen Nung's cup of boiling water.
The servant had boiled the water for hygienic reasons before
the emperor was to drink it. But this time the water was turned
brown by the wayward leaves. Being a scientist, the emperor
was curious and decided to try some of this new liquid. He
found the liquid aromatic and refreshing. Since that serendipitous
beginning, tea has been part of many cultures down through
the years.
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2000 years after the beginnings
of tea, Buddhist priests traveling between Japan and China introduced
this drink to Japan. The priests brought tea seeds back to be
cultivated in Japan. This was such a success that tea quickly
became an integral part of Japanese life. The Japanese Tea Ceremony
was soon perfected with the help of Ch'a Ching (The Tea Book,
written by Chinese Scholar Lu Yu).
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In the mid 1600's, the Dutch were actively
involved in trade with the Western world. Peter Stuyvesant
was the first to bring tea to the colonists of America. These
settlers were heavy volume tea drinkers; they consumed more
tea than all of England at that time. This fact led to one
of America's most famous events, the Boston Tea Party. The
British Government mistakenly thought that they could excessively
raise the tax on the importing of tea because many Americans
were hooked on this drink. Instead, the result was the Boston
Tea Party, an event that led to the American Revolution.
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