Legend has it that tea was first discovered by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung, 5,000 years ago. A scholar and herbalist he was resting under a tree and whilst boiling his drinking water a leaf drifted down into it. The Emperor found the brew deliciously refreshing and revitalising - the rest is history!
Tea had reached China, possibly from its indigenous India, by 200 AD. The earliest record of its cultivation was the fourth century AD. It had travelled to Japan by the eighth century. The infusion method of preparing tea had become accepted practise during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). During this time it was discovered by Venetian spice traders. It was then brought from Java to Europe by the Dutch in 1610.
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