Tea is the quintessential Chinese product. For millennia only the Chinese knew how to grow Camillia sinensis and how to process the leaves.
Buddhist monks spread the custom of drinking tea across Asia. They drank it in order to remain alert during long periods of meditation. The Japanese and Koreans purchased tea from the Chinese. The Chinese carefully guarded all information about this valuable monopoly.
In the late 1500s Europeans came knocking on China’s door. They wanted to trade for all sorts of Chinese exclusives, particularly silk. Though allowed only on the outskirts of very few ports, the traders did become acquainted with tea and were eager to add it to the shopping list.
The Dutch brought tea to Amsterdam in 1606 where it was used as an herbal medicine. From Holland it traveled to France where its novelty quickly wore thin. Apparently the French preferred wine.
Tea did not come to London until 1657 and there it became quite popular by the end of the century. As tea became an English essential, traders also brought porcelain teacups and teapots to Europe. Porcelain was so superior to any European ceramics that Chinese vases and knickknacks of all sorts were all the rage in the 1700s.
Europeans found another wonder in China, remontant roses, that is, roses that bloom more than once a year. The Chinese had been hybridizing these roses for centuries and were incredulous that the traders wanted to take them home! They did escort traders to a government-approved nursery where they could purchase roses. The roses were from China and closely associated with the tea trade and so became known as “China” and “tea” roses.
All these imported goods had to be paid for in silver which was in bountiful supply in the Americas. Alas, after we won our freedom, silver became very scarce in England. What could this nation of tea lovers do? Well, they had a large supply of opium from India which, though illegal, was in high demand in China. By smuggling opium, the British were able to create the cash flow needed to maintain the tea trade.
If only the British could get their hands on a starter stock of tea plants, they could grow their own in India. Several obstacles stood in the way. For a start, they were not allowed to roam about in China but had to remain in their trading posts by the ports. The location of the tea plantations was top secret and the English had absolutely no idea how the leaves were processed.
Photos: Ornate teacup and saucer (top) and tea clipper (bottom)
In 1844 the intrepid plant hunter Robert Fortune, disguised as a Chinese merchant, made his way to the tea-growing region. There he became the first westerner to learn that green and black tea were from the same plant, the difference being in how the leaves were processed. In 1848 he managed to send thousands of tea plants to India as well as hiring eight tea experts to teach the English how to grow and process tea. Spectacular industrial espionage!
India and China still produce a lot of tea. However, Kenya is now the top tea-producing nation.
Master gardener Ann Bartlett sips tea meditatively surrounded by flowers in the ornamental beds surrounding her home. This is the first in her Two For Tea series on the cheerful beverage.
