What Country Did Tea Originate From?
Until the Mid-1800s, Only One Country on Earth Knew How to Make Tea
Trace Every Cup Back to Its Birthplace
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Where Did Tea Originate?
There are many discussions about the question “What country tea originated from?” on the internet. In fact, this is my favorite question to ask an Uber driver. Unfortunately, I’m often confounded by the answers I get, which include India, Japan, China, Persia, and even England! Tea’s origin is rarely explored properly due to various factors. These include barriers of language, culture gaps, lack of authentic records, and lack of tenacity to trace the long ancient roots of Camellia Sinensis.
Here’s the real deal. Tea originated in China. And this is only the beginning of an epic story lasting thousands of years, captured beautifully in the documentary TEA: The Drink That Changed The World.
About Shennong
About five thousand years ago, according to Chinese legend, a divine farmer named Shennong 神農 (traditional Chinese) or 神农 (simplified Chinese) discovered tea trees in the wild. He then boiled the tea leaves into a tonic as medicine. Shennong taught the Chinese people how to cultivate tea.
Revered in the Chinese culture as a divine emperor, Shennong was credited for teaching the ancient Chinese people husbandry and agriculture. A venerated sage of plants, Shennong invented Chinese herbal medicine.
Through the millennia, tea plantations flourished in the southern regions of China. Traditionally, Chinese people produce six types of tea: White tea, Yellow tea, Green tea, Oolong, Black tea (known as Red tea in China), and Dark tea (Hei Cha in Chinese.)
In modern days, Shennong is like Yoda, Groot, and the wisecracking astronaut Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon in “The Martian”) rolled into a single person.
Origin of Pu Erh Tea: World's Oldest Tea Trees
Historically, wild tea trees producing Pu erh tea (Dark tea category) have grown in Yunnan and Sichuan, China’s southwestern provinces. Some of these phenomenal wild tea trees are more than 2,000 years old.
Pu-erh has always been popular among the Chinese people. Thanks to the rising tea trend, Pu-erh has gathered a fast-growing following in the West. Collectors hunt for high-quality aged Pu-erh and are willing to pay exorbitant sums for this treasure. High-grade Pu-erh tea brews golden elixir to dark crimson color. In wine-speak, a well-aged Pu-erh is like a French cabernet sauvignon.
Divine earth held in a cup. Pu-erh tea comes in the form of tea cakes.
Chinese Civilization Is Steeped In Tea
Since ancient times, tea and China have been intimately linked. Tea symbolizes China. The world’s origin of tea culture, Chinese methods of growing tea, and drinking tea represent art and commerce. A way of life for thousands of years.
The Chinese tea culture is so deep, rich, and encompassing that this American phrase sums up its worth nicely,
“I wouldn’t trade it for all the tea in China.”
7 Chinese Household Essentials
Chinese culture has long considered tea one of the seven essential items for the home.
柴，米，油，盐，醬，醋，茶
Firewood , Rice , Oil , Salt, Sauce, Vinegar, and Tea
Spiritual Origin of Tea In China
Tea has deep spiritual roots in China. The monks were the first to cultivate tea in the southern regions, where the tea plants thrive in the warm climate.
For the monks, tea-making was the path to enlightenment.
From the monks, tea-marking spilled over to the people.
The art of tea cultivation, processing, and tea-tasting was honed over thousands of years and passed down from generation to generation. The simple cup is filled with hard work, artistry, history, and mystery. And above all–love.
Millions of lifetimes of learning are infused in a pot of Chinese tea.
How Tea Spread Within China
As the art of tea-making and tea-drinking evolved over the major dynasties, this southerner’s drink spread to northern parts of China, where the capital was located.
By the Tang dynasty (618 – 907 A.D.), tea had become China’s national beverage, thanks in part to Lu Yu’s book the “Classic Of Tea” or “Chajing” 茶經 (traditional Chinese) 茶经 (Simplified Chinese).
Published in 780 A.D., Lu Yu is the world’s first author on tea. The ancient tea sage pioneered the concept of “Cha Do” or “Chado” 茶道 (Chinese), encapsulating aesthetics, tea-drinking etiquette such as using proper teaware and spirituality, from cultivation to processing to tasting.
In simple terms, the practice of tea is a way of life. Chado means The Way Of Tea.
Ever wonder why tea is also called “Cha”? Tea originated as a southerner’s drink in China. The primary regional dialect is Cantonese, in which tea is called “Cha” 茶.
Along the southern coast of China, where famous tea was produced, the local dialects for tea are commonly called “te.”
So depending on the Chinese region where tea flowed out from, an anglicized version of the local dialect came along with the drink. “Te” became Tea in English. “Cha” was adopted throughout Asia, including Japan.
We’ve digressed. Let’s get back to Lu Yu and his Chado from the Tang Dynasty. Japan adopted this term more than seven hundred years later. By combining Lu Yu’s Chado, and the Green tea drinking custom from the Chinese Yuan Dynasty, the Japanese Tea Ceremony was born. Thanks to the global tea-lovers appreciation for Chado, the art of Whipped tea (tea-latte served in the streets of China nearly a thousand years ago) is preserved, now known as Matcha Green tea.
The history of tea and tea drinking evolution makes for a fascinating subject.
Until the mid-19th century, China was the only country on the planet that knew how to make tea, from cultivation to manufacturing to tasting. So how did tea spread to India, Sri Lanka, and Africa?
This question brews a fascinating story, with long-buried secrets unearthed in the documentary film, TEA: The Drink That Changed The World.
Ancient tea grinder from the Tang Dynasty. Courtesy of the Famen Temple, China.
How Tea Spread Outside of China
From the 17th century through the mid 19th century, China tea was such a hot commodity in Europe that China dedicated the Port of Canton (today Guangzhou) as its official port for the tea trade.
The Dutch East India Company imported Europe’s first commercial tea in 1610, followed by the British in the late 1600s.
The United States was late to the tea party and started importing tea directly from China in the 19th century. Tea became the dominant Chinese imported goods, growing from 1/3 to 2/3 of total imports from 1822 to 1860.
Ancient tea grinder from the Tang Dynasty. Courtesy of the Famen Temple, China.
TEA TIMELINE · 2737 BC TO THE MID-1800s
How Did Tea Spread from China to the World?
Eight Moments in the 5,000-Year Story of Tea
Tea originated in China. For thousands of years it stayed there, guarded as a state treasure, before it traveled by land and sea to every corner of the world.
2737 BC: Shennong Discovers Tea
Chinese legend says the Divine Farmer Shennong (神农) found a tea leaf in his pot of boiling water and discovered tea as a medicinal tonic.
Early 600s: The Grand Canal Carries Tea North
Tea remained a local specialty of southern China until the Grand Canal was completed in the early 7th century, connecting the south with the capital in the north.
780: Lu Yu Writes the Cha Jing
In the Tang Dynasty, Lu Yu (陆羽) wrote the Cha Jing (茶经), The Classic of Tea, the world’s first book on tea. Tea became China’s national drink.
Song Dynasty: Whipped Tea
Song Dynasty China whisked powdered tea into a frothy drink. Japan later adopted this whipped tea as Matcha. Read the origin of Matcha green tea.
1610: China's Commercial Tea Trade with Europe Began with the Dutch
The Dutch East India Company shipped Europe’s first commercial tea to Europe through Java, in today’s Indonesia.
1757: Canton Becomes China's Only Trading Port for the West
The Emperor sealed every other port, and Canton became China’s only trading port with Westerners. From then on, every Western ship loaded its tea here.
1773: America's Thirst for Chinese Tea
On December 16, 1773, colonists dumped 340 chests of East India Company tea into Boston Harbor. It was all Chinese tea. Read the history of tea in America.
1848–1856: The Most Audacious Tea Heist
Scottish botanist and tea spy Robert Fortune infiltrated the Wuyi tea regions, stole China’s tea secrets and tea masters, and transplanted tea to the British government plantations in Darjeeling and Assam, where India’s tea industry took root. Continue this tea story in the history of tea in India.
Discover what country tea originated from in the documentary, TEA: The Drink That Changed The World. Watch free at teadocumentary.com/watch, or stream ad-free on Amazon.
TWO WORDS CARRIED BY TWO ROUTES: CHA & TEA
What the World Calls Tea Today
Tea has two names in China: “cha” in Cantonese and Mandarin, spoken at Canton, China’s great trading port, and “te” in the Fujianese dialect of the coast, where the Dutch first traded. Tea left China by two routes, land and sea, and each country kept the name it first heard. Read the full story in Tea vs Cha.
Two words, one birthplace: whichever you say, you are saying it in Chinese.
Sources: TEA: The Drink That Changed The World · Tea vs Cha, TEA Documentary blog · Quartz, "How the word 'tea' spread over land and sea"
WUYI TEA MASTER
Tea Runs in Our Blood
In Wuyi Shan, tea and water have been mixed together for thousands of years. Tea runs in our blood.
— Duer, tea master, Wuyi Mountains, China · in TEA: The Drink That Changed The World
Wuyi Shan, in China’s Fujian Province, is the origin of Oolong and Black tea.
BEHIND THE FORBIDDEN TEA REGIONS OF THE WUYI MOUNTAINS
Journey to Tea's Birthplace in China's Wuyi Mountains
TEA: The Drink That Changed The World is the first film granted access to China’s forbidden tea region in the Wuyi Mountains, a double UNESCO World Heritage Site. Meet the tea masters who keep the secrets of Chinese tea alive.
Watch: Unearth Ancient Tea Secrets
Watch: Official Trailer
TEA HISTORIAN BRUCE RICHARDSON
A Cup of Humanity
Tea is traditionally a social gathering. It's what lubricates the world. It brings people together. It's a cup of humanity.
— Bruce Richardson, Tea Master, Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum · in TEA: The Drink That Changed The World
From one country, tea traveled to every continent and became the world’s favorite drink after water.
TEA BLOG — HARMONY IN A CUP
ENJOY HISTORY OF TEA
The history of tea is too rich to hold in a single page. Our inTEAllectual tea journal covers the rest — global tea culture and timeless tea stories, practical tips for steeping the perfect cup, tea’s surprising health benefits, and the legends behind the world’s most beloved cuppa. Explore a few favorite tea stories below.
WHAT COUNTRY DID TEA ORIGINATE FROM
Tea's Birthplace in Pictures
From China’s ancient wild tea trees to the port of Canton, these images trace tea from its birthplace to the world.
What Country Did Tea Originate From? Frequently Asked Questions
Where tea originated, answered: who discovered it, where the oldest tea trees grow, why the world calls it cha or tea, and how long China kept its secret.
What country did tea originate from?
Tea originated in China, where its story began about 5,000 years ago.
Chinese legend credits the Divine Farmer Shennong (神农) with discovering tea around 2737 BC. Until the mid-nineteenth century, China was the only country on earth that knew how to make tea, from cultivation to processing to tasting.
Discover what country tea originated from in the documentary, TEA: The Drink That Changed The World. Watch free at teadocumentary.com/watch, or stream ad-free on Amazon.
Did tea originate in China or India?
Tea originated in China. India built its tea industry only in the mid-1800s.
The wild tea plant grew in Assam, but the knowledge of making tea was Chinese. In the mid-1800s, the British East India Company smuggled Chinese tea plants, seeds and tea makers out of China to start tea gardens in India. Read the history of tea in India.
Uncover the tea heist that broke China's monopoly in the documentary, TEA: The Drink That Changed The World. Watch free at teadocumentary.com/watch, or stream ad-free on Amazon.
Who discovered tea?
Chinese legend says the Divine Farmer Shennong (神农) discovered tea around 2737 BC.
Shennong tasted hundreds of wild herbs to learn their healing powers. When a tea leaf drifted into his pot of boiling water, he found tea as a medicinal tonic. Buddhist monks later became the first to cultivate tea in southern China.
Explore the dawn of tea in ancient China in the documentary, TEA: The Drink That Changed The World. Watch free at teadocumentary.com/watch, or stream ad-free on Amazon.
Where are the world's oldest tea trees?
The world's oldest tea trees grow wild in China's Yunnan and Sichuan provinces.
Some wild Pu-erh tea trees there are said to be more than 2,000 years old. Pu-erh is believed to be one of the oldest teas in China, and its pressed tea cakes were once traded for horses along the Ancient Tea Horse Road (茶马古道).
Journey to the ancient tea lands of China in the documentary, TEA: The Drink That Changed The World. Watch free at teadocumentary.com/watch, or stream ad-free on Amazon.
How long was China the only country that made tea?
China was the only country on earth that knew how to make tea until the mid-nineteenth century.
China guarded tea as a state treasure, from cultivation to processing to tasting. Europeans traded tea through the port of Canton (now Guangzhou). China's monopoly ended in the mid-1800s, when its tea secret was smuggled to India.
Witness how the world's best-kept secret was lost in the documentary, TEA: The Drink That Changed The World. Watch free at teadocumentary.com/watch, or stream ad-free on Amazon.
Why is tea called "cha" and "tea"?
Both words come from China, where tea has two names: "cha" in Cantonese and Mandarin, and "te" in Fujianese.
Tea left China by land and sea, and each country kept the name it heard. Cha became chai by land. The Dutch, trading in Fujian, carried te to Europe: thee, thé and tea. Read the full story in Tea vs Cha.
Follow tea's journey across land and sea in the documentary, TEA: The Drink That Changed The World. Watch free at teadocumentary.com/watch, or stream ad-free on Amazon.
When did tea reach Europe?
Tea reached Europe in the 1500s with Portuguese traders, and in 1610 the Dutch shipped Europe's first commercial tea.
At first, Europeans bought tea in pharmacies as a costly medicine. England joined late: tea became the fashion at court after King Charles II married the tea-loving Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza in 1662.
Sail the early tea trade from China to Europe in the documentary, TEA: The Drink That Changed The World. Watch free at teadocumentary.com/watch, or stream ad-free on Amazon.
What are the 7 Chinese household essentials?
The 7 Chinese household essentials are firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea: 柴米油盐酱醋茶.
The old saying lists the seven things every Chinese home needs each day. Tea comes last on the list but never least: it shows how deeply Chinese civilization is steeped in tea.
Savor the place of tea in Chinese life in the documentary, TEA: The Drink That Changed The World. Watch free at teadocumentary.com/watch, or stream ad-free on Amazon.
Fascinated with tea?
The Art of TEA Book Series
Tea books from the film TEA: The Drink That Changed The World. Journey into the Wuyi Mountains through the eyes of Scottish botanist Robert Fortune, with art from the film. Go behind the scenes, learn the ancient art of tea tasting, and explore tea for health and wellness.