Brief history of tea

The word "tea" comes from the Chinese word "cha" which refers to a drink prepared from the green leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The history of tea in China dates back more than 2,000 years. It became a staple of the Chinese diet around 1000 CE. By the 17th century, China began trading with Europe and Russia. Tea took a particular stronghold in England, where consumption rose from 20,000 pounds in 1700 to over 20 million pounds in 1800.

Until the 19th century, all the tea in the world trade was Chinese green tea. In the 1840s, the Chinese developed "black" tea by intensive pressing of the leaves. Black tea is the type most common in the West today.

Around the same time, China began to resist the British practice of paying for tea with opium. Britain in return intensified its tea production in British colonies, particularly in India. The warm regions were better suited for Assam tea, which has more phenolic compounds and caffeine than Chinese tea and produces a stronger, darker black tea. Today, three quarters of tea produced is black. India is the world's largest producer.  China and Japan still consume more green tea than black.