Yes, we are a little bit late with this post as International Tea Day was on May 21! But we think every day is a good day to celebrate and highlight the cultural and economic significance of tea around the world.
Tea drinking can be traced back to ancient times, with one of the earliest credible records dating to the third century AD in a medical text attributed to Chinese physician Hua Tuo.
However, tea’s recreational use gained significant popularity during the Chinese Tang dynasty and spread to other East Asian countries.
In the 16th century, tea was introduced to Europe by Portuguese priests and merchants. During the 17th century, tea drinking became fashionable in England, leading to the establishment of large-scale tea plantations in British India.
The 7 daily necessities (開門七件事：柴米油鹽醬醋茶) design, illustrated as part of our Bites of the World collection, is a Chinese phrase often used to detail the items that every Chinese household needs. Tea is listed as the last, but not least, essential in the phrase.
