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This timeline represents over 4,700 years of tea history, from legendary ancient origins to today’s global industry worth billions of dollars annually. Tea began as an accidental discovery in ancient China and continues to be one of the most consumed beverages in society.
TEA’S ANCIENT ORIGINS
2737 BC
According to Chinese legend, Emperor Shen Nung accidentally discovers tea when leaves fall into his pot of boiling water.
2nd Century BC
The earliest known physical evidence of tea is discovered in the mausoleum of Emperor Jing of Han in Xi’an.
59 BC
The first known reference to boiling tea is uncovered in “The Contract for a Youth” by Wang Bao.
3rd Century AD
Chinese physician Hua Tuo writes the first credible record of tea drinking in a medical text.
618-907 AD
TANG DYNASTY
Tea is popularized as a recreational drink during the Chinese Tang Dynasty.
760s AD
Lu Yu publishes ‘Cha Jing’ (茶經), the first comprehensive book about tea.
SONG DYNASTY
960-1279 AD
Loose-leaf tea is developed and becomes popular in the Song Dynasty.
JAPAN
9th Century
Japanese Buddhist monk Saichō introduces tea to Japan.
MING DYNASTY
13th Century
Somali Ajuran empire establishes trading ties with Ming dynasty China, bringing tea to Africa.
1279-1644
Unoxidized tea leaves is first stirred in hot dry pan, then rolled and air-dried, creating green tea processing method.
OOLONG TEA
15th Century
Oolong tea is developed, where leaves are partially oxidized before heating.
EUROPEAN INTRODUCTION OF TEA
1610
The Dutch East India Company carried the first bagfuls of tea to Europe.
1658
The first dated reference to tea in Britain from an advert in the London newspaper Mercurius Politicus
1661
Queen Catherine of Braganza makes tea popular with the English aristocracy when she marries King Charles II.
1669
The English East India Company brings Chinese tea from ports in Java to the London market.
TWININGS
1706
Thomas Twining opens Britain’s first known tea room at No. 216 Strand, London.
1831
Earl Grey tea is created by Twinings when Prime Minister Charles Grey asks Twinings to reproduce a special Chinese tea blend.
1837
Queen Victoria grants Twinings its first Royal Warrant for tea.
THE BOSTON TEA PARTY
1773
The British Parliament passes the Tea Act, giving the East India Company exclusive rights to transport tea to American colonies and exempting it from export taxes.
On December 16, 1773, about 60 American colonists, disguised as Mohawk Indians, board three British ships (Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver) in Boston Harbor and toss 342 chests of East India Company tea worth £18,000 (millions in today’s currency) into the harbor. This starts the American Revolution.
INDIA
1836
The British introduce tea culture into India.
1867
The British introduce tea cultivation into Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
TETLEY & TEA BAGS
1837
Brothers Joseph and Edward Tetley establish “Joseph Tetley & Co.” tea merchants in Yorkshire.
ICED TEA
1904
Iced tea accidentally invented at St. Louis World Trade Fair when hot weather prompts tea to be served over ice.
1953
Tetley becomes the first company to sell tea in tea-bags in the United Kingdom.
LIPTON
1871
Thomas Lipton opens his first tea shop in Glasgow, Scotland.
1890
Lipton purchases tea gardens in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and packages the first Lipton tea with slogan “Direct from the tea gardens to the teapot.”
TYPHOO
1903
John Sumner Jr. of Birmingham, England launch Typhoo, which become the first tea to be sold pre-packaged rather than loose over the counter.
PG TIPS
1930
Brooke Bond launches PG Tips under the name Pre-Gest-Tea (later abbreviated to PG)
1996
PG launches pyramid-shaped tea bags.
BIGELOW TEA COMPANY
1945
Ruth C. Bigelow founds Bigelow Tea Company, based on her “Constant Comment” tea recipe, which is a black tea flavored with orange rinds and sweet spices, developed from an old colonial tea recipe.
1990s
Bigelow introduces the first green tea to the US market.
UNILEVER
1991
Unilever creates a joint venture with PepsiCo for ready-to-drink tea marketing in North America.
2007
Unilever becomes the first company to commit to sourcing all tea sustainably, working with Rainforest Alliance.
ARIZONA ICED TEA
1992
AriZona Iced Tea launches on May 5th with 23-ounce cans priced at 99 cents.
2002
AriZona partners with golf legend Arnold Palmer creates half-tea, half-lemonade “Arnold Palmer” blend.
MODERN DAY
2020s
The global tea market continues expanding with specialty teas and wellness blends.
American specialty tea market quadruples, reaching $6.8 billion annually.
