Next to water and the various alcoholic beverages enjoyed the world over tea has one of the longest histories on record. History states that tea was discovered by a Chinese emperor almost five thousand years ago, and that this discovery has brought forth one of the most classic yet revolutionary beverages available.

Ancient Tea
According to history, and a bit of legend, tea was discovered by Chinese Emperor Shen Nung. Wind blew dried leaves into his cup of hot water and a sensation was born. In 2737 B.C. when this monumental event was purported to have occurred, all water was boiled for sanitary reasons. Shen Nung was much impressed with the newly flavored water and the new beverage quickly became common throughout China

When a Buddhist monk traveled back to Japan after a stay in China, he brought the Chinese tea with him. Japan immediately loved tea and made it an integral part of Japanese life and culture. Before long every country in the Orient had incorporated tea into daily routine and, in cases such as the Japanese tea ceremony, special occasions.

European Tea
Tea was one of the more profitable discoveries made by European explorers as men and ships began to explore the continents and oceans in search of treasures of all kinds. Tea was brought back to Europe, primarily by the East India Tea Company, through Holland. However, for much of the earliest days of European tea, the drink was much to expensive at $100 per pound to gain favor with anyone but the rich. But as tea continued to arrive on the continent, the prices fell and the drink became much more universal.

England especially embraced tea as a full part of its entertainment and culture. Tea gardens and exclusive tea parties were major sources of entertainment that are still held over today both in English gardens and imaginations of little girls all over the world. Tea reached the other side of the European continent when the Chinese Embassy in Moscow delivered ornate chests of dried leaves to Czar Alexis in 1618. Tea is still considered one of the national drinks of Russia. It competes only with vodka for the position of favorite.

American Tea
From the first shipments of tea into New Amsterdam, now New York, Americans have had a love affair with tea. In a short amount of time, the American colonists were drinking more tea than all of Europe during colonial times. The American obsession with tea has had rough moments with high taxes on the product following the French and Indian War and other times throughout colonization. Tea even served as a catalyst in the Boston Tea Party, one of the events leading up to the American Revolution.

Of all the tea loving countries in the world, the United States might very well have had the greatest impact on the drink. Served hot for the long majority of its life, a warm day at the St. Louis World Fair in 1904 was all it took for the entry of iced tea. Today Americans drink 140 million cups of tea, and a good eighty percent of that is iced.