If you’ve spent any time living in England or Ireland, two of the world’s largest per-capita tea drinking countries, then you’ll have enjoyed mug after mug of Indian tea. But there’s more to the subcontinent than bags of British-named tea like Tetley or Twinings. In this blog post, we’re delving deep into India’s tea history and uncovering the legendary origins of chai.
When European sailors from Portugal first set eyes on Taiwan in 1590, they decided to name the island “Formosa” - meaning “the beautiful.” Hundreds of years later, Taiwan’s tea culture has been influenced by mainland China, Japanese investors and the tea-drinking tastes of British traders and sailors. The end result is a unique tea culture and one very special variety. The world famous oolong.
This week, our journey through the history of tea takes us across the East China Sea from the birthplace of tea to the land of the Rising Sun. We’ll discover how the famous Japanese tea ceremony was developed, how Japan’s isolation helped a unique tea culture thrive, and discover some of Japan’s most famous and widely loved teas.
