1.)When did tea first become a mainstream drink in Asia? In Europe?
Tea first became a mainstream drink in Asia at around 3rd century C.E. in China by Emperor Shen Nung. A story goes that Shen Nung was drinking a cup of boiled water one day in his garden, and some leaves from a nearby bush blew into his cup.The leaves in the boiled water gave off a rich, alluring aroma to the emperor as he was delighted by the infusion. The drink was discovered to be very refreshing and thus the custom of brewing fresh tea leaves in hot water began and it quickly spread throughout many parts of China. During the Tang Dynasty, a Taoist poet by the name of Lu Yu wrote an entire book on tea that focused on tea drinking, how tea is grown, how it is processed,
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Over time tea became cheaper to buy and soon was within reach of the middling classes. Tea was not only fashionable it was also considered to be good for your health. Women were able to buy this alluring drink as they had not been able to do so when coffee arrived, as only men were allowed in coffeehouses. Tea became very popular among the English society as it also had many beneficial effects. It would help people concentrate more and would also be used as a medicine in order to cure headaches and other illnesses. As tea became more widely available to more people at a lower price, this beverage was used during social rituals in order to bring people together. Tea parties started emerging in the English society as expert authors got more information on how tea should be prepared and served. In addition, the serving of tea became popular as tea gardens were developed in London as the first one opened in 1732. Young men and women would meet at the gardens since it was very appealing with a drink of tea. As you can see, tea transformed the English society in many ways as it introduced new rituals and celebrations that were associated with this wonderful …show more content…
The British East India Company was created to start trade with Southeast Asia, India, and East Asia. Around that time frame, the Dutch dominated international trade and commerce as they wanted to expand and conquest many parts of Europe. At the same time, the English wanted to make money and expand their control over the world. In order to make sure that the British East India Company had the power to be as successful as possible, the Queen of England gave them the ability to issue orders, laws, punishments, penalties, and even have their own army. As this company began to become more powerful, it was run with the help of shareholders, governors, and had two main bodies that operated it. For example, the shareholders would all invest in the company since it was very expensive to buy just one ship and transport