In 2737 BC, the Chinese Emperor Shen Nong presented his people with the miraculous benefits of green tea, but also with other healthy tips such as boiling water in order to purify it. During a stroll in the mountains, the Emperor and his court stopped to rest for a while. As they were boiling some water, a few leaves fell from the camellia bush (Latin for green tea) straight into that boiling water, thus giving birth to the first green tea cup in history. While drinking it, the emperor was impressed by the savory aroma of green tea and decided that the plant was “heaven sent. As it was thought to be extremely exquisite, the Emperor started to give green tea presents to everyone.
By 1650, green tea was brought to Europe as well as to America by the Dutch. Starting with 1669, green tea was brought to England by a company named East India, which, by 1721 was the only company to bring green tea to all the countries belonging to the British Empire.
At first, green tea was considered to be a pleasure of the rich because of its price, most of the people not having the means to buy it. In that period of time, one pound of green tea cost between $29 and $49. In order to make 200 bags, one pound of green tea is necessary. Lots of ships sailed between China and England to transport the precious cargo, each of them trying to arrive first in London because being the first meant having the privilege of setting the best prices. This approach allowed the price of green tea to drop to a certain extent due to the frequency with which ships arrived in London.
Nowadays, green tea is available for everyone. However, there are different qualities of green tea given by the region where it was taken from and the manner in which it was taken care of. Green tea will never have the same taste like regular tea. In fact, there are lots of distinct sorts of green tea which are all different, yet having a basic flavor that is found in all of them. Green tea aroma is fresh, green, light, and grassy. There may be certain varieties that are a somehow sweeter, whereas others may be slightly astringent. It is up to every one of us to drink green tea with sugar or milk, but normally it is consumed as such.
