The classic definition of tea is the brew made from the infusion of water and the leaves of an evergreen plant of the Camellia family.

In the tea industry, tea is defined as the dried processed leaves of Camellia sinensis, or Thea sinesis. Commercially, there are three major varieties of Camellia sinensis: the China type, the India (Assam region) type, and the Hybrid type (a cross breed of the China and India types). The China type tea plant has small leaves and usually grows well at higher altitudes. The India or Assam type has larger leaves and cultivates best at lower elevations. The Hybrid falls somewhere in between the China and India types.

2737 BC - is the date that is forwarded as the birth of tea. The Emperor Shen Nung who was in his garden, probably walking, sniffing flowers and such things, was drinking a customary cup of boiling water when a leaf from a nearby bush drifted into his cup. Instead of fishing out the leaf and pouring a new cup of hot water, curiosity got the better of this Emperor and he decided to try it. Upon doing so, he was so delighted by this infusion that he instantly declared it refreshing and medicinal.

50 AD - The first reliable reference to Tea is in an ancient Chinese dictionary. Described primarily as a medicinal beverage, the liquor was prepared by boiling raw green leaves in kettles with water, a process that was common in southwest China amongst the hillmen. Boiling water killed bacteria and other impurities helping to prevent illness.

618 - 907 AD - During the T'ang Dynasty, tea shrugs off its medicinal robes completely, becoming a beverage of distinction and refreshment.

780 AD - Tea was important enough to be taxed. A clever move by the Chinese Court, as the demand for tea had spread throughout the outer regions of China and to the countries beyond the borders such as Tibet and nomadic tribes such as the Turks, Tatars and Mongols. That same year, a ten volume work dedicated exclusively to Tea was written - Ch'a Ching (The Classic of Tea), by Lu Yu. Lu Yu melded Tea and Taoism.

960-1280 AD - During the Sung Dynasty, the Chinese favored a delicate Tea created by grinding the leaves to a powder, pouring boiling water over the powder and then whipping the mixture into a froth with a whisk.

1100 - 1126 AD - The Emperor Hui Tsun preferred his tea plucked by virgins with gold scissors and placed on gold platters (the tea, that is) to dry before infusing and pouring directly into his cup!

1191 AD - A Japanese Zen Buddhist monk named Eisai, was traveling back to Japan after studying on the mainland. Whilst on the mainland he had noticed that tea had increasingly become important within the temples. So observing, he decided to take seeds back to Japan and cultivate his own garden.

1368-1644 AD - Ming Dynasty established black, oolong, and green teas. They became popular with the Chinese people, royalty and commoners alike.

1610 AD - The Dutch brought Tea into Europe.

1650 - In North America, Tea was imbibed in Manhattan due to the Dutch influence in what was New Amsterdam and is now New York.

1680 - The Duchess of York introduced Tea into Scotland along with the Dutch habit of drinking Tea from the saucer. If you're wondering, you drink from the saucer so the tea cools faster so you can drink it sooner.

1700 The Dutch, French and English were all importing tea into a Europe that was drinking it more and more for its delicacies and subtleties than for its medicinal values.

1706 - Tom's Coffee House, established by Thomas Twining, began to concentrate primarily on Tea, and unlike other the male dominated Coffee houses, these new Tea houses opened their doors to both genders.

1834 - The Assam plant had actually been discovered growing in India.

1839 - The Assam Company was founded and began recruiting planters (who, incidentally, were all volunteers) to immigrate to India and begin tea plantations.

1800s - Anna, wife of the seventh Duke of Bedford, created the "Afternoon Tea" to "avoid the sinking feeling" that plagued her between the two planned meals of the day, breakfast, and dinner.

1870s - Tea became the primary crop in Ceylon.

1904 - At the St. Louis World Fair, Richard Blechynden poured his tea over ice, to try to induce the sweltering fair-goers to sample his tea. Iced tea became the most popular thirst quencher of the fair.

1908 - A New York City Tea Importer named Thomas Sullivan invented the tea bag.