• A Brief History

  Filed under Tea
  Apr 24

  The story of tea has been revolving for nearly more than two centuries. Its origin and dispersal continue to be baffling and there is room for debates. A general belief is that the origin of tea was somewhere in South east Asia.In China, Tea as a beverage was known for about three thousand years. Though wild tea has not been found in China. The wild types recorded in southern China are possible relics of past cultivation unrecorded. Studies about the distribution pattern of tea types or varieties suggest the origin somewhere in the Irrawady basin from where it dispersed to South east China, Indonesia & Assam.Tea varieties specific to these three principal regions. Tea varieties specific to these three pricipal regions have characteristic biological features , but it is rare that one particular type is to be found in a particular locality.

  Another school of though believes that tea possibily originated further north of the Irrawady basin and that the three prime locations are mere secondary locations. Because of their distinct & specific morphological features , tea varieties from different locations were considered sub-species and further identified as viridis, bohea, stricta & lasio-calyx. They were also grouped as assamica, sinensis & cambodia on the basis of commonality in their morphological & biological features.

  
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