Before steel, before oil, before cars or guns or Coca-Cola, there was tea—one of civilization’s first truly global commodities, as well as one of its most enduring and beloved. The idea of drinking tea is credited (as are so many other good things in life) to the Chinese, who are said to have discovered the curative, and soothing, effects of steeping leaves in hot water in 2737 b.c. And although the practice quickly traveled throughout the Near and Far East via the Silk Road, it didn’t reach the West until relatively late—probably the sixteenth century or so, when the Portuguese and the Dutch (and later the English) began establishing strongholds in Asia.
But once introduced, it flourished: The English in particular went mad for tea, and today, even though their empire is long gone, an affinity for the drink remains in every country they once colonized—evidence of occupation served hot, in a cup. Indeed, to have a cup of tea means that you’re yet another participant in a millennia-long tradition, one often freighted with significance far beyond simple enjoyment. In sixteenth-century Japan, for example, teahouses were constructed with very tiny doors that could be entered only on one’s hands and knees, and which necessitated leaving one’s sword outside: a way for both parties to ensure their mutual humility, and a promise to each other that theirs would be a meeting of civility, not of potential violence. And although we (rightly) consider chai India’s national drink, it didn’t become truly ubiquitous until the 1950s, when the India Tea Board (which owed its very existence to the British) began a campaign to popularize the beverage. In fact, it wouldn’t be overstating the case to say that tea tells the history of the world: how different peoples traveled from continent to continent, bringing with them their own customs; how those customs were adapted and transformed.
In this portfolio, we pay tribute to our favorite tea rituals, from the pomp of English teatime to the subtle elegance of the Japanese tea ceremony. Offering insight into each tradition is one of our favorite tea resources, Heidi Johannsen Stewart, who, with her two partners, is a co-founder of the beloved Brooklyn-based tea company Bellocq. So little in life is universal, and yet the simple pleasure of drinking a cup of tea (or a glass if you’re in the Middle East) might just be the single experience that unites virtually all cultures on earth.
Video: Tea Rituals Around the World