Tea's history begins in ancient China around 2700 BCE, where legend says Emperor Shen Nong discovered it when leaves blew into his boiling water. For millennia, it was a medicinal drink. By the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE), it had become a daily beverage, with Lu Yu's "The Classic of Tea" codifying its culture.

In the 9th century, Japanese Buddhist monks brought tea to Japan, where it evolved into the elaborate Chanoyu tea ceremony. Tea arrived in Europe via Portuguese and Dutch traders in the 16th century. Its popularity boomed in Britain, shaping social rituals and global trade. The British addiction led to the Opium Wars with China and the establishment of vast tea plantations in India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to break the Chinese monopoly.