# Why did tea become so popular **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [August 31, 2023, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427 "2023-08-31T21:32:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/61 "2023-09-03T13:22:56Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Although the Brits might hate my saying it, tea also became a way to introduce sugar into every meal, and between meals. Sugar is an addictive taste. The British around that time already had an affection for putting sugar on everything. Tea made it so, so much easier. As a side note, I could note “Tea” and its mild linguistic variants like “chi” is one of the few words that are effectively universal, known in almost every language, like “mama,” “taxi” and “OK.” There aren’t many of those. “Coffee” is pretty universal too. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/62 "2023-09-03T13:29:38Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > Green tea is bitter only if you use water that is too hot, or steep the leaves for too long; two of the most common mistakes people do, the third being using too much leaves per serving. > > Boiling water or anything near it is too hot for most green teas. Around half of my home selection needs just 70 C, the other half 80 C (I only drink unfermented green tea). > > I have an electric kettle with temperature adjustment now, but years before I had one, I used old Japanese bubble evaluation techniques to judge when the water was there; small bubbles rising from the bottom of the kettle, called ‘shrimp eyes’, and the water is at 70 C. Nowhere near boiling. thx, those are the kinds of tangents/nuggets that make me come back the SD ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/63 "2023-09-03T13:54:05Z")
Tea is ancient. > **[History of tea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_tea)** > > The history of tea spreads across multiple cultures over the span of thousands of years. With the tea plant Camellia sinensis native to East Asia and probably originating in the borderlands of southwestern China and northern Myanmar. One of the earliest accounts of tea drinking is dated back to China's Shang dynasty, in which tea was consumed as a medicinal drink. An early credible record of tea drinking dates to the 3rd century AD, in a medical text written by Chinese physician Hua T Camellia si... In legend, tea was discovered around 2700 BCE. Archaeology attests that tea was in popular use by the 2nd century BCE. Coffee is much less ancient. > **[History of coffee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_coffee)** > > The history of coffee dates back to centuries of old oral tradition in modern-day Ethiopia and Yemen. It was already known in Mecca in the 15th century. Also, in the 15th century, Sufi monasteries in Yemen employed coffee as an aid to concentration during prayers. Coffee later spread to the Levant in the early 16th century; it caused some controversy on whether it was halal in Ottoman and Mamluk society. Coffee arrived in Italy the second half of the 16th century through commercial Mediterrane The first known legends of coffee use are from the 9th century CE and historical record of coffee consumption are only as far back as the 15th century. Tea had a huge head start (literally more than a millennium) and was propagated to a huge proportion of the world on the substantial impact of Chinese cultural influence. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/64 "2023-09-03T14:04:18Z")
tea in the wider sense of the word (infusion) - as in pouring hot water over leaves - is probably as old as the dominio of fire … ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/65 "2023-09-04T04:41:00Z")
Plug for cold brew barley tea, my uncaffeinated drink of choice. Steep in the refrigerator for 2 hours, one tea bag per liter or thereabouts. Wildly popular in Japan and South Korea. Also can be made hot. Contains no hibiscus, unlike 90% of typical US herbal tea concoctions. (I don’t mind that, but I’m on a barley tea kick.) [Barley tea - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barley_tea) ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/66 "2023-09-04T05:54:21Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > Tea isn’t as hard on the stomach as coffee. Important for some of us. I’ve heard that all my life, but although I drink black coffee by the buckets with no ill effects, tea gives me a really sour stomach. Maybe it’s the tannins? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/67 "2023-09-04T06:40:51Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > my uncaffeinated drink of choice To that - how many people drink _rooibos_? ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/68 "2023-09-04T06:47:30Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > To that - how many people drink _rooibos_? I have a couple of boxes of it. Recommended. Thing is I also have like a dozen or more other boxes of tea of various sorts. I drink more herbal tea when the weather gets colder. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/69 "2023-09-04T12:15:18Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > > [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > > > my uncaffeinated drink of choice > > To that - how many people drink _rooibos_? I like rooibos. I discovered it when i visited South Africa. When i got home, i tried to buy some, but none was as good as what i remembered getting there. I ended up buying several, and doing a taste test, and I’ve since bought Rishi, which i like, but don’t love. The non-tea-teas i drink most often are ginger (with a touch of lemon grass) and “breathe easy”, a eucalyptus/mint thing sold as a cold treatment. Do you have any advice about how to brew it, or good brands that are available in the US? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/70 "2023-09-04T13:34:51Z")
The water has to be just off the boil (so, around 95°-97°C), and steep for at least 5 minutes (rooibos doesn’t go bitter with a long steep, unlike tea) That’s about it. As for brands, I generally get it in bulk from regional sources so don’t know what’s good in brands, but you won’t go wrong with Freshpak or Peacock brands if you can find those. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/71 "2023-09-04T14:17:03Z")
Thanks! eta: if anyone else is interested, freshpak rooibos is easy to find on Amazon and other US-oriented sites. I was able to find the Peacock website, but it wasn’t obvious if they ship internationally, and all the prices were in Rands. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/72 "2023-09-04T16:20:05Z")
I don’t know. Tea might upset a stomach if it’s brewed too strong. Most of the people I know have no problem with coffee. I love the effect it has, especially that first cup in the morning (two per day was my habit), but it gave me excess acid for decades before I finally gave it up. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/73 "2023-09-04T18:07:19Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > I don’t know. Tea might upset a stomach if it’s brewed too strong. Indeed. I have had “chifir”/“zavarka”/whatever you call it and it is an… acquired taste. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/74 "2023-09-04T19:31:48Z")
My wife tried rooibos but found that she didn’t like it. Herbal teas of all kinds do little for her. She’s found a local tea store and buys dozens of types at a time, oolong and green and white and yellow. Not black, the usual commercial tea, which is too astringent. She suggests that if people like white tea they also try yellow. ---
**Author:** ![Tarataratara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tarataratara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarataratara)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/75 "2023-09-04T21:57:03Z")
You might be interested in the story of Queen Catherine and tea [The true story behind England’s tea obsession - BBC Travel](https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20170823-the-true-story-behind-englands-tea-obsession) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2023, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/76 "2023-09-04T22:03:20Z")
I think the Tick Tock brand of rooibos tea is the best for flavour by a long way. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/77 "2023-09-05T00:44:05Z")
Cool article. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/78 "2023-09-05T06:08:15Z")
> [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > I think the Tick Tock brand of rooibos tea is the best for flavour by a long way. Not a local brand, though, so I didn’t mention them. They’re the now-British descendants of the original rooibos popularizer, [Benjamin Ginsberg](https://www.sajr.co.za/rooibos-teas-jewish-roots-run-deep/). If you want the _original_ original, that would be the South African Eleven O’Clock brand, even though it’s no longer owned by the same family and isn’t my favourite commercial brand. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/79 "2023-09-05T18:25:28Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Plug for cold brew barley tea, my uncaffeinated drink of choice. I find it one of the best drinks for quenching your thirst. I didn’t like it on first taste, but I soon found I really liked it and craved it at times. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427/80 "2023-09-05T22:11:47Z")
> [@Tarataratara](#): > > You might be interested in the story of Queen Catherine and tea [The true story behind England’s tea obsession - BBC Travel](https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20170823-the-true-story-behind-englands-tea-obsession) Thanks for the link! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-tea-become-so-popular/989427.md?page=5)