Semester Final Write-Up

     Tea has remained one of the world's most popular drinks for many centuries. It originated in China several thousand years ago, though its precise origins are unknown. This uncertainty caused myths to spring up surrounding tea's discovery, such as the idea that Siddhartha Buddha created the plant. Around the 17th century, tea made its way to Europe with the help of explorers. Despite this, Europeans still had no idea how to make it. In an effort to reduce its dependence on China, the East India Company sent Scottish botanist Robert Fortune to steal tea seeds to be planted in India, which the company controlled at the time. Tea has since made itself an established presence as a global commodity, a and is available in all parts of the world.