Tea, the second most consumed beverage after water. Today, it's grown in many countries over the world and consumed in different ways. But most people don't know where tea originates from.
The tea tree, officially known as Camellia Sinenses, is native to different regions of China, Thailand, Burma (Myanmar) and Vietnam. The climate and soil of certain regions in these countries are perfect for growing tea trees that over time can turn into large trees that can grow up to 10 meters tall.
Common believe is that the first tea trees are from today's Yunnan province in China, where the oldest tea trees in history are discovered so far. Whether or not Yunnan was the first birthplace of tea, it's the indisputable truth that tea was first cultivated and prepared as a beverage in China.
We can only guess why the Chinese were the first to cultivate tea. In the beginning, tea was mainly used as a medicinal herb that could cure several ailments. There were no chemically composed medicine at that time, so the search for herbs to cure certain ailments was a natural tendency for people. Thus, it was only a matter of time for the Chinese people to find out that one could cook/brew tea from it.
Another reason could be that the Yunnan province had a cold climate and people needed hot beverages to keep up the body temperature.
Curious about the full history of tea? Read it here: History of Tea