Chinese were the first to discover tea. In the early 17th century, the Dutch East India Company introduced Chinese tea for the first time to Europe. By the mid-17th century, afternoon tea had become a standard ritual of the British nobility. Languages of countries that once imported the leaves from the north of China, such as Turkey , Russia , and Japan , adopted some variation of the sound cha, such as chay, chai, or chya. Countries on the southern maritime lines of China, such as Spain , Germany , and England , borrowed the word in the forms of te, Tee, and tea respectively, based on the southern Chinese pronunciation.
Tea is made from the young, tender leaves of the tea tree.
The differences among the many kinds of tea available are based on the particular methods used to process the leaves. The key to the whole process is the roasting and fermentation. Through fermentation, the originally deep green leaves become reddish-brown in color. The longer the fermentation, the darker the color. Depending on the length of the roasting and degree of fermentation, the fragrance can range from floral, to fruity, to malty.