A HISTORY OF TEA - FROM MYTH TO MODERN DAY

The story of tea begins in China. According to legend, in 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor Shen
Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water, when some leaves from
the tree blew into the water. Shen Nung, a renowned herbalist, decided to try the infusion that his
servant had accidentally created. The tree was a Camellia sinensis, and the resulting drink was
what we now call tea.
Containers for tea have been found in tombs dating from the Han dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) but
it was under the Tang dynasty (618-906 AD), that tea became firmly established as the national
drink of China. It became such a favorite that during the late eighth century a writer called Lu Yu
wrote the first book entirely about tea, the Ch'a Ching, or Tea Classic.
The first published account of methods of planting, processing, and drinking came in 350 CE.
Around 800 the first seeds were brought to Japan, where cultivation became established by the
13th century.
In 1824 tea plants were discovered in the hills along the frontier between Burma and the Indian
state of Assam. The British introduced tea culture into India in 1836 and into Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
in 1867. At first, they used seeds from China, but later seeds from the Assam plant were used.
The Dutch East India Company carried the first consignment of China tea to Europe in 1610. In
1669 the English East India Company brought China tea from ports in Java to the London market.
Later, teas grown on British estates in India and Ceylon reached Mincing Lane, the Centre of the
tea trade in London. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, tea growing had spread to Russian
Georgia, Sumatra, and Iran and extended to non-Asian countries such as Natal, Malawi, Uganda,
Kenya, Congo, Tanzania, and Mozambique in Africa, to Argentina, Brazil, and Peru in South
America, and to Queensland in Australia.
Classification of teas
Teas are classified according to region of origin, as in China, Ceylon, Japanese, Indonesian, and
African tea, or by smaller district, as in Darjeeling, Assam, and Nilgris from India, Uva and
Dimbula from Sri Lanka, Keemun from Chi-men in China’s Anhwei Province, and Enshu from
Japan.
Teas are also classified by the size of the processed leaf. Traditional operations result in larger
leafy grades and smaller broken grades. The leafy grades are flowery pekoe (FP), orange pekoe
(OP), pekoe (P), pekoe souchong (PS), and souchong (S). The broken grades are: broken orange
pekoe (BOP), broken pekoe (BP), BOP fanning, fannings, and dust. Broken grades usually have
substantial contributions from the more tender shoots, while leafy grades come mainly from the
tougher and maturer leaves. In modern commercial grading, 95 to 100 percent of production
belongs to broken grades, whereas earlier a substantial quantity of leafy grades was produced. This
shift has been caused by an increased demand for teas of smaller particle size, which produce a
quick, strong brew.
History of Bangladesh Tea:
In 1840, when plantations were set up beside the Chittagong Club using Chinese tea plants from
the Calcutta Botanical Garden. The East India Company initiated the tea trade in the hills of the
Sylhet region. Malnicherra in Sylhet is the first tea garden of Bangladesh established in 1854 and
in commercial production in 1857.
The main tea growing areas lie to the east of the Ganga-Jumma flood plain in the hill areas
bordering Cachar tea growing area of India. Most of the tea grows in Sylhet in the Northeast in the
so called Seven Valleys; tea is also grown in Chittagong & the Hill Tracts. Tea is grown at only
80-300 feet above sea level.
Black tea cultivation was introduced in Bengal and Assam during the British Empire, particularly
in Assam's Sylhet district. In 1834, Robert Bruce discovered tea plants in the Khasi and Jaintia
Hills and other hilly areas in the northeast. The first home-grown tea was made and tasted near the
Karnaphuli River in Chittagong in 1843. Commercial cultivation of tea began in the Mulnicherra
Estate in Sylhet in 1857. The Surma River Valley in the Sylhet region emerged as the centre of tea
cultivation in Eastern Bengal. Plantations also flourished in Lower Tippera (modern Comilla) and
Panchagarh which is in North Bengal. Panchagarh is the only third tea zone in Bangladesh and the
most demanded teas are cultivated here.
The Chittagong Tea Auction was established in 1949 by British and Australian traders. British
companies such as James Finlay and Duncan Brothers once dominated the industry. The Ispahani
family also became a highly prominent player in the industry.
Tea is the second largest export-oriented cash crop of Bangladesh, following jute. The industry
accounts for 1% of national GDP. Tea-producing districts include Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Sylhet,
Chittagong, Panchagarh, Brahmanbaria, Rangamati, Naogaon.
In 1947, the total tea cultivated area was 28,734 ha, production was 18.36 million kg and yield
were 656 kg per hectare; whereas in 2022, the tea area was 66,000ha, production was 93.83 million
kg and yield were 1422 kg per hectare.
In 2022, total tea production accounted for 5894.381 million kg which is a market value of 49.7
billion Doller.

Number of Tea Estate with region

Garden Number: 167
Cultivation Area: 66000 ha
Average Yield Per hectare: 1400kg
Bangladesh currently produces 1% of the world's tea. (BTB, 2022
Bangladesh is the 12th largest tea producer in the world. (Report on 2022)
Consumption percentage: average Almost 98%
Year 2023 (Upto 2022 2021
July)
Tea Production 40.026 Mkg 93.829 Mkg 96.5 Mkg
Consumption ---- 96 Mkg 93.304

To address the demand-supply gap and ensure the tea industry's continued growth, BTB takes some
step like:
• BTB assesses the feasibility in three Thanas of the Panchagar district, there may be roughly
6000 acres of land available.
• In Chattogram: 7500 acres of land available